Mar 14, 2008 12:14 am US/Pacific
SJ Deal Ends 'Saigon' Dispute, Hunger Strike
SAN JOSE (BCN) ―
A noted anti-communist crusader in the Vietnamese community who began a hunger strike several weeks ago has begun eating again after an apparent resolution to San Jose's "Little Saigon" brouhaha.
City officials have apparently agreed to allow supporters of the name Little Saigon to pay for and erect their own sign along the 1-mile stretch of Story Road that is dominated by businesses owned by and serving the city's Vietnamese community.
Controversy over the naming has dominated much of the news in the self-styled capital of Silicon Valley for much of the year.
The San Jose City Council in November agreed to designate the Story Road Stretch as the "Saigon Business District." However, large numbers of the city's Vietnamese community protested saying they preferred the name "Little Saigon."
When San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and Councilwoman Madison Nguyen, whose district includes the Story Road area, refused to back down the Little Saigon supporters began staging regular protests at City Hall and at several city events.
Wednesday night an agreement was apparently reached that satisfied Ly Tong and he started eating.
"There was an agreement that was arrived at that was obviously acceptable to all parties," Little Saigon supporter and attorney Minh Steven Dovan said.
Dovan said he still wants to see the agreement in writing before saying definitively the controversy has ended. However, his understanding of the agreement is that the Little Saigon name will be placed on some type of sign or display in the Story Road area.
"If in fact the city has capitulated, then the community has prevailed," Dovan said.
A sign saying "Welcome to Little Saigon" could be in place along San Jose's Story Road in as soon as three months, one of the leaders of the Little Saigon effort said following Thursday's news conference.
Barry Hung Do, the leader of San Jose Voters for Democracy, said that there would be no trouble securing private funds to pay for the sign.
"I think it will probably take three months maximum," Do said about getting the sign in place near the intersection of Story and McLaughlin roads.
Do received loud, sustained applause and cheers from the crowd of several hundred who packed into the San Jose City Hall rotunda to hear the announcement of a compromise deal that would allow the Little Saigon sign to go up fairly quickly.
Under the terms of the compromise announced by Mayor Chuck Reed, the sign could go up fairly rapidly and remain in place for as long as three years. While the temporary sign is up, city staff would conduct the community outreach required under current city policies to allow it or a similar sign to be permanently placed.
Do said he was gratified that Reed and the City Council finally realized how important the Little Saigon name was to the Vietnamese community.
"The majority voice finally has been heard," Do said.
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