12/21/2006 Protests begin against newly licensed casinos (Ed Goppelt)

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12/21/2006 Protests begin against newly licensed casinos (Ed Goppelt)

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SugarHouse site in Fishtown on the night of licensing
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SugarHouse site in Fishtown on the night of licensing
2006/12/21 About 50 residents gathered to protest the two newly licensed casinos in Philadelphia Wednesday evening.

"The nice thing is they won't be built," said Jethro Heiko referring to the casino licensees. Heiko, a community activist, lives across the street from the site of the SugarHouse casino. He was one of the leaders of a successful effort to halt construction of a new Red Sox stadium in Boston.

"I'm really disappointed and upset today. I'm heartened that there are so many supporters," said Heiko amid chants and cheers. "We're all working together across the City."

Residents express sadness, shock and anger at Gaming Board's decision

View video interviews with three residents at the protest:

Bob Sola--a lot of things changed today.
Lara Long--why I don't want to live near a casino.
Paul Filanowski--casinos are a lost opportunity for our City's riverfront.

The protests came just 7 hours after SugarHouse and Foxwoods were awarded their licenses by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. The two casinos are at opposite ends of the Delaware river.

Protesters spent an hour at the SugarHouse site, then drove to the Foxwoods site in South Philadelphia.

More info

Casino-Free Pennsylvania Executive Director Dianne Berlin answers the question of what those who oppose casinos can do.
Casino-Free Philadelphia will be holding a post-licensing strategy session, January 6. More details.
NABR web site

Was the Gaming Board's licensing process adequate?
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Was the Gaming Board's licensing process adequate?
2006/12/21 Mayor Street thinks so (see this video). And Gaming Board chair Tad Decker went out of his way at the licensing meeting to praise the process he and his staff had followed.

But among residents and the editorial boards at the Daily News and Inquirer the predominant view is that the Board's process was anything but fair or inclusive.

Read the rest of this Hallwatch story.

The crowd at the SugarHouse site
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The crowd at the SugarHouse site
2006/12/21

Vern Anastasio at the Foxwoods Site in South Philadelphia
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Vern Anastasio at the Foxwoods Site in South Philadelphia
2006/12/21 Vern Anastasio (center, in suit) is running against 1st District Councilman Frank DiCicco. Casinos--and what elected officials did or did not do to protect their residents from them--are shaping up as a potent campaign issue in the river wards.

Both casinos lie in DiCicco's district. Within an hour and a half of the Gaming Board's licensing decision DiCicco said he would appeal the decision in Court. Later in the day Anastasio held a press conference in which he denounced the Gaming Board's decision to license Foxwoods and SugarHouse as political and not based on merit. He called on City Council to withhold zoning approval indefinitely.

Police civil affairs arrive at Foxwoods' site
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Police civil affairs arrive at Foxwoods' site
2006/12/21 Two officers from Civil Affairs watched over protesters at the site of the Foxwoods casino.

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2006/12/21

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