BY ASHIA TROIANO

In print | Published October 2, 2008

Featuring chain clothing stores, fast food restaurants and vendors, the Gallery at Market East is designed to attract all kinds of shoppers and generate substantial revenue for the city of Philadelphia. But apparently, it hasn’t generated enough. Originally planning to build a casino on the Delaware waterfront, Foxwoods Casino is now considering other locations and has its sights set on the Gallery.

However, several organizations have been vocal in their opposition to the relocation of the casino. SAO, Swarthmore Asian Organization, has been in contact with one of those groups — Asian Americans United in Philadelphia — to offer support. “At the minimum, we are committed to collecting signatures for their petition and we are thinking about doing some tabling in Chinatown to talk to folks in the community about it,” Toby Wu ’09, member of SAO, said.

AAU, an advocacy group that aims to promote the interests of Philadelphia’s Chinatown residents (most of whom are non-English-speaking immigrants) has taken a staunch anti-casino stance. The group argues that the casino will not increase commerce or tourism in Chinatown and that a culture of gambling could potentially exacerbate social ills including divorce, child abuse and domestic violence. In addition, philly.com has released data from a UCLA study showing that Pacific Islanders and Asian Americans are five times more likely to become gambling addicts than Caucasians.
According to Helen Gym, a member of AAU, the city of Philadelphia has not made enough of an effort to publicize its policy initiatives in immigrant communities like Chinatown. “This is a primarily immigrantcommunity, and the city hasn’t provided information to people who speak English, much less people who do not speak English. How the city treats its immigrant populations is very negative. So our main [objective] is to inform people. There is a disturbing trend about who’s in control of dialogue [and] this is an opportunity to engage in it,” Gym said.

Although the Supreme Court ruled that Foxwoods is not legally obligated to relocate the casino from the previously designated waterfront location, the casino’s management began working with Governor Edward Rendell and Mayor Michael Nutter to explore alternative sites after neighborhood groups along the shoreline mobilized in opposition to the original proposal. “There’s been tremendous activism from neighborhoods to say absolutely not … It’s been two or three years and it hasn’t been built. And that’s a testament to how strong-willed these neighborhoods are,” Gym said.
Mayor Nutter’s original stance was anti-casino. In a mayoral debate in 2007, Nutter said, “I’m supportive of the legislation to prevent sitting these facilities [casinos] within 1,500 feet of any residence.” Now, according to philly.com, Nutter has revised his previous position, saying that moving the casino to the Gallery “gives us an opportunity to do it well, do it right.”

This has struck a chord with another anti-casino organization, Casino-Free Philadelphia. The organization’s website reads, “Our elected officials are now trying to place a casino in a neighborhood with no bigger planning, no principles and no relationship to citizens who will be affected. It is a great betrayal of our movement’s principles: transparency, good government and development guided by smart planning principles.”

AAU has already taken action to oppose the development plants. The group recently drafted a petition protesting the construction of a casino and is now circulating the petition among local business owners in an effort to rally support. According to Gym, the city government has yielded to the demands of the casino’s developers out of apathy. “Our civic leaders are willing to sell off the heart and core of our city. Their primary argument is that the city feels like its hands are tied. They have a defeatist mentality – that’s not leadership, that’s not a city that feels like it’s in control of its destiny,” Gym said.

According to PlanPhilly, Design Advocacy Group of Philadelphia, an organization that promotes effective architectural development in Philadelphia, supports the move to the Gallery because it is near public transport and tourist attractions. But a substantial coalition of residents is outraged that the casino is being relocatedwithout their input. “We praise moving the casino off the waterfront, but to move it to the heart of the city just shows how ridiculous this is. It was a complete surprise that they would choose a place downtown. [The decision is being made] by people who will financially benefit from this,” Gym said.

Indeed, the Gallery is owned by the Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust, chaired by Ron Rubin, who according to Gym has “a miserable track record.” Rubin is also an investor in Foxwoods. “[Rubin] is getting to double-dip … This is just a quest for money in the midst of an economic crisis,” Gym said.

For now, city officials insist that nothing is set in stone. And with groups like AAU, Chinatown residents are optimistic that grassroots activism can force public officials to respond to the community’s outcry over the proposed casino. As part of its grassroots strategy, AAU has embraced the efforts of younger activists. “We welcome college students and young people who care about the city and believe the public have a right to voice their opinions to get involved. It’s a struggle about whose voices are going to count and what the city will do to respond,” Gym said.

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