Merchant Who Draws Protests Fights Landlord

The Little Saigon merchant who provoked the wrath of the Vietnamese community by hanging a communist display in his store plans to fight his eviction by arguing that he had no written lease--only an oral agreement with his landlord that he faithfully maintained, his attorney said Thursday.

Contending that video store owner Truong Van Tran was unfairly targeted for eviction because he created controversy with the Vietnamese flag and a photo of late Communist leader Ho Chi Minh, attorney Nancy Kaufman said her client had an understanding with landlord Terra-Buchard Inc. but never signed a lease.

The documents cited by the landlord’s attorneys in eviction proceedings begun last month applied to a prior tenant in the Bolsa Avenue strip mall and do not bear Tran’s signature, she said.

Tran informally agreed with the company to pay $1,200 a month and kept his word, she said. Claims by the landlord that Tran owes thousands of dollars in back rent are based on a higher figure in the agreement with the prior tenant, she said. Lawyers for Terra-Buchard declined to discuss the case.

“He doesn’t owe them a cent,” said Kaufman, who said she plans to file court papers Monday to fight the case. “Don’t you think if he really owed $20,000 back rent, somebody would’ve done something about it sooner?”

Meanwhile, police and protesters are preparing for a religious vigil tonight in the strip mall where Tran operates, the same location for weeks of mass protest over his pro-Communist gesture.

Thuyet Nguyen, one of the organizers, said the candlelight vigil is being sponsored by about 18 Vietnamese youth groups whose leaders hope to present a positive image of the community. He said 2,000 to 5,000 people are expected. There will be religious ceremonies, singing, a slide show on Vietnam and tributes to those who died during the Vietnam War and in boats fleeing the country.

Police are expecting a calmer and smaller crowd than in recent rallies, which have attracted as many as 10,000.

“We’ll probably gear up some for Friday night, but probably not to the extent we have in the past,” said Lt. Bill Lewis. “We expect this thing to be peaceful--probably more peaceful than the others.”

Protesters and police are expected to meet today in continuing talks organized by the Orange County Human Relations Commission to keep lines of communication open.

The commission has made a number of attempts at compromise, including a suggestion that the landlord forgive the back rent it alleges is owed if Tran leaves the store without fighting the eviction. But Kaufman rejected that proposal, saying Tran doesn’t owe the rent in the first place, so there is nothing to be forgiven.

Thursday morning, 100 to 125 Vietnamese Americans, mostly from the San Jose area, demonstrated at the Vietnamese Consulate in San Francisco for about two hours to show solidarity with the Little Saigon protesters, according to San Francisco police. Officer Sherman Ackerson described them as “loud and vocal” but said there were no arrests or other problems with the crowd.