Posted on Aug 12, 2022
Denver officials remove anti-Chinese plaque that marked city’s Chinatown destruction in 1880
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Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and the Asian American and Pacific Islander community this week removed an anti-Chinese plaque from a street in what used to be the city’s Chinatown.
The plaque, which read “Hop Alley/Chinese Riot of 1880,” marked an anti-Chinese riot that destroyed the city’s Chinatown and left one person dead. Advocates have long decried the plaque as racist for its derogatory references to “Hop Alley,” or opium dens in the Asian American community. The marker’s removal follows the city’s formal apology in April for the 1880 riot.
The ceremony was led by city officials, descendants of Chinese families and Colorado Asian Pacific United, an advocacy group for Denver’s Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
The plaque, which read “Hop Alley/Chinese Riot of 1880,” marked an anti-Chinese riot that destroyed the city’s Chinatown and left one person dead. Advocates have long decried the plaque as racist for its derogatory references to “Hop Alley,” or opium dens in the Asian American community. The marker’s removal follows the city’s formal apology in April for the 1880 riot.
The ceremony was led by city officials, descendants of Chinese families and Colorado Asian Pacific United, an advocacy group for Denver’s Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
Denver officials remove anti-Chinese plaque that marked city’s Chinatown destruction in 1880
Posted from nbcnews.com
Racism
Denver
American History
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 1
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Let's change more history. Granted it is racist but, look when it was posted. It shows feelings of the time should stay as a reminder of where we were so we would not want to go back.
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LTC Eugene Chu
Issue is not just about racism, but about the egregious factual inaccuracy from the plaque.
It portrayed Chinese immigrants as the aggressors when it was a white mob who instigated the incident. It also ignored Look Young, a Chinese American who died, and attempted to portray the attackers as protectors. The Chinese Americans who were forced to leave also never received any compensation .
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/denver-removes-plaque-anti-chinese-riot- [login to see] 69/
It portrayed Chinese immigrants as the aggressors when it was a white mob who instigated the incident. It also ignored Look Young, a Chinese American who died, and attempted to portray the attackers as protectors. The Chinese Americans who were forced to leave also never received any compensation .
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/denver-removes-plaque-anti-chinese-riot- [login to see] 69/
Denver Removes Plaque Inaccurately Describing Anti-Chinese Riot of 1880
The historical marker contained a number of falsehoods about the Mile High City's first race riot
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