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06/01/2006 Casino free Philadelphia Rally (Ed Goppelt)

• Photos
• Hallwatch News

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Rally Location: State Office Building at Broad and Spring Garden
2006/06/01 About 100 people gathered in front of the state office building at Broad and Spring Garden today to protest the way the Gaming Act was passed and to call for its repeal. It was the first anti-gambling rally with large scale participation from throughout the city. On May 20, 2006 about 500 people turned out, but the focus was on opposing a particular casino, Foxwoods in South Philly.

State Rep. Paul Clymer told the crowd about his bill to repeal the Gaming Act. No state legislator representing Philadelphia attended the rally. Every member of the Philadelphia delegation voted in favor of the Gaming Act on July 1, 2004 with the exception of state Rep. Kathy Manderino who was excused that day.

More info

• Read Philly IMC's report on the event.
• More photos courtesy of Rev. Jesse Brown.
• See for yourself how state legislators voted on the Gaming Act. View the roll call votes.
• View the press packet for this event.
• View professional photographer Chris Meck's photos of the event.

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Julie Camburn
2006/06/01 Camburn is President of the East Falls Business Association.

View a video of Camburn's remarks.

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Inky scribe Tina Moore at work
2006/06/01 Moore is interviewing Sarah Thorp, a resident of Fishtown. Read Moore's initial account of the rally as well as a later account she co-authored with Marcia Gelbart.

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Vern Anastasio
2006/06/01 Vern Anastasio is a politically active resident and community leader who ran unsuccessfully against 1st district Councilman Frank DiCicco in 2003. He lives in Bella Vista with his wife and children.

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Anti-Gambling Activist Diane Berlin
2006/06/01 Berlin runs casinofreepa, a state-wide anti-gambling group.

In the background is Anne Dicker, who ran for state rep in the 175th distict which includes river wards such as Fishtown. Dicker was the only Philadelphia candidate for state representative to take on the casino issue. Although Dicker lost by a hair, she continues to speak out on the casino issue at rallies such as this one.

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Matt Ruben
2006/06/01 Ruben's term as President of the Northern Liberties Neighbors Association recently expired. He has since been elected to the Board and now heads NLNA's casino committee. Of all the community groups NLNA has been the most outspoken and clear in its opposition to casinos and the Gaming Act. Recently the NLNA passed three resolutions which call for the repeal of the Gaming Act, express opposition to the Riverwalk casino and establish the NLNA's policy on accepting money from casinos.

View a video of Ruben's speech

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Josh Cornfield & Larry Ceisler
2006/06/01 Cornfield is one of two reporters who produce the local coverage for the Metro. Ceisler is the politically savvy public relations consultant whose firm is representing TrumpStreet.

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Lil' Ole Lady and the Senator
2006/06/01 William Reed acts the part of "the Senator" in a skit lampooning casinos. Here "lil' ole lady" (played by??) is about to hand over her Social Security check.

View a video of the skit.

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Vernon Odom
2006/06/01 Odom has worked as a reporter for Channel Six Action News for over 25 years. In addition to Action News, CBS 3 and CN8 had camera crews at the event. KYW Newsradio and at least one other radio station covered the event.

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Russ Diamond, Candidate for Governor
2006/06/01 Diamond was one of the key people in PA Clean Sweep, the organization which led the successful effort toe repeal of the state legislature's infamous pay grab. He is currently running for Governor of Pennsylvania. Diamond supports calling the repeal of the Gaming Act. Diamond asked for help circulating nominating petitions. As an independent candidate he needs 67,000 signatures in order to win a spot on the ballot.

View a video of Diamond's speech.

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Paul Clymer
2006/06/01 Clymer represents Bucks County in the state legislature. Clymer is holding a copy of his bill, HB 2298, which would repeal the Gaming Act.

Behind Clymer is Rev. Jesse Brown who mc'd the event.

View a video of Clymer's remarks.

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Meredith Warner
2006/06/01 Warner was one of the organizers of today's event.

View a video of Warner's remarks.

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Rob Stuart & Mark Stier
2006/06/01 Stuart is an expert in the use of the Internet to organize non-profit stakeholders and others. Stier is one of the founders of Neighborhood Networks, an attempt to breath new life into the City's moribund democratic party.

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Mary Reinhart
2006/06/01 Reinhart is a longtime resident of Pennsport in South Philadelphia. After the rally, Reinhart took Councilman Frank DiCicco to task for not doing more to protect residents in her neighborhood.

Earlier today DiCicco introduced a resolution in City Council calling on the State Gaming Board to extend the deadline for public comment which expires tomorrow, June 2, 2006.