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Read related story on the meeting.
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Tyner thinks the preliminary indications are that her community favors the casino with strong conditions. Of the 40 people who completed Tioga United's written survey at the meeting 28 support the casino, 6 oppose and 6 are concerned.
Tyner plans to hold another community meeting on the casino at the Preferred Site on Thursday, March 30 at 6:30 pm.
According to Tyner, Tioga United is a community association whose monthly meetings attract between 60-80 people. Its service area is bounded by Allegheny to the south, Erie to the north, 24th to the west and Broad to the east.
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The casino meeting was held in the offices of one Littlepage's companies, Connection Training Services. CTS offers job training to ex-offenders, welfare recipients and the homeless.
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"What we're looking for out of all these discussions is what happens for your neighborhood." said Hinton. "Those conditions you have talked about for years vacant houses, fallen down roofs, inability to create jobs, how does this benefit you?"
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Preferred owns the land on which Trump wants to build its casino. TrumpStreet is just one of several tenants Preferred has lined up for the old Budd Site, a 83 acre factory that used to manufacture trolly car bodies. Temple University Hospital will relocate its administrative offices to the site and the Salvation Army will build a $40 million facility there.
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TrumpStreet proposes to build its casino right next to the high school and would like to expand onto land currently occupied by the school, which fronts on major thorofare Henry Ave. TrumpStreet has offered to rebuild the school at its expense.
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"This is my fourth community meeting. In the City of Gary Indiana, we were highly successful in training residents for security, slots technicians, housekeeping, food and beverage and cashiering."
Read TrumpStreet's fact sheet.
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Santoro spent a fair amount of time managing expectations.
"Please don't think our coming the community will solve all the problems in this area," said Santoro.
"We go to great lengths to provide public safety for the occupants of our buildings, our employees, our customers and the surrounding community."
![Ralph Wynder: we are taking the position now that [the casino] is not a good thing for our community](http://www.hallwatch.org/photos/tioga/DSC_0090_edited.jpg?display=small) | |||||||
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Based on the MCA meetings, Wynder thinks the community opposes the casino and the gambling that would take place there. "We've had a number of meetings..North Philadelphia, Germantown, Tioga, East Falls. In our surveys, we found a 3-1 sentiment against gambling being in the neighborhood. In meetings 90% [of attendees] were against it," said Wynder.
Wynder said residents could not afford to lose money at the casinos. "If Trump or any casino is going to make money, obviously somebody has to lose money...If people in the community start to waste money in casinos, they'll be even poorer than they are today."
MCA's is pursuing a two prong strategy with Trump: oppose but negotiate just in case. "We are against it, held protest, but at same time continue to sit at table with [Trump] in order to be gatekeepers for community. If this is to happen...we have to safeguard the people of our community and make sure they get maximum amount of jobs, benefits, make sure social issues of compulsive gambling, schools have to be addressed."
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"People play the lottery every day what you need to worry about is drug dealers taking over your neighborhood."
"You build new jails--80% of the incarcerated is black. The main thing we have to worry about is our youth."
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"We've come a long way. It's about us being positive enough to change our agenda. We're no longer in a protest mood, we should in a negotiating mood, putting it down on paper, locking these people in on paper so they can be held accountable for the things we want."
"The majority of people I talk to is for it. They are for giving our youth something to do, they are for getting a new building, getting a trade, for community development, for new lights and sidewalks. They are for these things."
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Williams suggested that residents consider negotiating with Trump. "If you have a good deal on the table and you're willing to work it out, it should be driven by the community," said Williams.
He thought neighbors should ask for at least as much money as residents who live near the stadiums. The South Philadelphia neighborhoods surrounding the stadiums receive $1.5 million a year from the sports teams.
"If you can put 300-400 kids in college, you won't have the gangbangers," said Williams. "They won't be setting you up because they'll be too busy with a job..."
"Think about what you want to do, come together with one mind and negotiate, work it out," said Williams.
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