Annie Lo (’23), current Fellow with the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, published an article on her organization’s blog calling out the harmful impact of constructing a 300-foot megajail in New York City’s Chinatown neighborhood (“Fighting for Chinatown’s Future in the Shadow of the Megajail,” Jul. 26). Annie stated that the jail, which has already caused damage to nearby senior housing, presents environmental harm that is two-fold, “implicating not only the health of Chinatown residents, but also the health of the people it will incarcerate. Incarcerating people increases the risk they will develop chronic health problems and can severely damage mental health.” She also highlighted the community resistance and organizing that “is well underway in Chinatown, where community members have long engaged in crafting solutions to the threats of gentrification, displacement, and environmental racism.”
