LATEST NEWS: CITY COMMISSIONED BIASED STUDIES TO JUSTIFY 76PLACE—NOT ANALYZE IT
Studies have been commissioned on 76Place, but they are not the studies the public asked for. These studies are more focused on justifying the arena than analyzing it—and they’re exactly the cover that politicians want to use to vote yes on an arena that nobody wants. Don’t let that happen—know and share the facts:
These studies are a wolf in sheep’s clothing. They are biased towards advancing the arena and helping developers negotiate.
Justifying arenas is big business, and the 76Place consultant is laughing all the way to the bank. CSL, the firm hired to do a study of 76Place, is the go-to consultant to justify bad-deal arenas and other big developments. CSL provided false data to Philadelphia before, justifying expanding the convention center. Their numbers were off by 82%.
Credible studies are clear: Arenas provide little to no benefit to cities. Every expert on arenas that we’ve spoken to says 76Place’s projected tax numbers are outlandish, totally not backed up by facts or data. Plus arenas make neighborhoods less safe, and competing arenas cannibalize each other.
Arenas are never really “privately- funded.” They use taxpayer money for street upgrades, infrastructure like sewage and electric, and game-day security.
The threat to Philadelphia’s chinatown
The billionaire owners of the 76ers announced they want to build a new arena just one block away from Chinatown – just one block away from the families, seniors, and students who call this neighborhood home. They need to listen to the people who call Chinatown home and stop playing games with our community.
The billionaire developers are working on a “Community Benefits Agreement” to try to placate Chinatown. They’re negotiating with a select few behind closed doors, without public input or oversight, so they can show that the community has agreed to the arena – without having to listen to the full community.
These billionaire developers who want to build an arena say that this development will be different from past projects, but unlike those developers, our community has been here in Chinatown to see how past development has played out over time. We know that developers’ promises are temporary and empty and that any Community Benefits Agreement would just serve to fast-track the project through City Hall because the developers will be able to claim community support for the project.
Chinatown is a treasured piece of Philadelphia’s history with a unique authenticity that is irreplaceable, and we are here to stay. We won’t let billionaires destroy our neighborhood so they can get even richer. We said no stadium in 2000 and we won. We said no casino in 2008 and we won. Now we’re saying no arena, and we will win.
Photos from the Fight to Save Chinatown
Save Chinatown coalition members
Advance Native Political Leadership
Anakbayan Philadelphia
APALA Philly
Asian Americans United
Asian Arts Initiative
Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance (API PA)
Center City Organized for Responsible Development
Concerned Citizens of Chinatown Association
Folk Arts-Cultural Treasures Charter School
Japanese American Citizens League Philadelphia
Movement Alliance Project
No Arena In Chinatown Solidarity
Philadelphia DSA
Philadelphia Tenants Union
Philadelphia Jobs with Justice
Philly Liberation Center
Racial Justice Organizing Committee
Save UC Townhomes Coalition
Stadium Stompers
Students for the Preservation of Chinatown (SPOC)
Vietlead
historical and cultural significance of chinatown
For 150 years, Philadelphia’s Chinatown has been the cultural heart of Philly’s Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, and our community is worth fighting for. Chinatown has been the place where we share community, culture, and language. It is where generations of immigrants have found home. It is where folks who don’t speak English can easily navigate and find community, and at a time of rising anti-Asian hate, Chinatown is where we are safe.
The neighborhood is full of life that the proposed arena would displace. When you walk through Chinatown you see children playing, people grocery shopping, friends chatting in bakeries eating pastries, seniors taking walks and socializing in the morning, students hanging out after school, friends gathering for dinner and lunch, and families going to worship, eat, sing, and drink. Chinatown is alive.
Chinatown has fought for our right to exist, as big developers and the government tried to chip away at the edges of our neighborhood to rip out a profit. Our community has been on the front lines fighting against the Vine Street Expressway, Convention Center, a federal prison, two casinos, a baseball stadium, and more.
Thanks to the community that has fought for generations to preserve this neighborhood, Chinatown is one of the few remaining communities of color and low-income communities in Center City, and one of few authentic Chinatowns left in the country.
Sign the Petition to Save Chinatown
Copyright 2020 API PA
