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05/21/2006 Anti-Foxwoods Casino Rally (Ed Goppelt)
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Ground zero for protest: Reed St. and Columbus Blvd.
2006/05/21 Depending on who you ask between 300-1,000 people turned out for the demonstration agains the proposed Foxwoods casino in South Philly. Based on the photographs, my own opinion is that around 500 people attended the event which began at 12 noon Saturday May 20, 2006.
Protesters looped back several times between Reed and Dickinson, listened to a stemwinder by Pennsport Civic's Rene Goodwin, then wound down with another couple of circuits before calling it a day.
Other coverage of rally
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Citizen Anne Dicker
2006/05/21 A wan looking Anne Dicker (front right) protests the proposed Foxwoods casino. To Dicker's left is her husband Simon. While other communities in Pennsylvania were busily voting out longtime incumbents (Altoona booted out Sen. Jubelirer, the Republican leader of the Senate), in Philadelphia machine politics triumphed once again over earnest reformers, albeit by smaller margins. Dicker put in a respectable showing, losing by 300 votes to Mike O'Brien, but beating Terry Graboyes. O'Brien, the former chief of staff of the 175th's Rep. Marie Lederer, was endorsed by all the ward leaders and had the backing of head electrician John Dougherty. Graboyes was backed by Philadelphia political boss state Senator Vincent Fumo.
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Jethro Heiko and Jeremy Beaudry
2006/05/21 Heiko and Beaudry along with some other 30-something friends from Fishtown founded NABR (Neighbors Allied for a Better Riverfront), an anti-casino group.
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Fishtown Sign
2006/05/21 Although the demonsration was primarily about Foxwoods, and the majority of demonstrator were from South Philly, residents of all five casino impact zones participated in the rally.
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Rene Goodwin: Foxwoods Casino = Taps for South Philly
2006/05/21 Rene Goodwin is chair of the Riverfront Communities United, a coalition of eight community groups. "Jimmy's going to play what happens to us if the casino comes," said Goodwin. The trumpeter proceeded to play taps.
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TrumpStreet Demonstrator
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What is Councilman DiCicco doing about the casinos?
2006/05/21 Sometimes you can't help but feel for sorry for Councilman DiCicco. Four of the five proposed casinos fall within his district, assuring him that at least one and possibly two casinos will be located in his district.
The Councilman is between a rock and a hard place. Residents have been pressing the Councilman to support them by taking a stand against the casinos and by asking the Gaming Board for more time. One can only imagine what mixture of threats and blandishments DiCicco has gotten from casino applicants with unlimited money at their dispoal.
At least when it comes to residents the Councilman appears to have settled on a strategy of
portraying himself as well meaning but powerless when it comes to the casinos.
"And while we could stomp our feet and demand to be heard, certain state legislators have already proven that rather than listen, they will simply attempt to remove us from the process," DiCicco testified at the Gaming Board's public input hearings in April. "As a city, as elected officials and as residents, we must accept that which we can not change."
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Casino Pols: Governor Rendell, Senator Fumo, Councilman DiCicco
2006/05/21 Governor Rendell has been pushing for legalized gambling in Pennsylvania since the early nineties. Together with Senator Vincent Fumo he engineered the passage of Act 71 of 2004, the Pennsylvania Gaming Act which authorized the state to license 14 Las Vegas sized slots parlors.
Of the five casinos proposed for Philadelphia, all but one--TrumpStreet--lie in Councilman DiCicco's and Senator Fumo's districts. Councilman DiCicco says he considers Foxwoods the worst site, but has not called on the Gaming Board to deny Foxwoods a license.
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Cheerleaders Damon Roberts and Chris Manos
2006/05/21 Roberts is a member of South Philadelphia Neighborhood Networks.
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Police direct traffic away from Columbus Blvd.
2006/05/21 Police sealed off traffic between Tasker and Reed for protesters. Police presence was discreet and lacked the hostile overtones I've seen at other demonstrations. Overall, I had the impression that the Philadelphia Police treated the Foxwoods protesters like they were family.
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Rally Organizer Ed Kirlin
2006/05/21 Kirlin is a resident of Pennsport and boardmember of Pennsport Civic. He used to work for IBEW Local Union 98 as a political operative (see this Hallwatch story), but his current employer is unknown. Head electrician John Dougherty recently said that Kirlin hadn't worked for the union in 2 years.
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Anti-DiCicco Poster at Fifth and Federal Streets
2006/05/21 According to this Clout piece, Kirlin is suspected of posting this sign throughout the neighborhood. In 2002, these anti-DiCicco signs sprouted in the neighborhood on election day.
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