“Dimes Square” is a so-called "microneighborhood" of New York City, located between the Chinatown and Lower East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan. The exact perimeter and nature of the neighborhood is debated, though survey data from The New York Times lists it as roughly the five blocks on either side of Canal Street between Allen Street and Essex Street.”
Source: Wikipedia

But to many businesses, senior citizens, and multigenerational immigrant families that have lived in this part of NYC for decades, this area is known as “Chinatown,” or home.

In recent years, trendy new bars and restaurants have turned this area into a hotspot, alongside the DOT’s Open Streets designation along Canal Street. Open Streets on Canal was designed to help restaurants recover from COVID in 2020, but has further accelerated gentrification and displacement and diminished quality of life for residents.

This poorly managed Open Streets has brought massive crowds, trash, noise, and an air of ‘anything-goes’ to the neighborhood - with restaurants and bars seating upwards of 300+ seats on Canal Street and neglecting basic responsibilities like moving barricades for first responders.

Businesses along Canal Street that have served the community for decades with affordable services and meals have been replaced with expensive natural wine bars that cater to visiting Open Streets crowds with $16 glasses of wine.

Meanwhile, 28% of Chinatown residents live below the poverty line. Source: NYC SBS