Almost 30 years later, seniors to return to 'I-Hotel'

[struggle4progress]

JUSTIN M. NORTON

Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO - Emil De Guzman was just 29 when he was evicted from the International Hotel along with many elderly Filipino and Chinese residents who called the simple building home.

Now 57, De Guzman will finally get to see housing for seniors return to the site of the demolished hotel, ending a three-decade fight by Filipino and Chinese activists.

"I was one of the people dragged out and beat up at the time of the evictions," De Guzman said Thursday during a tour of the $29 million facility, now called the International Hotel Senior Housing. "This is a big moment for those who fought in this struggle."

The old International Hotel was primarily a place where retired Asian immigrants could live for $50 per month. The hotel wasn't much but offered a home and a community to people who couldn't afford more. <snip>

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