Chong Vang stood before a crowd as diverse as his beloved St. Paul neighborhood Saturday and spoke of a youth spent hiding from Communists in the jungles of Southeast Asia. It was there, he said, where his dream of opening his own business in America was born.
His dream came true five years ago when the doors of Destiny Cafe opened on University Avenue in the heart of the Midway neighborhood.
As construction looms for the multi-billion-dollar Central Corridor light-rail line that will forever change the landscape for Vang's business and its customers, he wants to make sure those changes are for the better.
"We can do this together," he told a crowd of 300 gathered at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer at 285 N. Dale St. "Everyone in this room, we can build it better for our children."
The gathering attracted St. Paul citizens representing a cross-section of ethnic and religious groups advocating for protection for low-income people, small businesses and history in the heart of St. Paul. The area is bracing for change as construction begins on the 11-mile rail line, which will link the downtowns of St. Paul and Minneapolis. The project is slated for completion in 2014.
Healthy Corridor for All, a coalition of St. Paul community groups, unions and churches, organized the event to push this message: Decisions surrounding the Central Corridor project should be made in a way that improves life for the low-income and minority residents that populate the neighborhoods along University Avenue.
That would include preserving or adding jobs in the area, developing and supporting local businesses, keeping housing affordable, and protecting residents from what they called the negative impacts of gentrification.
And, advocates added, given that the construction is a light-rail line, it's urgently important that public transportation stay accessible to the wide swath of residents who rely on it most.
