The homicide in Zhon-Hsin Hotel yesterday is just the latest of several that have taken place in the hotel. The Zhon-Hsin has been on the police watch list for some time. In the last two years, there was a gambling fight that turned bloody, a suicide by drowning, and there was a body found on a terrace. The latest homicide case tells of the disappointment, desperation, pain and suffering of new immigrants hidden beneath society’s rug.

On April 4, 2004, two young Fujianese men in the hotel killed two gambling partners over a bet. Only a week later, a 55-year-old man jumped into the East River from the Brooklyn Bridge. He was also a hotel guest. Then, on September 4, 2004, a body was found on the terrace. The official cause of death is a drug overdose, although suicide is suspected.

A hotel guest, who was prevented from going back into the by the police yesterday, said that the Zhon-Hsin is a well-known single room occupancy (SRO) hotel in Chinatown. It provides short- and long-term lodging for single men, mostly Chinese new immigrants. A small cubicle with a bed costs $12 to $15 a night.

The upper four floors of the six-story building rent out as SROs. There are 85 rooms on each floor; it is not uncommon to have over 300 or even 400 people residing there at the same time. “Even a jail cell is bigger!” one guest opined. Everyone on a floor shares one bathroom.

The guest said that friction is unavoidable in such constricted space. Talking too loud, failure to clean up the bathroom, things lost or stolen are all cause for disputes. It is not uncommon to have verbal arguments, but a physical fight is rather rare. “Everyone works hard and goes back for a bed to rest. No one would deliberately cause any trouble,” the guest said.