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A Disastrous Year for Brooklynâs Chinatown: âItâs Just So Hardâ
Signs of life have returned to Sunset Park, but businesses are struggling and racism and hate crimes have made things worse. âThe neighborhood hasnât recovered,â a restaurant manager said.
Credit.Victor J. Blue for The New York Times
First came the virus, which John Chan said cost his restaurant hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost sales. Then came the surge in anti-Asian hate crimes, which has made some people jittery and kept them at home and away from the restaurant, further hurting business.
âItâs like the heavens are playing tricks on us,â said Mr. Chan, a community leader in Brooklynâs Chinatown and the owner of the Golden Imperial Palace, a cavernous dining hall there.