So a few months ago, we watched a video about the I-Hotel. Some background on the I-Hotel- it was intended for a luxury destination for wealthy travelers and was located at Jackson Street in 1854 but moved to 848 Kearny Street in 1873, then rebuilt in 1907 after the great San Francisco earthquake. By the 1920’s, the I-Hotel was then located in the center of the ten-block Manilatown along Kearny, which was the First Filipino American community here is San Francisco and one of the first and only few across the country.
The video showed that it was home for a lot of male migrant Filipino workers. Not only was the I-Hotel home for them, it allowed them to connect with others, and served as a cultural center. The first generations tenants are known as manongs, which is a respectful Filipino term for an older brother or uncle. I know this term because of my family’s Ilocano dialect. I always hear it when my mom talks to my dad’s older brothers or her older guy cousins. Other tenants were also United States war veterans.
On October 1968 the manongs were given eviction notices. The I-Hotel was built on valuable property that would increase more income as a parking lot for then develop and owner Milton Meyer and Company. The battle to save the I-Hotel lasted for more than three decades. The manongs got to stay and fought for nine years before they were violently dragged, kicked, and escorted out of their known home. This event occurred on August 4, 1977. Though Mayor Moscone promised housing for the manongs, they had nowhere to go.
Watching the video personally made me sad. It was very shocking to see footages of the actual event. It was very violent and harsh! They didn’t even allow the manongs find a place first before they got evicted. Although they should have seen it coming, it’s still very unfair. It was sad for me because there was a lot of elderly Filipino men, and being that I’m Filipino, I feel for them! I see how old they are, and they just remind me of my own grandfather. And those old Filipino men could be grandfathers to any of my friends and I just don’t know it. I couldn’t imagine my grandfather going through this kind of experience. Honestly, I’d be very traumatized to have to be evicted from the only home I’ve known with nothing. The tenants weren’t even allowed to bring their belongings with them. They were told that they could go back for them, but were not allowed to. Instead, police destroyed and scattered everything. I couldn’t imagine how the tenants felt. I’m sure they didn’t have much with them, and yet they couldn’t do anything about it. They were left with nothing…
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The Fall of the I-Hotel
The International Hotel was home to many Asian Americans that specifically had a large population of Filipino Americans. Built on Kearny Street, the I-Hotel was located in the heart of Manilatown, a ten-block Filipino American Community here in San Francisco. Many of the Filipinos that lived in the I-Hotel were elderly males, known as Manongs, that had immigrated to the U.S. but were forbidden to own land. The I-Hotel served as a cultural center where people were able to connect with each other and get the feeling of their home country. Manilatown had a Senior Center, the Lucky M Poolhall and the Mabuhay Garden where many Manongs went to pass time. Unfortunately, the residents of the I-Hotel were evicted in 1977. Although people of all different races came together to protest and to help stop the eviction, the police raided the hotel and didn't even allow the people to gather their belongings, which were probably the only things they had. On top of that, Manilatown was cut down to just one block. The Manongs were robbed of their valuable possessions and had no place to go even though they were promised housing.
Watching the video made me think about my family, especially my grandpa, and the struggles they've overcome. Growing up in the Philippines is tough and everyone seeks for a better life in America. We are all fortunate to be blessed with what we have because there are people around the world suffering and hoping for a better tomorrow.
RIP. LOLO <3
- Angelie
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I-Hotel by Ria
So we watched a documentary based on the I-Hotel in class. The I-Hotel also known as the International Hotel which was built in 1907 located at the corner of Kearny and Jackson Street in the Manilatown of San Francisco. It was a low-cost residential hotel and was home to many Asian Americans specifically a large population of Filipino Americans who had else place to go to. Because issues between low-cost housing advocates and the property owner we're unable to be resolved, the residents living in the hotel were forced to be evicted. The residents resisted and tried their best to hold their ground in hopes of saving what each person called home for many years. Sadly, their tactics were unsuccesful and the last eviction took place in 1997. Their rights were violated by pressuring residents to leave without gathering any of their personal items and stripped them of everything without no say.
The documentary personally made me realize the struggle our people have been fighting for for years now. The unjust and inequality to our people personally made me upset. Because it forces many to risk lives, work miserably to support themselves, struggle endlessly, and what not. For what you know? The simple satisfactory of freedom accompanied by a better life than what they've started with. It sounds so simple yet such a complicating process to overcome by. I mean the lengths these people went through to live a regular life its fucking amazing. I look back and realize the struggles all our parents and grandparents went through moving from their homelands to the U.S. We have some brave folks out there, you look at young teenagers here today and see how ungrateful they are to have homes, food, clothes, etc. I just want to slap the ignorance off their face and educate them about history and what people have gone through to obtain what they've have. By any means neccessary please give those who don't take life for granted justice. Enough said, hahaha I am a funny girl (:
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