Ad stating ‘only Chinese’ need apply

[matrixfwd]

Source:




By Alan Campbell, Richmond News April 20, 2011

An online advertisment for an apartment rental in Richmond has sparked outrage after it stated “only Chinese” need apply.

The offending Craigslist ad was spotted by prospective renter, longtime Richmond resident and former school trustee, Patricia Whittaker.

Whittaker, who is of African origin, was checking rentals in the city centre when she came across the posting for the Mandalay building on Hemlock Drive, by Garden City and Cook roads.

But her disbelief when reading the “only Chinese” conditions quickly turned to anger when the realization set in.

“Chinese only? This is Canada for crying out loud,” said Whittaker, who runs the non-profit Centre for Integration of African Immigrants in New Westminster.

“A lot of the time when potential landlords hear accents or see names they don’t like, they come out with the excuses. But I’ve never seen anything as blatant as this.

“I’m absolutely appalled, and it can’t be happening here in Canada.”

If it was the other way around, and the ad read “only Caucasians,” Whittaker said there would be “total outrage.”

“I’m not sure why (the landlord is) doing this, but it’s completely wrong,” she added.

“There’s a lot of Chinese money coming into the housing market here right now. And these new owners are our landlords of the future.

“I wonder where we are going with this? Will it be a case that only Chinese people will be able to rent an apartment?

After being contacted via e-mail by the News, a person calling themselves Lisa Yeh claimed she was, in fact, the tenant of the apartment in question.

Yeh said she’d been asked by her landlord to place the ad and had written “only Chinese” because the owner can only communicate in Mandarin.

“They would like to have Chinese tenants,” Yeh wrote.

After hearing that the advert was causing concern, Yeh apologized and offered to remove the posting.

She later told the News that she’s taken the ad off Craigslist and has now posted it on a Chinese-speaking newspaper’s website.

Henry Beh, executive director of the Richmond Chinese Community Society, branded the “only Chinese” condition as “stupid.”

“This is simply not right in today’s society and we would certainly not support this kind of language,” Beh said.

“Craigslist is supposed to screen that kind of thing, looking for anything that’s discriminatory. This is the first time I’ve ever heard of something like this in 38 years.

“In this situation, I think the tenant should have told the owner that it was inappropriate. I remember years ago, in Richmond, there were a few restaurants that had only Chinese signs up, but they had to change.”

Beh said that when he sends out information on behalf of his organization he communicates it in several languages. “Just so that I’m fair to everyone.”

Meanwhile, Whittaker said she’s spent her whole life dealing with discrimination, but she’s never come across something so blatant.

“If we’re renting to Asians only, where do we stop?” she said.

[Drow]

Whoa whoa the lady should calm down and not throw such a big hissy fit over it jesus
Posted via RS Mobile

[SkinnyPupp]

reminds me of my friend and his wife who rented out a brand new apartment in Richmond... She insisted on renting only to a Chinese student.. Well they did, and the kid had 5 of his friends staying there, and they destroyed the place, leaving cigarette burns everywhere, destroying carpets, furniture, appliances, etc.

Sometimes it doesn't pay to be discriminatory

[geeknerd]

i bet ur friends wife was not asian? if she was asian, the students would've known the force of c-lais and would not fuck around.

[EmperorIS]

overly sensitive black lady at it again
i don't see anything wrong with this ... just the black bitch misunderstood and jumped to conclusions .. i think shes the racist

[SkinnyPupp]

Originally Posted by geeknerd

i bet ur friends wife was not asian? if she was asian, the students would've known the force of c-lais and would not fuck around.

No she's mainland chinese actually! Quite smart, but also very brainwashed (not her fault)

[El Bastardo]

Oh lord, this, the anniversary of your death, I bequeath you this favor:

Please let this thread end up in Fight Club. Please.

[Jayhall]

http://www.bchrt.bc.ca/process/complaint.htm

I have a feeling that if I (a young white male) made a complaint I would be ignored. Is that racist??

[optiblue]

Meeh, it still doesn't change the fact that the owner will end up renting to an Asian person! Sigh, if you invest in Canada, at least learn the native language!
Posted via RS Mobile

[Gt-R R34]

The Tenant is just dumb. To put it out blatantly

Everyone has bias when it comes to renting property. I don't give a shit what race/sex/job you have. Everyone does. Or else why would the owner look for a prospective and SCREEN for tenants.

They want one they want, that's suitable for their needs and to lessen any future headaches.

[InvisibleSoul]

Would all this have been avoided if the ad said "Mandarin speakers preferred"?

[vafanculo]

whats even sadder is the fact this almost seems ok since it was in richmond. definitely not right tho

[SkinnyPupp]

Originally Posted by InvisibleSoul

Would all this have been avoided if the ad said "Mandarin speakers preferred"?

If that was the case, it would no longer be a race issue.

[InvisibleSoul]

Originally Posted by SkinnyPupp

If that was the case, it would no longer be a race issue.

Yeah, which is what the original intent of the ad was to begin with. It wasn't so much a matter of race, it was a matter of communications.

If the tenant only had the ability to word it better, this would be a non-issue.

[SkinnyPupp]

I'm pretty sure it was a matter of race, just handled really stupidly

[StylinRed]

wow could you imagine the shit storm chinese people would start if an ad said Whites Only or more to the point No Chinese

Originally Posted by InvisibleSoul

Yeah, which is what the original intent of the ad was to begin with. It wasn't so much a matter of race, it was a matter of communications.

If the tenant only had the ability to word it better, this would be a non-issue.

let's be honest the excuse of the ad being worded incorrectly is just that... a scape goat

[SkinnyPupp]

Reminds me of what we overheard our agent say to the owners when we were renting our current place in HK: "don't worry, they are foreigners but not Indian"

[Graeme S]

I also really like how the solution is to take down the craigslist ad and put it up on a chinese-only site. Because that is something totally different from specifying "chinese-only".

[Apparition]

Originally Posted by SkinnyPupp

Reminds me of what we overheard our agent say to the owners when we were renting our current place in HK: "don't worry, they are foreigners but not Indian"

I just had to LOL at that cause that's SO true of HK mentality towards Indians...

[Sid Vicious]

we've come full circle. the oppressed have become the oppressors lol

[The7even]

You guys do realize some people are really bad at the whole assimilation process and are NOT actually racist.. right?

[SkinnyPupp]

Originally Posted by The7even

You guys do realize some people are really bad at the whole assimilation process and are NOT actually racist.. right?

So how should we handle ignorance and intolerance when it happens?

[The7even]

Originally Posted by SkinnyPupp

So how should we handle ignorance and intolerance when it happens?

Well, I think there are ways to deal with intolerance and ignorance. I my self don't know the best way, and in no way am I saying that ignorance / intolerance can't stem from "chinese only" "germany only" etc, but all I wanted to get at was that some people just trust their own kind better.


Of course, as you've pointed out with the couple that rented the apartment to someone they knew, it does NOTHING and it is pretty stupid but it doesn't strictly point to racism as the black lady and someone else might suggest.

Stupid? Yea, of course, I see it with my own parents who I love to death but they aren't racist.

It's the notion that "oh, he was born in the same place I was born at, so there is this mutual trust and understanding that we'll look out after one another better than an outsider would" , not necessarily "Chinese, Master Race!"

I get where you're concerned though, but I just think we ought to reserve the word 'racist' for the real gestapo-ing assholes out there.

So as to your question.. I think to best way to handle this is to boycott his services or whatever business he's running. I wouldn't mind seeing that at all. He chooses to be ignorant, he loses business.

[DJ Milk]

If Chinese tenants is what they are looking for then they should have posted the ad up in Chinese newspapers and websites only. Posting on Craigslist mean they should be able to make it available to people of other races.

[whitev70r]

Some major over reaction here. Just go to the next listing lady.