Our elderly Asian immigrant community is being taken advantage of — and our HOA Board is openly breaking the law because they believe no one will stand up to them.
Please help us protect our elders, restore safety, and fight for the justice our community has been denied for years.
For years at Hing Wah Yuen, our elderly neighbors — many of them first-generation Asian immigrants with limited English — have been living in a community that has completely failed them. When they ask simple, reasonable questions about their safety or how their HOA fees are being used, they are ignored, spoken down to, or intimidated into silence. The very people who should be protected are instead left vulnerable, confused, and afraid.
The Board has kept our entire community in the dark. They refuse to release any financial documents, any receipts or invoices, or any records of repairs or maintenance — even though they collect nearly $100,000 from homeowners every single year. At the same time, they have neglected the most basic essentials. Our security gate has been broken for almost 20 years, leaving the property open to trespassing, late-night disturbances, and ongoing safety risks. Yet the Board will not repair it, will not explain why, and will not show where our money has gone.
To make matters worse, the Board provides no translators or language assistance for our elderly Chinese residents, many of whom only speak Cantonese or Mandarin. They cannot understand meetings, cannot ask questions, and cannot defend themselves. They are excluded from every decision that affects their home and safety — not by accident, but by disregard.
Unsafe Conditions That No Elder Should Ever Live In
Because the gate has remained broken for decades, residents — especially our seniors — have endured late-night trespassing, unknown vehicles entering freely, and strangers parking in the spaces residents already pay for. Several incidents have been serious enough to be reported to the Philadelphia Police Department, yet the Board refuses to take any action.
This has made our community dangerously vulnerable. We have seen drug activity on the property, vehicles broken into, people wandering through at all hours, strangers parking in resident spaces, and trash and litter left behind by trespassers. What should be a safe, peaceful home for our elders has been allowed to deteriorate into a place where they feel exposed, unsettled, and constantly on edge.
The physical condition of the community reflects this neglect. The landscaping is barely maintained — overgrown areas, broken sprinklers, and general disrepair — leaving the property looking rundown and abandoned. Instead of feeling proud of their home, many of our elderly residents feel embarrassed and defeated by the dilapidated state they’ve been forced to live in.
All of this is happening in a city where Asian hate crimes have risen, leaving our elders afraid to step outside after dark. And yet, the Board continues to ignore every safety concern, every maintenance issue, and every plea for help. The truth is, several Board members don’t even live here — they don’t live with the broken gate, the crime, the trespassing, or the fear our elders experience. They don’t share our reality, but they still hold power over it, refusing to offer even the simplest respect, answers, or accountability.
No one, especially our elders, deserves to live in fear or decaying conditions while paying for a Board that refuses to care.
We Finally Found Help — But We Need Support!
After months of documenting every incident and gathering evidence, we met with Attorney George Bochetto, a highly respected Philadelphia litigator. He reviewed our situation and agreed to represent our community because the violations are serious, the neglect is unacceptable, and the treatment of our elderly Asian residents cannot continue.
To begin legal action, we must raise at least $5,000 for a starting legal fee.
The remaining legal fees will depend entirely on how the Board chooses to respond — how far they are willing to go to hold onto their power, and how hard they fight against their own residents instead of doing what is right. Despite this, Mr. Bochetto has shown us genuine kindness, integrity, and a deep sense of justice. He has offered to support us at the upcoming community meeting even before any fees are paid, simply because he believes our elders deserve protection. Please help us give him even a portion of what his work, time, and commitment truly deserve.
What Your Support Will Do
Your donation will help us:
- Hold the HOA accountable through immediate legal action
- Uncover the truth about nearly $100,000 collected every year with no records or repairs
- Fix long-standing safety failures, including decades of trespassing and a broken security gate
- Protect elderly Chinese residents who have been excluded, silenced, and left without translators
- Rebuild a safe, livable community free from fear, neglect, and intimidation
Every dollar is a step toward safety, truth, and justice for the most vulnerable members of our neighborhood.
Why Your Help Matters
Many of our neighbors are elderly, retired, or living on fixed incomes. Some speak limited English. Others are afraid to confront the Board alone. With your help, we can finally give them the safety, respect, and justice they have been denied for far too long.
Thank you for standing with us,
— The Residents of Hing Wah Yuen