“My role in the tenant association is just helping who I can help by being a voice for those who might be scared of using their own voice. But we’re all in this together, you know? So I’m just fighting just like everyone else.”

“I knew that there are people like Tom Botz who would try and use their power to abuse people who may be weaker or may not know as much, or maybe are poor or not as uneducated […] but aren’t really aware of tenant rights or laws.”

“You know, a lot of people left because they were illegal. People got scared and you just left. People are still fighting. We’re still here and we get support from other people sometimes too, but we’re here. It’s been a bit hard, been tough, you know, but at the end, we’re here.”

“This fight has taught me and shown me many different things. I have learned that I have a voice and shouldn’t be afraid to speak. I have the rights to tell people my story about Hillside Villa. I also learned to protest. I grew up going to protest in Hillside Villa.”

“This fight has taught me that when people come together, they have power. When you unite with other people your voice would be heard more than it would with just one person.”

“Our fight has shown me to connect myself with others. When I first moved here I didn’t know anyone but our fight helped me connect with more people. We can also be very powerful when all of our tenants connect with each other.”

“Botz hiking up the rent is not only hurting and taking advantage of us, but it’s also taking advantage of the government. For them to say that 124 families aren’t worth the $48 million is hypocritical.”

“I want to see more unity among Asians in Chinatown. We should be united in this fight to preserve Chinatown, the oldest Chinese community.”

“Tom Botz is greedy with the people here, and he doesn’t care about us. That’s why I started with the tenant association. Because I always like to be right with people, to be fair with people, you know?”