Mayor Jim Kenney v. Vietnamese Community of Philadelphia

Time to Move On! The Hope for Raising The Yellow Flag on April 30 at the Philadelphia City Hall is Dead with Kenney.

In politics, it’s an unwise practice to fight against the wish of your constituents. However, in Philadelphia, Mayor Jim Kenney can play devil’s advocate for the Red flag in his last year as mayor. It’s mind-boggling that even after the City Council unanimously passed Bill 220244, Mayor Jim Kenney was still able to find a flaw in the wording of the bill and exercise his executive order to ban the raising of the Vietnamese Community of Philadelphia’s heritage and freedom Yellow Flag at the City Hall flagpoles on April 30, 2023. His action tells us he is in the driver’s seat for driving his interest – not for the good of his City’s constituents.

So I say, “Time to Move On” and stay away from the City Hall. “The hell with Mayor Jim Kenney.” Even his City Council’s unanimous vote of 14-0 has no bearing on his decision, and so neither do the Vietnamese constituents of this City. Again, I will say, “Politicians are sold to the highest bid!”, so we should abandon the hope that we might be able to persuade the new mayor regarding our Yellow Flag. It’s a wild-goose chase. It’s not worth it since we already had the “Kỳ Đài” at Penn’s Landing that our Yellow Flag can always fly alongside the American Flag with honor. Best of all, we do not have to lobby any politician whatsoever. So why do we have to kiss ass for trying to have just one day in the sun at the City Hall? Let his action speak for itself and be a lesson for all Vietnamese voters. It’s a wake-up call for us which party to vote for in the future Citywide elections.

We must recognize the unspoken truth that The Vietnamese Community of Philadelphia has never had the recognition it deserves and will never have. Our Vietnamese Community needs leaders with the ability and unwavering resolution to articulate when to deal with City Hall. During the last two City Council hearings, only one leader talked the talk and walked the walk while the other two were “No Show.” Their absences have demonstrated, time after time, that they were most determined and persistent in fighting communist singer ĐVH, but they cringed when fighting the City Hall.

Mr. Jim Kenney has been the Mayor of Philadelphia since January 2016, and the US State Department under President Bill Clinton has recognized the current government of Vietnam since July 1995. During his seven years as Mayor of Philadelphia, he had never had any issue with the Yellow Flag flying at the City Hall flagpoles on April 30. Naturally, the Vietnamese Community was shocked when Mayor Kenney had a change of heart. Little did he know that the Yellow Flag symbolizes the heritage identity and freedom of over 16,000 Vietnamese American voters in Philadelphia. The Vietnamese are exemplary constituents who have helped revitalize the economic depression in many sections of Philadelphia. In the past seven years, the significant economic impact we have seen along the corridor of Washington Avenue and the North Philly areas on Adams and Whitaker Avenues under Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration is undeniable. Then why did he do this to the Vietnamese Community, banning them from raising their heritage and freedom flag at the City Hall before he left politics for good? It was unconscionable! Mayor Jim Kenney has shown his true color. He picks the weakest opponent for an easy knock-out goodbye but turns a blind eye to the rampant gun violence and crimes under his administration. His horrible deeds will be his legacy. Mayor after mayor, the City of Brotherly Love is becoming the City of Lovely Haven for Criminals.

Thanks to the inclement weather on Friday, April 28, 2023, the City canceled the planned gathering of Vietnamese at the City Hall. Otherwise, it would be a mockery for the Vietnamese Community of Philadelphia to have to show up at the City Hall flagpoles and not be allowed to raise their heritage and freedom flag. It’s a blessing that we avoided the most humiliating insult to our Community if we didn’t have the blessing of Mother Nature for having rain three days in a row.

City Hall flagpoles are not an honored place for our Yellow Flag – “Kỳ Đài” at Penn’s Landing is.
Ta về ta tắm ao ta, dù trong, dù đục ao nhà vẫn hơn.

Bao nhiêu năm tha phương
Rồi cũng phải hồi hương
Như “cá hồi” về nguồn
Chỉ để lại mớ xương.

Jim Huynh