Chinatown Ally Retires

Mayor Sim poses with Johnson and his wife Brandy

On Monday I went to Chinatown and was eating lunch in The Boss cha chaan teng when I spotted Harold Johnson walking in and saying hello to a few people.

He's a security guard who has been a fixture in the neighbourhood for decades.

I only found out today that he retired, and the new mayor Ken Sim gave him a nice send off at City Hall with a cake.

Moments after he was attacked in August 

The 64-year-old Johnson was in the news this past summer when he was assaulted by a stranger at the Chinese Cultural Centre near East Pender and Columbia streets on August 12. 

The incident not only left the senior with a concussion and a broken nose and cheekbone, but he was also traumatised by the incident.

"I'm still having nightmares and headaches," he said recently in a media interview. "When I get a headache, it gets nasty."

Johnson had originally planned to retire next year, but the assault left him shaken and wants to prioritise his health and safety.

During his two decades of patrolling Chinatown, he has gotten to know the business owners in the area who will miss him dearly.

A sweet farewell for Johnson in City Hall

"Harold's been around forever. He knows everyone around here and everyone knows him," said pharmacist and Corning Drugs Chinatown owner David Wong. 

"He's always there for us, backing us up."

"He comes in a makes me smile everyday," added Tracy To of Forum Appliances.

"Everybody in Chinatown's family, we all work together," Johnson said.

His wife Brandy LaRocque Johnson says it's time for her husband to get out of Chinatown, which is a sad reality of the area, as homeless drug addicts nearby turn to petty crime and attacks on people to get cash.

Two Chinatown businesses managed to fundraise a total of CA$30,000 to pay for his medical costs.

Who will be the next Harold to help look over Chinatown? The neighbourhood badly needs any allies it can get.