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It's a Conspiracy!

Thousands of Immigrants Live in Chinatown Tunnels

July 23-29, 2008. New York Press, pg. 11

We all know about the folks living in the subway tunnels--That's no secret. But what about the thousands (millions?) of poor, trapped Chinese immigrants who are forced to live below the city streets? Sure, you've walked through those secret panels to get at the excellent bourgie bags for cheap. But that's just one layer of subterfuge. Peel back the panels, and there is an entire network of tunnels, rooms and secret living quarters down below...

When feudal landlords could no longer stack more beds and pack more employees in already dilapidated housing, they looked for a new location: below the ground. The tunnels were once used by marauding Chinese gangs, who would use them for sneak attacks. Those trapdoors look like they are stuffed with Fendi bags, but it's all just a ruse for something even more lucrative. Human trafficking is no laughing matter, and we are sure the city has dispatched many a man to go down those dark, dank passages--never to return. Forget speakeasies, this is the final frontier of the city's underground.


illustration by Joel Kimmel

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Copyright 2008 New York Press


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