The Daily Dirt: Council member backs aggressive tactics

"One of those parents took time to complain to the local City Council member, Christopher Marte. It was clear that she had NO concern for my children's well-being! the parent wrote. I was deeply TRAUMATIZED. My children were shaken and upset. This was in 2023. But it was not an isolated incident."

"While I believe that everyone has the right to peacefully protest, these protesters were aggressive and rude, the parent wrote. They were shouting not only at me and my spouse but also at our children who are minors. They were recording all of us, including our children, on their smartphones."

"Youth Against Displacement's goal is to stop anything its misguided members perceive to be gentrification in Chinatown, and to that end are waging a propaganda campaign on social media against one of its commercial landlords, Jonathan Chu. They singled out Chu in part because he co-chaired MOCA's board when it received $35 million from the de Blasio administration to buy its building."

The Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) has faced repeated aggressive protests outside its location, with demonstrators shouting at and recording visitors, including minors. Parents have filed complaints about feeling unsafe and traumatized by these encounters. The protests are led by Youth Against Displacement, an activist group opposing perceived gentrification in Chinatown. The group specifically targets Jonathan Chu, a commercial landlord and MOCA board co-chair, opposing the museum's $35 million city funding to purchase its building. Notably, Caitlin Kelmar, the chief of staff to City Council member Christopher Marte, has been identified leading these demonstrations. The protests occur regularly, approximately four days per week.

Read at therealdeal.com