Earlier this year, the Little Tokyo community was shocked to learn that Suehiro Cafe, a beloved, long-time Japanese American restaurant, was being evicted from Historic First Street North by landlord Tony Sperl.
This shock turned to outrage as the community discovered that Sperl had recently filed paperwork to establish a marijuana dispensary and expressed a desire to make Little Tokyo resemble Melrose Avenue.
In response, a coalition of Little Tokyo community organizations is holding a rally calling for “Justice for Suehiro and Fight Gentrification” on Sunday, Dec. 10, at 2 p.m. at the Little Tokyo/Arts District Metro Station on First and Alameda.
This rally will feature several speakers who have fought or are currently fighting against gentrification in Little Tokyo and the broader Downtown and East Los Angeles communities. The rally will culminate in a march to Suehiro’s historic location on First Street North and a statement by Suehiro owner Kenji Suzuki.
Nancy Sekizawa, formerly of Atomic Café, and Nancy Uyemura of Stand With 800 Traction Ave. will speak. Maceo Hernandez, the “Demon Drummer from East L.A.,” will perform.
“The imminent eviction of Suehiro Café is only the latest injustice in Little Tokyo’s long-standing battle against the gentrification and displacement of our community, dating back to our mass imprisonment during World War II,” event organizers said. “Our coalition is prepared to wage a long-term battle against gentrification.
“The promise of increased foot traffic from the new Little Tokyo/Arts District Metro Station motivated Tony Sperl to evict Suehiro Cafe for a more trendy enterprise, and we believe other landlords are likely to follow suit with more evictions and rent hikes.
“Incoming developments such as the Continuum Partners Cold Storage project at Fourth Street and Alameda threaten to fundamentally reshape the character of Little Tokyo. Our coalition will assist any Little Tokyo community member fighting displacement.
“We demand Tony Sperl to stop the eviction of Suehiro Cafe. We demand all landlords in Little Tokyo to cease displacing our community members and to respect the will of our community before allowing new businesses into Little Tokyo. We reject any attempt to transform Little Tokyo into another Melrose Avenue.”
The coalition consists of J-Town Action と Solidarity, Save Our Seniors Network, and Greater Los Angeles JACL.