Salt Lake City can’t drive out its Japanese community again

We need to go beyond just saving Japantown to strengthening and further developing the cultural assets of this important area.

In the mid-1970s, my wife and I bought a home in Salt Lake’s Central City neighborhood, where we still live today. We’ve always enjoyed the area’s rich diversity. However, it became clear early on that our neighborhood needed to be protected from unplanned development. We joined the neighborhood council and successfully rezoned the area to protect our homes and the best that we have.

This experience in community activism introduced me to political life in Salt Lake City and ultimately led me to run for and win city council and ultimately to succeed Ted Wilson as Mayor of Salt Lake City, a man I greatly respected.

As Mayor, I have continued to learn about, understand, and nurture the strengths and uniqueness of my community. I have learned that by embracing the diversity of our people, we as a city are stronger and richer. By working together and overcoming our differences, we can achieve our immediate goals and strive to realize our even bigger dreams.

We are now on the brink of a generational transition. Our city leaders and citizens are cultivating a collective energy and spirit to revitalize our downtown to meet the needs of our 21st century people. We hope to be selected to host the 2034 Winter Olympics. In addition, we are seeking to design a new sports, entertainment, cultural and convention district. This will bring new opportunities for development, but we must also preserve the best we have, because we are a city of neighborhoods that need protection as development progresses.

[Read more: Salt Lake City can make up for past Japantown injustices — but only if they involve our community]

During a time of generational change, a decision was made to attract conventions to our city. This led to the construction of the Salt Palace. Unfortunately, the implementation of that decision displaced our Japanese community and the surrounding area. The destruction of much of Japantown diminished us and added further trauma to the already harrowing experience of Japanese Americans who were forced to relocate to internment camps during World War II. In the face of a time of generational change, we failed to preserve the best we had. We failed to listen to diverse voices and lost nearly the entire Japantown area.

Now we can make up for that loss. We can come together and save Japantown. Today, Japantown is just one block between 200 and 300 west of First South, but it is home to the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple and the Japanese Christian Church. The church holds religious ceremonies, including funerals. It also hosts festivals, gatherings, and cultural events that celebrate Japanese traditions. Japantown has become a cultural and economic attraction for the people of Salt Lake and the entire state.

In fact, we cannot just save Japantown. We need to strengthen and further develop the cultural assets of this important area. We need to improve the infrastructure of this street and its surroundings so that the Japanese community can host more festivals and cultural events that enrich us all.

Let’s not lose this precious neighborhood. Let’s go beyond our immediate goals and dream bigger while protecting the best we have. Let’s protect and revitalize our precious neighborhood, Japantown.

Palmer DePaulis He served as Mayor of Salt Lake City from 1985 to 1992. He lives in the Liberty Park neighborhood of Salt Lake City and is actively involved in the community, serving on many boards and commissions.

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