A Chinatown parade kicks off the Lunar New Year celebrations this Saturday.
It's been a year since The Conversation last focused on the impacts of COVID-19 in downtown Honolulu. Big chains in that area, such as Long's and Walmart, closed as downtown office workers left their jobs or went remote.
In Chinatown, longtime family businesses also didn't survive. Char Hut Sut and Little Noodle Village are among the favorites that closed recently.
However, hotels are opening, or are soon to open, and some spaces are in the process of turning over.
This past Saturday, HPR was there for a tour of downtown Chinatown and the surrounding business district.
Ernest Carvalho, who sits on the neighborhood board, helped to organize the weekend tour to show city and state efforts in clearing homeless camps and reducing crime.
"We want to hit the positive notes here. We want to show what's going on. It's going to take time, nothing happens overnight, but it's going to take time for Chinatown to be molded into that beautiful gem that we're all looking for," Carvalho said.
Chad Guerreiro moved here from Kailua about seven years ago. He has seen the progress and is glad for it.
"You're gonna always have homeless, because there's people that just don't want to go," Guerreiro said. He added that social workers should be getting recognition for working with the people on the streets.
"The (houseless) people are so frustrated. High cost of food, crime, shootings and all of that," he said.
The downtown business community is eager to welcome crowds to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi, City Councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam, and state Sen. Karl Rhoads of Oʻahu were all on hand for the tour.
"It's still two steps forward one step back," Dos Santos-Tam told HPR. "We still need more of that critical mass down here. The businesses are still, you know, some of them are still struggling. And then they've been struggling for a while, since the beginning of the pandemic when office workers started working from home."
Residents are grateful for the efforts to combat crime and homelessness. There are still concerns about the downtown methadone clinic next to a middle school and plans for a pop-up Kauhale near A’ala Park to help the homeless but they are encouraged and look forward to the Year of the Dragon for prosperity and good luck.
If you plan to bring in the new year, all-day festivities are planned in Chinatown on Saturday and a parade kicks off at 4:30 p.m.
This story aired on The Conversation on Jan. 29, 2024. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
