Protesters staged a sit-in Thursday prior to the city council in Philadelphia approving the 76er arena.
Several were arrested by police as the crowd chanted “council sellout” and “shame, shame, shame.”
While symbolic, the demonstration dramatized the intense feelings they had about an arena they fear will push out residents of Chinatown and small businesses the way the basketball arena in Washington, DC destroyed the Chinatown there in 1997.
“Today’s vote was an utter disgrace, as Council bowed to billionaires, defied the will of the people, and voted through a toxic deal that robs schoolchildren, endangers patients, threatens Chinatown, jeopardizes SEPTA, and gives developers a free ride on $400 million in property taxes,” The No Arena in the Heart of Our City Coalition said in a statement to AsAmNews. “These Councilmembers didn’t roll out the red carpet, they became the red carpet that billionaire developers walked all over.”
The council voted 12-5 in favor of the $1.3 billion project.
Council president Kenayatta Johnson said they “would have been fools” to reject the project. “This $1.3 billion investment had to move forward,” he said, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
ABC6 reports supporters of the 18,500-seat arena believe it will revitalize the struggling Market East area of the city which sits right on the edge of Chinatown.
The 76ers say they envision the arena will be an “anchoring force in the local community, creating well-paying jobs and economic opportunities,” Patch reported.
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