In fighting homeless camp, Irvine's Asians win, but at a cost
One by one, the buses pulled up to the Orange County, Calif., Hall of Administration last week carrying posters with messages such as "No Tent City" and "No Homeless in Irvine."
Many of the hundreds on board were immigrants, and this would be their first experience joining a political protest.
A week earlier, county officials announced that they were considering placing emergency homeless shelters in Irvine, Laguna Niguel and Huntington Beach. All three cities immediately fought the plan, but the opposition was most fierce in Irvine.
Many of the loudest voices in the movement to block the shelter plan were Chinese-Americans who came together through social media apps and various community groups. They were joined by immigrants from South Korea, India, Mexico and the Middle East, and some whites.
They rallied to protect their community from what they
