Casino-Free Philadelphia: Combined Feed

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Bankrupting Steve Wynn

Lily — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 06:43:08 GMT

On Wednesday, we confronted Vegas con man Steve Wynn with a simple message: We will ruin your company and run you out of town.

Wynn told the Philadelphia Daily News that this was the first time he'd ever had ordinary citizens confront him publicly about predatory gambling in a hearing. Thank you to the dozens of people who traveled with us to all who donated so generously.

And the chart at right demonstrates the results: We showed up, and Steve's stocks plummeted.

When the formerly-Foxwoods casino went begging for investors -- after years of delays thanks to ongoing pressure from you, and thousands of Philadelphians like you -- they thought they had found their savior in Steve Wynn.

What Wednesday's hearing revealed was a distant billionaire with no interest in our city or our future.

Watch Steve Wynn argue with a Philadelphia Inquirer reporter, declaring that he has no knowledge of the city's plan for the riverfront. Earlier, he admitted he would soon buy out the local investors completely -- contradicting the fiction of all those local benefits.

Which is probably why even the PA Gaming Control Board -- having never met a casino developer it didn't rubber-stamp -- voted unanimously to ignore Wynn's proposal (and continue fining the project $2,000 per day). We know this isn't over, however -- it will take much efforts to run predatory investors like Steve Wynn out of town. But he's never before faced opposition like you.

Yet Wednesday's hearing demonstrated the power of your voice -- forcing Wynn to address questions about the impact of his predatory casinos, prompting the news media to cover Steve's smugness, and sending those precious stock prices into decline.

We're escalating our fight against predatory gambling, and that means training more individuals for important roles in organizing, advocacy, media outreach and sustainable fundraising.

We need YOU in this fight, and we want to give you a chance to learn some new skills -- and share some of the skills you have.

Come to Casino-Free Philadelphia's media workshop next Thursday and find out -- no matter the way in you are fighting social injustice -- how to best position your issue for effective news coverage:

Media Workshop: Talking Points and Interviews

Thursday, March 11, 6:00 to 7:30 PM, No Slots Spot, 718 Market Street

Suggested donation: $5 RSVP online now!

Learn how to develop a cohesive message for an issue and how to translate that message into talking points and effective relationships with reporters.

Do you have skills you'd like to share with the Casino-Free movement? Contact us and let us know how you can help! We'd love to have regular trainings on all aspects of the fight against all forms of social injustice.

Casino-Free Philadelphia Tells Wynn 'You're Not Welcome'

Casino-Free Philly — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:44:10 GMT

For Immediate Release

Contact:

Dan Hajdo, dan [at] casinofreephila [dot] org, (267) 971-0937

PHILADELPHIA, March 2, 2010

Tomorrow, Wednesday, March 3, dozens of supporters members of Casino-Free Philadelphia will travel by on a bus to Harrisburg to present Steve Wynn and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board with their views on Wynn’s proposal to build a casino in South Philadelphia. They will make it clear that Wynn’s proposal is no improvement, and even worse than the failed Foxwoods proposal.

Where: Public Utility Commission, Keystone Bldg., Hearing Room One, Harrisburg, PA

When: 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, March 3

"We'e going to give Steve Wynn a welcome he'll never forget," said Lily Cavanagh, Executive Organizer of Casino-Free Philadelphia. "Casino-Free Philadelphia cannot imagine a worse business owner; or a worse predatory industry."

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board made it clear that the Foxwoods box-store casino, which would eventually include a hotel, was not acceptable. Yet Wynn’s proposal leaves out everything except a box-store casino with sprawling parking lots. Wynn’s only mention of troubled location referred to “Italians and Jews ... ethnic group[s] that [like] to play craps and gamble.”

“When Wynn told investors that he ‘love[s] being only two blocks away from a Vietnamese neighborhood’ and that how happy was his “old friends -- the Italians and Jews,” were “only ten minutes away,” you could almost see him salivate over the possibility of having a casino closer to residential neighborhoods than any other casino in the United States. Apparently he’s tired of building destination resorts and now he’s ready to enter the most predatory aspects of gambling – the convenience casino. He’s sucked as much money as he can out of Vegas, now he’s ready to prey strictly on Philadelphians and suck money out of our economy,” said Dan Hajdo, spokesperson for Casino-Free Philadelphia.

For an audio clip of Mr. Wynn describing how his casino would prey on locals, see this article in Philadelphia Citypaper.

Casino-Free Philadelphia's mission is to stop casinos from coming to Philadelphia and close any that open. The social and economic costs of predatory gambling are plainly apparent from an industry reliant on addiction to survive. Visit us online at www.CasinoFreePhila.org.

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Join 'ethnicities of all stripes' in Harrisburg

Casino-Free Philly — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:28:27 GMT

Vegas billionaire Steve Wynn says he's excited to come to South Philly, because he "love[s] being only two blocks away from a Vietnamese neighborhood" and his "old friends -- the Italians and Jews," along with "every conceivable stripe of ethnic group."

The excitement wasn't shared by the Philadelphia Inquirer, which wrote this morning that "Wynn's vision for the Foxwoods site is further confirmation that casino gambling in Philadelphia will be a down-market industry, preying mostly on the poor and elderly who can least afford it."

Please join us on Wednesday, March 3, on the bus to Harrisburg, where we'll confront Steve Wynn with the truth that Philadelphians -- of all stripes -- don't want his predatory casino anywhere in our city.

What: Bus trip to Gaming Control Board hearing

When: Wednesday, March 3, at 7:15 AM

Where: Meet at 30th & Market Streets (we'll have signs)

Cost: $25 per person suggested donation

Sign up online for a seat on the bus.

Please join us so we can make a strong showing. And remember that it's people like you -- and actions like this one -- that have swung people like the Inquirer editorial board from supporting casinos to calling them "acres of slot machines and scores of table games aimed at the locals living paycheck to paycheck or on fixed incomes."

Join us in Harrisburg as we continue to take a stand against predatory gambling, whether it's financed by Steve Wynn or Foxwoods.

If you cannot join us, please consider making a generous donation. While Steve Wynn may have the backing of Vegas investors, we depend on individual contributions from people like you.

Foxwoods is dead. Join us in Harrisburg!

Lily — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 12:00:09 GMT

Foxwoods is now dead. Take a moment and recall how many times you were told to give up by Governor Rendell, Senator Fumo, Councilman DiCicco, Mayor Nutter, and the rest of them. Think about how hard we've worked over the last years to kill Foxwoods; and now it's dead.

This predatory project has been delayed so long that Foxwoods has dropped out. The local investors are back to square one, and we've learned that we can win.

Now let's redouble our efforts and derail the proposed Wynn casino by going to Harrisburg, where we'll mark another victory by giving the fake-tanned face of predatory gambling a welcome he'll never forget.

What: Bus trip to Gaming Control Board hearing

When: Wednesday, March 3, at 7:15am

Where: Meet at 30th & Market Streets

Cost: $25 per person suggested donation

We are developing a great plan of action and we'll bond on this trip to demonstrate Philly's power!

The past week has been one our busiest. First, we went to criminal court and were acquitted of all charges from our blockade at the site of SugarHouse's future bankruptcy back in September. If you missed the coverage, watch us on CNN.

That's right, you made national news again and will continue to do so!

Then, just two days later, we participated in the PA gubernatorial debate where we forced the candidates to make clear pledges about the predatory gambling trade. Watch the video.

Finally, earlier this week, we attended the PA Gaming Congress and were sickened as Mayor Nutter completed his full flip-flop -- from predatory gambling opponent to an industry puppet.

Help us continue our fight against casinos in Philly -- be it SugarHouse, Foxwoods or Wynn -- and sign up for the bus now!

If you can't make the trip, please donate generously to Casino-Free below so we can continue working for you. Philadelphia needs your help.

You won today

Casino-Free Philly — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:40:51 GMT

Earlier today, you and your entire city got some good news. Fourteen of its citizens, arrested in September for blocking the entrance to the SugarHouse construction site, were acquitted of all charges. Watch the video from Fox 29.

The judge dismissed the case. As a result, all Philadelphians should feel empowered to work for a more transparent, democratic and sustainable future, even when political forces are stacked against them.

We know the last year has been hard.

Yet today's win demonstrates once again that Philadelphia has only been casino-free for five years — and remains so to this day — because of your hard work and dedication.

We've seen many victories over the past year: increasingly perilous financial situations for both SugarHouse and Foxwoods, the formation of a city-wide coalition fighting predatory gambling and another year without slots in our neighborhoods.

This past year has been challenging — as we've attempted to accomplish so much, in the face of such odds and political opposition, while remaining true to our mission and history as a community-centered organization.

We can do even more with your continued support. Foxwoods can be kicked out of Philadelphia entirely. Investments in SugarHouse can be slowed and cower from our growing community power, causing the slots parlor to go bankrupt if it does open. And we can push for a city and state budget based on commitments to fund essential services rather than exploit people through predatory gambling.

But we simply can't do it without some measure of financial support. More than 85% of our funding comes from individual donations, and we steadfastly refuse to accept donations from other casinos or their backers.

Donate to Casino-Free Philadelphia, and let's make this the first of many victories in 2010!

We're still pulling together more images and video from today's events, but check our website and our Facebook page for live updates and other multimedia collected throughout this amazing day.

SugarHouse 13 Found 'Not Guilty'

Casino-Free Philly — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 11:41:50 GMT

Verdict a Victory for Entire City, Casino-Free Philadelphia Says

For Immediate Release

Contact:

Dan Hajdo, dan [at] casinofreephila [dot] org, (267) 971-0937

PHILADELPHIA, February 16, 2010

Today, Judge Dugan found 13 anti-casino activists "not guilty" on charges of failure to disperse, disorderly conduct, and criminal conspiracy. The activists were arrested on Sept. 29, 2009, for demonstrating against casinos by lining the entrance to the SugarHouse casino construction site.

"This verdict is a victory, not just for the defendants, but for the entire city of Philadelphia, and for citizens all over the nation that are fighting casinos," said Dan Hajdo, spokesperson for Casino-Free Philadelphia.

"These defendants put their bodies and their liberty on the line for their city," Hajdo said, "And they put casino supporters and investors on notice: The fight against casinos is just getting started. Save yourselves some money and save the taxpayers some money. Get out now."

All Philadelphia residents, the Sugarhouse 13 range in age from 25 to 72 and include several grandparents, two members of the clergy, several public school teachers, and veterans of the civil rights movement. Each defendant testified on her or his own behalf.

The trial helps put names and faces to a growing movement in Philadelphia and across the country, and highlights the reasons for this movement. The movement opposing casinos "is not about gambling. It's about stopping a predatory industry, the most predatory industry in America" said Les Bernal, head of the national group Stop Predatory Gambling. Casinos cultivate addiction because they depend upon addicts for their profits.

Research shows the presence of casinos in a community generates the need for more police, as well as criminal justice and addiction services; so the casinos will cost Philadelphia more than any revenue they may generate.

Far from creating jobs, the experience of other cities show casinos often result in a net loss of jobs when competition from casinos causes local businesses to close.

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An open letter to Philly politicians

Casino-Free Philly — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 07:12:04 GMT

Dear Philadelphia politicians,

We cordially invite you to attend the criminal trial of Philadelphia’s premier civic leaders, today at 10:00 AM at the Criminal Justice Center, 13th & Filbert Streets.

We are thirteen of Philadelphia’s most honorable citizens – including two ministers, five teachers and professors, several grandparents and one great grandparent, a union organizer, and several entrepreneurs – who stood up to protect our community from the pernicious affects of the slots parlors that you are foisting on our great city.

Without public input or regard, you legalized gambling in Pennsylvania in a hurried late-night legislative session.
Instead of allowing Philadelphians to develop a riverfront that is family-friendly and pays homage to the historic character of our city, you are creating a blight on the banks of the Delaware with acres of surface parking above a four hundred year old Native American settlement.
You lied to us about stopping casinos from being banks and are allowing them to offer unregulated lines of credit to patrons.
With flagrant indifference towards the prosperity of Philadelphians, you are trying to suck hard-earned money out of our pockets with which to line your wallets.

And while you are busy doing all of this, we – in the true spirit of brotherly and sisterly love with which this city was founded – put our bodies on the line to show our infallible commitment to stopping predatory gambling from destroying the city and the community we love.

In the irrefutable words of Henry David Thoreau, which you underscored when you had us arrested on Sept. 29, 2009, “Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison.”

To bear witness to thirteen just men and women, we encourage you to attend our trial at 10:00 AM today, Feb. 16, 2010, at the Criminal Justice Center at 1301 Filbert Street.

Sincerely,

Lily Cavanagh

P.S. A video invitation:

SugarHouse 13 to Be Tried on Tuesday

Casino-Free Philly — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:14:54 GMT

For Immediate Release

Contact:

Dan Hajdo, dan [at] casinofreephila [dot] org, (267) 971-0937

PHILADELPHIA, February 15, 2010

On Tuesday, thirteen activists for Casino-Free Philadelphia will be tried at the Criminal Justice Center, 13th and Filbert Streets, in connection with a Sept. 29, 2009, demonstration at the SugarHouse casino construction site. The trial is scheduled to begin 9:00 a.m. and is expected to end between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. Supporters will gather at Arch Street Methodist Church, at 55 North Broad Street, from 9:00 to 9:30 for a brief rally before proceeding to the court house.

"The trial will call attention to the costs of casinos, to the importance of using civil disobedience as a tool to fight social injustice, and the corrupt, undemocratic politics that have politicians doing the bidding of billionaires" said Dan Hajdo, spokesperson for Casino-Free Philadelphia.

A diverse group, each individual in the Sugarhouse 13 has their own, compelling story to tell about how they came to oppose casinos. All Philadelphia residents, the SugarHouse 13 in age from 25 to 72 and include several grandparents, two members of the clergy, and a few public school teachers, and veterans of the civil rights movement.

The defendants and other opponents of predatory gambling see social injustice in the fact that casinos depend on gambling addicts for profits, and the fact that poor people are the group most adversely affected when casinos are introduced into a community. They know research shows that the presence of casinos in a community generates the need for more police, as well as criminal justice and addiction services. They have seen the numbers that show casinos will cost the city more than any revenue they may generate. They worry building casinos often result in a net loss of jobs when competition from casinos causes local businesses to close.

"The SugarHouse 13 put their bodies on the line to keep Philadelphia casino-free," said Hajdo. "We are hoping that their trial will raise public awareness of the social and political injustices that sparked them into action."

The defendants were arrested for lining the entrance of the site and refusing to move. They were held for 12 hours and are charged with one felony, criminal conspiracy, and two misdemeanors, failure to disperse and disorderly conduct.

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Help us put casinos on trial tomorrow

Casino-Free Philly — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:30:06 GMT

Tomorrow is the day. Please join us for a rally and march at 9:00 AM tomorrow, when two dozen of your neighbors will be in a Philadelphia criminal court, talking about why they put their bodies on the line to keep predatory gambling out of our city.

Help honor these fourteen individuals with a donation to the ongoing work of Casino-Free Philadelphia.

Tomorrow we will put casinos on trial. We anticipate a good media presence, so we hope you can be a part of this historic rally and march.

On Trial for a Casino-Free City: Tuesday, Feb. 16, 9:00 AM (court starts at 10:00)

Meet at the Arch Street United Methodist Church, SE corner of Broad & Arch Streets, Philadelphia

If you haven't done so already, please watch our video and share it with your friends and neighbors. You can also help support us by spreading the word about us on social networks of which you're a part, by visiting our profiles on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and YouTube.

We'll continue to increase the pressure on casinos, preventing them from opening when we can and shutting them down when we must. This trial represents another milestone in a five-year journey of citizens reclaiming their own power, direction and destiny. Fourteen people may be on trial, but we know every Philadelphian's body is on the line when it comes to predatory gambling.

We'll continue to find creative ways to put financial pressure on casinos and casino investors — but if we're to truly bankrupt casinos, we need your financial support as well.

Make a contribution to help defray our legal costs and fund continuing campaigns against predatory gambling.

We hope to see you tomorrow, as we put the casinos on trial!

P.S. Can't make it in person but want to read updates as they happen? Looking to encourage distant friends to join you in your fight for a casino-free Philadelphia? Our Twitter and Facebook pages will be continuously updated throughout the day tomorrow, as will this website.

Supporting our freedom

Casino-Free Philly — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:29:47 GMT

As you know, fourteen of us will be going on trial next week for a casino-free Philly.

Defending ourselves in court is a huge undertaking and we must raise money for our legal defense.

Please support those going on trial and all of our ongoing work for a casino-free city by making a contribution

We will use this opportunity to put casinos on trial — to indict them for the way they exploit our government, threaten our neighborhoods, and position themselves to prey upon our friends and family, putting our welfare and our city budget at risk. We also plan to continue our protests — at casino sites, politicians' offices and more — for as long as it takes.

Please join us on Tuesday to support those who put their bodies on the line to keep casinos out of Philadelphia. It's not easy to stand for trial and your presence will make a big difference.

Pre-Court Rally for a Casino-Free City

Tuesday, Feb. 16, 9:00 AM (court starts at 10:00)

Meet at the Arch Street United Methodist Church, SE corner of Broad & Arch Streets

Want to do even more? Help spread the word to your friends and neighbors!

Watch our new video and share it with your friends
Join us on Facebook and invite your friends
Follow us on Twitter and Tweet a link to us
Become our friend on MySpace and YouTube

Over the years, casinos and their political backers have spent millions of dollars throwing countless roadblocks in our way, but we've battled through successfully even when the experts proclaimed it a "done deal." People are saying our trial is a "done deal" — but we know better, and we need your help to make it a success.

Please make a donation in honor of your 14 neighbors and the continuing fight for a casino-free Philadelphia!

New Poll By Pew Shows No New Support for Casinos Despite PR Push

Casino-Free Philly — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 11:24:23 GMT

For Immediate Release

Contact:

Dan Hajdo, dan [at] casinofreephila [dot] org, (267) 971-0937

PHILADELPHIA, February 10, 2010

Yesterday, Feb. 9, the Pew Charitable Trusts’ Philadelphia Research Initiative released an opinion poll showing support for casinos remains unchanged since April and opposition to casinos dropped from 41% to 34%; but they offer no explanation in the report. Casino-Free Philadelphia believes the poll most likely reflects polling error, and the massive amounts of money casinos have spent on public relations.

“There are some problems with the poll, mainly the context of the questions,” said Dan Hajdo, spokesperson for Casino-Free Philadelphia, “but the latest casino PR assault makes it look like everyone’s going to Disney World, with magical tax cuts and jobs for everyone. In the real world, casinos cost more in addiction services, policing, and job loss when local businesses close than the tiny payoffs casinos might send to Harrisburg.”

The context of the questions about casinos is the main problem with the poll. The poll asks a long series of questions about service cuts and tax cuts, and ends with two questions on casinos. This primes the respondent to think about the promised tax cuts. Also, we also do not know if the change in percentages is statistically significant.

“Philadelphians don't have first-hand experience with casinos and the truth hasn’t gotten out yet, politicians and casinos have hidden it and” says Hajdo. “People who’ve read the research, and experienced the harm casinos bring are willing to put their bodies on the line; people like the 14 who were arrested in September and go to trial this upcoming Tuesday, the 16th.”

The defendants all have powerful stories about why they oppose casinos; stories that the city needs to hear.

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Your neighbors on trial

Casino-Free Philly — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:54:34 GMT

It has been a busy few months, with Harrisburg passing pro-casino legislation and the Gaming Control Board acting tough on Foxwoods.

Now we ask that you please save the fast-approaching date of Tuesday, Feb. 16 — the trial date for fourteen of your brothers and sisters, who were arrested for speaking with their bodies, saying, "We will bankrupt casinos before they bankrupt us."

These fourteen individuals — ranging in age from 24 to 72 and including several grandparents and two members of the clergy, public school teachers, and life-long Philadelphians — lined the entrance to the SugarHouse casino site on the Delaware river and refused to move. They were promptly arrested and held for more than 12 hours.

Now, they need your help.

On Tuesday, Feb. 16, these individuals will stand before a judge and defend their First Amendment rights. Please attend the trial to demonstrate your support for these courageous individuals and for a city free from the predatory gambling industry.

Mark the date on your calendar now and help support Philadelphians who put their bodies on the line to keep Philadelphia casino-free:

Tuesday, Feb. 16, 9:00 AM

Arch St United Methodist Church (Broad and Arch) - We'll rally, unite, and march to the courthouse together!

If you can't arrive till later in the day, you may go directly to the Criminal Justice Center at 13th & Filbert Streets, Courtroom 1003, Philadelphia, PA

RSVP online for an automatic email reminder

Can't make it to the trial? Consider making a donation in honor of these 14 individuals.

We'll be letting you know about more ways to get involved. For now, please mark your calendar and encourage your friends and neighbors to attend as well!

Foxwoods Denied Extension and Fined

Lily — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 10:44:02 GMT

Sweet justice? Not quite, we're still talking about the PGCB. However, Foxwoods was denied their request for a deadline extension and fined $116,000 (and growing by $2,000 each day). Read PlanPhilly's full story and watch video here.

Messages of Support

Lily — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 11:31:40 GMT

Here are some of the messages that you have shared in response to the passage of SB 711, which now allows slots on credit, tables games, an extention for Foxwoods, exemption from the smoking ban for Philly casinos, and much more. Some messages were of support, some of outrage, some are stories of personal troubles brought by the predatory gambling industry. Thank you everyone. Pease continue to send your messages of support to Lily [at] CasinoFreePhila [dot] org.

Your stand is an example of courage and integrity. I feel inspired by your work, deeply touched in my heart, wondering how you are doing, how you are taking care of yourselves, your souls, your brave souls. I hold you dearly in my spirit, and my thoughts are mixed with prayers for your joy and strength, and for your victory.

Please keep up the great work to keep these casinos out of our city. They will not solve the core economic problems we face. They are like putting a bandaid on a broken bone.

Thank you, AS

I am very proud to be associated with Casinos Free Philly and you have done a remarkable job so far!!! My only regret is that I don't have enough time to be more involved!!

I support Casino-Free Philadelphia because I don't believe in government relying on destructive, addictive behavior to fund our services. I support CFP because I believe in building livable communities and because I believe that working together builds Community. I don't want a casino 1000 yards from my Philly family's home. Although I am thousands of miles away, we face similar battles on all our home fronts, and we need to share strength with each other. Lastly, I support CFP because I've seen what perseverance, integrity, creativity and resourcefulness has accomplished before against great odds.

GT, Portland, Oregon

What a great way to boost an already broken economy, let’s allow gamblers more access to credit and even allow credit card use at the slot machine lol. Sure, as I’m having my fourth drink of the night, I’ll just plug my card into that slot and push away, who cares? I’m feeling good! Look honey I haven’t hit the ATM at all tonight. Endless playtime. What? it’s already 3 am? We’ve been here since noon? Wow seems like we just got here! Let me try one more machine, I feel lucky. ------ 3 weeks later -------- honey, yes dear, did you see this bill? No dear, sweetheart it’s over $5000.00. -----WHAT? How are we going to pay this? Wife starts crying. I didn’t know we spent that much honey, we where having such a good time. I see this playing out over and over and over...bankruptcy, foreclosure, and divorce.

Is the city, state, in such need of money that they are willing to break the backs of good working class people? Is it not bad enough that paychecks and soc-sec checks already being thrown away? I myself have 2 shoeboxes filled with cash advance stubs from casinos, maxed out 2 cards 25,000 each. Took out 6000.00 in one day. I wasn’t stopped once.

Every week I receive over 10 offers, coupons, dinners, trips, in my mail, I even get calls from a host about events at the great casino. People who are gamblers now won’t need cash to support the habit, just plastic, made easy because you won’t even have to leave the machine. And there’s already a big credit problem in this country. I hope there’s enough money to support the courts, because you’ll need millions for all the divorce, bankruptcy, and credit card fraud, cases you’ll be dealing with in the court system.

It’s stuff like the following that that keeps my fight up! “Some say I’m a sinner, …some say I’m a saint.” (Richard Sprauge, Dec 2009) Umm…yeah. Ok, Dick.

I believe Casino-Free and anyone else who cares needs to spread its message to the people, not those in power. Let children, teens and average adults know how sick gambling really is. That message must not be getting across. Could it ever be preached in our schools, the way Say No to Drugs or Abstinence or No Smoking have been? Can Gambler's Anonymous get more public? It's just another destructive addiction that eventually will be exposed for what it is. But after how much damage is done? Not a very uplifting message of Support, but I wish I could do more,

Among the things that confound me about the support my government representatives give to gambling arise from the comparison of Gus the Gambling Groundhog to Joe Camel. It amazes me that there was such a huge, and successful outcry against the tobacco industry appealing to children through this cartoon character, Joe Camel, but none against Gus and the innocence with which he appears in these ads - Scratch, Scratch, Scratch! ...dazed and amazed...

Keep up the good work! This is only a temporary setback, as the economic reality of too much casino capacity is rippling through the East Coast. The casino operators will have an increasingly difficult time surviving economically, so the pickings for CSF will soon be getting easier, no matter how much encouragement Harrisburg or the City try to give them.

The struggle goes on - with honesty and principle

Lily — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:14:31 GMT

This week our legislature and Governor showed their true faces again. They passed a bill that will not just expand predatory gambling, but it will further drag our city and state in budget crisis after crisis and cause the real economy and our communities to suffer severely.

Yet, despite knowing this truth, it still is hard to continue fighting in the face of defeat. This bill is awful as is explained in our op-ed in yesterday's Inquirer. The bill allows all Pennsylvania casinos to extend lines of easy credit to compulsive gamblers already beyond their limits. The bill gives Foxwoods two more years to keep trying, even after we demonstrated that they will not open in South Philly, Chinatown, or anywhere else. As to the procedures of the PGCB, this bill was phony reform. The only way it passed was by threats and bribery of pet projects to buy legislators' votes. Read this insightful commentary by Isaiah Thompson of the CityPaper.

And of course, as we learned late Monday evening, this bill exempts the proposed Philly casinos from the city-wide smoking ban. That's as outrageous as it is indefensible.

Our politicians are digging their own graves. We will stop these proposed casinos from opening, and shut them down if they do. This is not the end, this is not the middle; we are still just beginning.

It's important now to not let up. This is part of the struggle, part of the struggle that will not be lost unless and until we give up - and that's not going to happen. We'll only stop when they surrender.

Now is the time to support each other so we can grow stronger. We're collecting messages of support -- from each other, to each other -- to post here on the website. Please share why you're in this fight by emailing lily [at] casinofreephila [dot] org.

Call Mayor Nutter Today!

Lily — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 06:42:16 GMT

UPDATE: The Mayor's office has stopped taking calls on this issue. His office is refusing to take action on this issue, and passing his constituents off to the House of Representatives. Please continue to call his office (215-686-2181), he needs to know we won't stand by and let this happen!

Yesterday evening the Pennsylvania Senate agreed to amendments to the Table Games bill that would exempt SugarHouse and Foxwoods from Philadelphia's smoking ban, arguably Mayor Nutter's signature career legislative achievement. The House is poised to reconvene today at 11am to vote on this bill.

What will the Mayor do? Will he contact the members of the Philadelphia Delegation and plead with them to vote no? Or will he sit idly by while the ban goes up in smoke?

Call the Mayor now (215-686-2181) and ask him to tell Harrisburg to leave our smoking ban alone and to tell the Philly members of the House to vote NO on this bill!

Despite a loud public outcry, Mayor Nutter has failed to criticize the Table Games bill, SB711, which strengthens the casinos extremely predatory powers. As you may remember, this is the same bill that gives the casinos the ability to offer gamblers extended lines of credit so they can gamble on borrowed money. Please read Paul Boni's Op-Ed in the Inquirer, as well as the Inquirer article that came out this morning.

According to a published study, second-hand smoke in casinos is deadly.

So, call the Mayor now (215-686-2181) and ask him to tell Harrisburg to leave our smoking ban alone and to tell the Philly members of the House to vote NO on this bill!

TAKE ACTION: Grow community power for 2010

Casino-Free Philly — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 10:33:48 GMT

There's just one day left for you to help us build the community power we need to beat the casinos in 2010. Please act now:

Invite your friends to contribute to a casino-free Philadelphia using our easy email form.
Join our cause on Facebook and encourage your friends and family on Facebook to do the same.
Tweet about Casino-Free on Twitter to spread the word.

We've successfully held off casinos for years, but 2010 presents immense challenges and we need to redouble our efforts -- and build our support -- in order to win.

In 2009, SugarHouse broke ground -- and we were there to meet them with groundbreaking visions of a better Philadelphia. The legislature endeavored to swindle even more Pennsylvanians out of their money through predatory gambling trades like video poker and table games -- and we took it directly to Philadelphia senators, demanding they represent their communities. The city planning commission rubber-stamped SugarHouse's plan -- and Chinatown celebrated a huge victory in kicking Foxwoods out of their neighborhood. Politicians continued to back down in the face of huge casino campaign contributions -- while we demonstrated our resolve to take historic direct action and reclaim casinos for our community.

At every step of the way, we've met casinos' lies, manipulations and duplicity with clear, direct action -- and the financial instability they now face is directly linked to the "competitive disadvantage" we present. But we need to grow our movement to continue our success.

As an incentive, we're awarding a full set of Casino-Free Philadelphia wear -- three t-shirts and a button -- to a winner in each of the three areas:

The person who invites the most new donors by email
The person who attracts the most donors on Facebook
A drawing for one person who Tweets about Casino-Free on Twitter -- the more you Tweet, the more entries in the drawing!

Please act now to grow our network by Dec. 31 -- tomorrow evening!

Take a moment and tell your friends and family why they should join you in creating a casino-free new year.

We can't do it without your help.

Help us build community power in 2010!

Casino-Free Philly — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 12:42:40 GMT

It's clear that our community power is having a concrete impact on predatory gambling in our city.

We're not asking you for a donation. We're asking you to appeal to your friends and family to support our — and your — work to keep Philadelphia casino-free.

Ask your friends to donate to Casino-Free Philadelphia and build our community's power!

Invite your friends by Dec. 31 and win a full set of Casino-Free t-shirts and a button!

The person who invites the most donors by Dec. 31 will win a full set of Casino-Free Philadelphia wear: three t-shirts and a Casino-Free button.

These t-shirts represent three of our biggest actions in 2009: the Declaration of Independence from Casinos campaign, Beat the House and the direct action at SugarHouse. By inviting your friends and family to make a contribution, you'll enable us to plan even more actions for next year. Let's make 2010 the year predatory gambling is sent packing from Philadelphia!

We know it's only because of all of us working together that casinos have been held off for this long.

SugarHouse has had to plan for a much smaller casino than it originally wanted, and Foxwoods has had to go begging for investors, showing it may never be financially stable enough to break ground. If these casinos ever open, we expect them to face bankruptcy in short order.

Please invite your friends to support Casino-Free Philadelphia today.

The deadline to invite friends and win the Casino-Free schwag is Dec. 31. We know that's not much time — but what's a contest without a countdown? And remember, it's the number of donors you inspire — not the amount of money. So if your friends only have $10 to give, that's great, and gets us $10 closer to a casino-free city!

Want even more chances to win? Check out our simultaneous contests on Facebook and Twitter!

For another casino-free year in Philly!

Lily, Jethro, Ivan and the rest of Casino-Free Philadelphia

Finding the right frequency

Casino-Free Philly — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:40:25 GMT

This is an appeal for donations of $50 or more so that this week we can run radio ads hammering some state legislators. How sweet would that be?

Our state senators are still trying to sneak in a provision that would allow slots to be played on credit.

Not a single member of our Philadelphia delegation that voted for this bill the first round (when they thought they could slip it past us!) has made a public statement denouncing their support. Not after we sent them letters, made hundreds of phone calls, and even made a special visit to Senator Kitchen's office. (Watch a video of that action.)

Sen. Kitchen has still not agreed to our request that she declare publicly what she told us in her office -- her opposition to slots on credit. And the rest of the senators are staying oh so silent. Even silent is Sen. Farnese who, even though he voted "no," shows no signs of trying to get his colleagues on board.

We're stepping it up again, but we need your help.

This week we want to run radio ads that list the senators -- by name -- who are failing to represent the people, including many of their constituents who will face more foreclosures and bankruptcies, affecting us all if the slots on credit provisions are not removed from the bill.

Can you donate $50 to help us pay for an ad?

These radio ads will help put the pressure on Sens. Tartaglione, Kitchen, Washington, Hughes, Stack and Williams, and we can't do it without you.

A special donation of $50 will pay for one ad. Any amount that you can give right now will help fund this ad campaign.

Please make a donation right now!

Thanks for your support!

Photo: Flickr (cc)

Tell Rep. Keller: Stop gambling with our future!

Casino-Free Philly — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:25:13 GMT

Once again the politicians who are supposed to represent your interests are failing to do so.

A provision that would give faltering Foxwoods an extra year to get up and running on our riverfront has been thrown into the midst of an amendment to a bill that would legalize table games in Pennsylvania. Foxwoods faces a state-imposed deadline to have 1,500 slot machines operating by May 2011, but it has yet to publicly present plans for the casino's design or its financing.

The amendment would push the deadline to May 2012.

Though Foxwoods isn't mentioned by name in the bill, it's the only slots parlor the extension would impact. To add insult to injury, House Majority Leader Todd Eachus claims he doesn't know who added the provision.

It's time these politicians stopped gambling with our future. Read on for a way you can make your voice heard.

Building on victory with Sen. Kitchen

Two weeks ago we picketed state Senator Kitchen's office and confronted her on a different provision, one that would offer easy credit to gamblers.

We sat down with her and explained our concerns — how easy credit is rocket fuel for gambling addiction — and we won. She clearly stated she opposed provisions that would allow Pennsylvania casinos to offer credit to gamblers.

But that doesn't mean she's off the hook.

She made several statements to us that require further explanation: She said the language about casino credit wasn't in the original bill she sponsored, and that the casino credit provisions were added at a later date to a bill she didn't get to vote on.

We see the record differently. So we have asked Senator Kitchen to respond to these discrepancies by the end of today.

Take action now: Contact Rep. Bill Keller

There are other battles to be fought in the meantime.

Contact state Representative Bill Keller, in whose district Foxwoods is seeking the extension.

We need you to tell Rep. Keller that his constituents oppose giving Foxwoods the one-year extension and that he needs to represent our interests.

We are also asking Rep. Keller to find out and publicly expose by name the lawmaker who inserted the one-year provision.

Contact Rep. Keller using our easy web form now!

Finally, in this season of thanks, we want to offer our sincerest gratitude for all you do, and all you've accomplished! THANK YOU!

Photo: Flickr (cc)

ACTION ALERT: Stop foreclosures in Philadelphia

Casino-Free Philly — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:37:14 GMT

Thank you for calling your State Senator last week and urging them to oppose Senate Bill 1033 — a pernicious piece of legislation that would allow casinos to extend easy credit to anyone playing a slot machine.

It is now time to escalate our actions. Join us and the No Casino in the Heart of Our City Coalition at 1:30 pm tomorrow (Thursday, Nov. 12) for an action outside of State Senator Shirley Kitchen's district office:

Senator Kitchen's District Office

1:30 pm, Thursday, Nov. 12

1701 W. Lehigh Avenue, Suite 104, Philadelphia, PA [view map]

Senator Kitchen's office is 3 blocks west of the North Philadelphia stop on the Broad St. (orange) line.

You were great in calling your senators last week to voice your concerns, and they have yet to publicly renounce slots on credit. Now they will hear from us first hand about how an easy credit line is the rocket fuel for slot machine addicts, the lifeblood of this industry.

With a predatory gambling industry intent on wringing money out of the problem gamblers their products create, this bill would make recession-wracked citizens vulnerable to yet more financial troubles by driving them deeper and deeper into debt.

You don't have to RSVP, but we'd love to have you RSVP now!

Thanks for your help, and see you there!

Rocket fuel for gambling addicts

Casino-Free Philly — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:10:25 GMT

The predatory gambling industry continues to dig its claws into our government — and deeper into your pockets. This time, they are seeking to promote addicts using credit to gamble on slot machines. We need your help so we can push back.

At this very moment, the gambling industry is lobbying hard for legislation in Harrisburg that would allow any casino in Pennsylvania to offer easy credit to anyone playing a slot machine.

Here's the scene: It's 3:00 AM and you've been drinking the free alcohol all night, you've lost all the money you brought, and you've maxed out your ATM card. No worries — if casino lobbyists have their way, the casinos will be able to offer you hundreds of dollars or more of quick and easy credit so you can play the slots until dawn.

The key to understanding the pernicious effect of slots on credit it to recognize that about 90% of the casinos' profits come from 10% of the gamblers. An easy credit line is rocket fuel for slot machine addicts, the lifeblood of this predatory industry.

And who is helping the gambling industry drive Philadelphians into debt?

The following three state senators from Philadelphia are co-sponsoring the bill that would allow slots on credit:

Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione: (215) 533-0440
Sen. Shirley M. Kitchen: (215) 227-6161
Sen. Vincent J. Hughes: (215) 879-7777

Please call their offices today and ask whether they will drop their support for slots on credit ("Will the senator drop his/her support for slots on credit?"). Contact us and let us know what they say.

Next week we will conduct an action to provide some attention (wink, wink) to any Philly senator who is not publicly opposed to slots on credit.

Either way we win: We get these awful provisions deleted or we expose the lawmakers as pathetic puppets of the casino lobbyists. This is a clear-cut issue. There is no defense to providing credit for slots, and the editorial boards of both the Inquirer and the Daily News have come out strong against the idea.

Yes, even during this economic recession, the predatory casino industry is trying to push more people into debt. This would lead to more bankruptcies and more foreclosures. Already we see that the average compulsive gambler has a gambling debt of nearly $27,000. Easy credit fosters debt, especially when the "loan" goes directly into a slot machine.

Please make your calls and let us know how they respond by contacting us.

Photo: Flickr (cc)

Confronting Bluhm's greed

Casino-Free Philly — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:43:03 GMT

As you know, our current campaign, In the Red, aims to persuade casino investors Neil G. Bluhm (of SugarHouse) and Ronald Rubin (of Foxwoods) to abandon their plans for casinos in Philadelphia. Through personalized actions we're going to draw attention to how their two casinos, if not stopped, will inflict financial damage to families, communities, local businesses and our city budget.

On Monday, Oct. 19, a group of us joined Neil Bluhm at the Whitney Art Museum Gala in New York City. Bluhm is the president of the board at the Whitney. No, he didn't decide he's been wrong all along and invite us as his special guests — that's next year. We're willing to bet he wasn't thrilled to see us there, talking to his friends and colleagues about the damage his dirty money would do to Philadelphia.

View images from the event at the Whitney.

It was a great event, and nearly everyone we spoke with was sympathetic and wanted to know more about what was happening here in Philly because of Neil Bluhm.

And Ron Rubin, now it's your turn.

Stop predatory gambling around the country

Casino-Free Philly — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:15:41 GMT

The struggle against predatory gambling is not just local. We stay in touch with others across the country and even abroad. By being in touch with others in this struggle around the country we are able to build a broader movement to stop predatory gambling dead in its tracks. This year, we invite you to join us at the national conference.

We are attending the 2009 Stop Predatory Gambling National Conference, on Nov. 9 and 10, in San Antonio, Texas. This year's theme is "The American Resilience." It is a great convention and you will be glad to have attended. The Philadelphia battle is one of true resilience, we have been called the casino industry's Waterloo. We hope you can join us as we learn from experts around the country, socialize and celebrate.

Learn more and join us at the event.

Since you are with Casino-Free Philadelphia, which is a non-profit, the cost will be $100. In addition to the convention registration, you will want to reserve a room at the Drury Hotel (about $100 per night) and also airfare to get to San Antonio, which you should try to book at least 14 days in advance for a reasonable rate. Currently the rates are about $200. If you would like to coordinate your plans with others, please contact lily [at] casinofreephila [dot] org

As for events closer to home, we see that Neil Bluhm's Pittsburgh casino continues to underperform significantly just two months after opening. Meanwhile, our own state's elected officials use tactics of fear, division and crisis. They apparently still don't realize that the casino industry is never satisfied and, once they are legalized, they pressure legislatures for more and more concessions; in Delaware, the bailouts are already being publicly discussed. This has occurred in several other places. It will also occur in Pennsylvania.

The struggle in Philadelphia has inspired many people around the country. Please join us in San Antonio so that you can help us build relationships that will strengthen us all.

Together we can stop predatory gambling.

Help limit casino power

Casino-Free Philly — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:00:00 GMT

These past few weeks you have been fantastic. Our movement is growing and our voice is louder and stronger. Politicians can tell us it's a done deal, casino investors can have a ceremonial groundbreaking, but we know better. This is up to us and us alone.

We have the power to prevent casinos from coming to Philadelphia and, if any do open, we have the power to shut them down. This is our city.

We need you to do two things today. First, make a call to your legislator and tell him or her to vote "no" on table games. We know it's an uphill struggle. The gambling industry is tanking and they desperately need to try and find new ways to separate citizens from their money. This is one in a long series of battles ahead.

Many of you are in the river wards and so you should call these legislators:

Sen. Larry Farnese: (215) 952-3121
Rep. Mike O'Brien: (215) 503-3245
(If below Wharton Street) Rep. Bill Keller: (215) 271-9190

Many of you are from other parts of the city, and you can find your legislators' phone numbers by going to the top right-hand corner of this website. Yes, call Rep. Babette Josephs, call Rep. Mark Cohen, call Sen. Vince Hughes and call Sen. Shirley Kitchen. Call as many as you can.

The casinos' strategy is to hide table games inside another bill that has bogus reforms of the Gambling Act. This is to give cover to lawmakers who are skittish about voting to expand gambling. We are wise to that ploy. Whether in a standalone bill or tucked inside another bill, please ask your legislator's office you want him or her to vote "no." Be polite but be clear. Please call now.

What's the other thing we want you to do today? Well, we want you to take a deep breath, exhale and congratulate yourself.

In recent days, you stood strong as 14 colleagues were arrested for showing their resolve in a blockade at the SugarHouse site. You also participated in a community groundbreaking that was so successful it turned Bluhm, Nutter and DiCicco on their heads. The people are in charge.

Please call your legislator today and stay tuned. Next up? Foxwoods has to report to the PGCB on Friday. We've got some ideas.

Love from Philly

Casino-Free Philly — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:00:00 GMT

Neil,

We need to talk.

We understand you're going to be breaking some ground today down by the Delaware. We hear you want to open a slots parlor even though your other one, in Pittsburgh, just opened to less than half its expected revenue. We know you're threatening to sue Pennsylvania for authorizing additional slot machines in an already saturated Philadelphia market. And we see that your $180 million construction loan has been rated "junk" status -- too risky to justify investment.

We've got a different idea. Something truly groundbreaking. A vision of Philadelphia without predatory gambling used to balance its budget. A community that comes together around sustainable economic development, and commits to providing essential social services. A city that doesn't sell off its neighborhoods for the benefit of billionaires like you, Neil.

Groundbreaking Visions for Philadelphia TODAY, Thursday, Oct. 8 at 2:00 PM Frankford & Delaware Avenues (view map and get directions)

Frankly, Neil, our vision -- Philadelphians' vision -- for a better city doesn't include you. We know these casinos are simply a way for you to add to your billions, and you don't mind that your slots parlor will eliminate three jobs for every one it creates.

We'll be there this afternoon at 2:00 PM.

We'd prefer that you not be.

Leave Philadelphia, Neil, or we'll bankrupt you.

With Love, Philadelphia XOXO

P.S. For the full story on why casinos in Philadelphia will fail, check out Casino-Free's new report, Snake Eyes: All Odds Are Against the Philly Casinos.

Casino Opponents Hold Public 'Community Groundbreaking'

Casino-Free Philly — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:00:00 GMT

Casino-Free Philadelphia to publicly protest SugarHouse's private groundbreaking

For Immediate Release

Contact:

Dan Hajdo, dan [at] casinofreephilly [dot] org, (267) 971-0937

PHILADELPHIA, October 7, 2009

Casino-Free Philadelphia ("CFP") will hold a press event and demonstration at the SugarHouse construction site tomorrow, just before and during the casino's ceremonial groundbreaking. The CFP event will take place outside the wire fence surrounding the property and will be open to the public, as opposed to the casino event, which will be inside a guarded fence and closed to all but invited guests.

WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 8 at 2 p.m.

WHERE: The intersection of Frankford and Delaware Avenues

The demonstration will begin with brief remarks by community leaders who will also be available for interviews before and after their remarks. Demonstrators will display anti-casino banners and voice their opposition to SugarHouse. After the speeches, sidewalk chalk will be distributed and citizens will be invited to write down ideas for waterfront development that does not include casinos. Once the SugarHouse press event starts, organizers have told participants to watch for a "special surprise."

"Our public event will be held by community leaders and citizens of Philadelphia, and for Philadelphia. SugarHouse's private, fenced-off event will be held by politicians and Chicago developer Neil Bluhm, for Bluhm and for those politicians." says Dan Hajdo, a Casino-Free Philadelphia volunteer.

David McKenna, another volunteer and spokesperson for Casino-Free Philadelphia added, "Our vision for this stretch of waterfront involves uses that will benefit the city and its residents. The SugarHouse vision is a predatory industry exploiting our city, our friends, colleagues and families, with Neil Bluhm as the main beneficiary."

CFP has fought for and won greater transparency in the political process and has recently engaged in direct action that takes aim at a new target, the financial vulnerability of SugarHouse . Several weeks ago, CFP called on lenders such as PNC Bank to stop lending to the SugarHouse casino. On Sept. 29, wearing T-shirts that read "Bankrupting Casinos Before They Bankrupt Us," 14 protestors were arrested for blockading the entrance of the SugarHouse construction site while over 30 other members of CFP chanted slogans in support.

This morning, CFP presented officials at PNC Bank with CFP's newly issued "Snake Eyes" study, which details the economic reasons why SugarHouse will eventually fail. "Lending to SugarHouse is a bad idea," says Hajdo. "It amounts to the same sort of reckless, irresponsible investment that got us into the deepest economic slump since the Great Depression."

Speakers at the event will also describe the growing coalition of community groups joined together to oppose the predatory gambling trade, and they will present evidence to refute the claims of casino proponents. "Independent economists have concluded that for every one casino job created, three jobs are lost," says Hajdo. "All the data indicate that urban casinos are not good for local economies."

Casino-Free Philadelphia's mission is to stop casinos from coming to Philadelphia and close any that open. The benefits of casinos can never outweigh the social and economic costs from an industry reliant on addiction to survive. Visit us online at www.CasinoFreePhila.org.

###

Giving up

Casino-Free Philly — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:00:00 GMT

Did you hear? They're giving up.

Casinos are giving up. Before even breaking ground, SugarHouse is already making cuts, massively scaling down their original proposal due to limited financing and a tight economy, as a SugarHouse spokesperson confirmed to NBC 10.

Philadelphia leaders are giving up. The mayor, once a fan of sustainable development without predatory gambling, is now turning to casinos to balance a budget at the expense of the residents he claims to represent, turning his back on those who elected him.

Pennsylvania legislators are giving up. Instead of passing a responsible budget, legislators in Harrisburg are seeking to expand predatory gambling through table games, extracting even more money from communities most in need of support, despite indications that casinos will offer no long-term relief to state budgets.

We, on the other hand, are not giving up. We know that it's only because of the efforts of people like you, working together, that casinos have been held off for this long. We know that every delay and roadblock to development makes scaled-back proposals more likely, even while we continue to prevent any casinos from setting up shop.

We know that when SugarHouse's construction site goes bankrupt and Foxwood's financing collapses, Philadelphia's future generations will have you to thank for keeping predatory gambling at bay.

Please join us this Thursday, October 8, at Frankford and Delaware Avenues, as we break ground on a vision for a better Philadelphia -- one that doesn't rely on greed and addiction to thrive. Join us at 2pm and help build the Philadelphia of the future.

We know we've asked a lot of you in recent weeks, but Thursday will be a critical time to demonstrate to casino financiers, political leaders and other Philadelphians that we're not giving up, and we're not going away.

Honoring 14 community members

Casino-Free Philly — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:00:00 GMT

All of the community members who were arrested yesterday protesting SugarHouse's proposed predatory casino in Fishtown were released last night without bail.

These 14 individuals -- representing the breadth and depth of the movement against casinos in Philadelphia, from Fishtown to West Philly, North Philadelphia to Pennsport, 20 to 70 years in age -- are now facing three charges from the District Attorney's office. Each will be charged with one count of defiant trespass, one count of failure to disperse, and one count of disorderly conduct. The first two counts are misdemeanors, and the third count is a summary offense, similar to a traffic ticket.

Please save the date for the trial of these community activists, which will take place on Friday, Oct. 23 at 10 AM, at 1301 Filbert Street. We will announce more information about our plans for this trial in upcoming emails.

For those who are able, we're asking you to make a financial contribution in honor of each of the 14 activists:

$1 in honor of each activist and speaking in one voice, for a total of $14
$2 in honor of each activist and defying two proposed casinos, for a total of $28
$3 in honor of each activist and celebration of three years of delays for casinos, for a total of $42
$4 in honor of each activist and outrage over Act 71, passed at 2AM on the Fourth of July, for a total of $66
$5 in honor of each activist and the five years that have passed since casinos were a "done deal," for a total of $80
or any contribution you can make

Make a donation in honor of these 14 community members now.

If you're not able to make a financial contribution, we're also looking for "in-kind support," or donations of supplies and furniture -- follow the donation link to see our list of needs.

What's next in the fight against casinos? Please join us TONIGHT at the No Slots Spot, 718 Market Street, at 6 PM, for an open discussion of next steps.

The city-wide coalition that was created in response to the proposed move of Foxwoods to Market Street has not only held together but has grown and strengthened. If you want to change our city for the better, the No Slots Spot tonight is the place to be.

Finally, please prepare to join us the afternoon of Oct. 8 at 2 PM at the intersection of Frankford & Delaware Avenues for a very important event which will precede the behind-closed-gates groundbreaking of the future bankrupt SugarHouse casino.

That afternoon, we will be inviting all the VIPs (Very Important Predators) and all citizens and press to a public meeting that is being held at Drexel University at 4:30 PM. Timothy Fong, MD, co-director of the Gambling Studies Program at UCLA School of Medicine, will be speaking on "Pathological Gambling: A Hidden Public Health Issue," at Drexel's School of Public Health, Geary A Auditorium, 245 N. 15th Street. It is critical that Philadelphia citizens continue to educate ourselves about the real issues associated with bringing in predatory gambling to our city so as not to let the VIPs hide behind photo-ops and false promises.

In celebration of our successes yesterday, and in dedication to the ongoing struggle to keep the predatory gambling trade out of our city,

Arrested for a casino-free city

Casino-Free Philly — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:00:00 GMT

This morning, more than 60 Casino-Free activists gathered to stand strong against casinos in Philadelphia. Fourteen of us were prepared to engage in civil disobedience and were peacefully arrested and taken into custody. Read on for important information about events later today.

We have made reasonable demands over the last three years -- since they first told us casinos were "inevitable."

We've tried to get an elected official to represent our interests, and not one has. We've requested an objective, independent study of the economic costs of these proposed casinos, and received nothing (though the PA Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority suggested an economic net loss as a result of casinos). In Philadelphia, we had a public process to develop your vision for the waterfront -- which was ignored.

And so this morning we spoke with our bodies, and a simple message: We'll bankrupt casinos before they can bankrupt us.

Fourteen activists were arrested this morning, representing neighborhoods and organizations from throughout Philadelphia. Ranging in age from 20 to 70; including two members of the clergy; residents of Fishtown, Center City, South Philly and West Philly; they spoke with one voice: predatory gambling out of Philadelphia!

At this time, the 14 who were arrested are still being processed. Our legal team is monitoring the situation but we have not yet been informed of the specific charges or whether bail will be required. However, we are planning a support rally upon their release later today.

If you couldn't make it to the event this morning, we hope you'll be able to show your support to these 14 activists later today. We won't know exactly when those arrested will be released, though it will likely be at a Center City police station.

Meanwhile, several of those who've been arrested have called us with their proverbial "one phone call." Everyone is in excellent spirits. We are in close contact with their loved ones and other support people.

To be informed about when and where our support rally is happening later today, follow our updates via Twitter, Facebook or MySpace, or let us know you'd like to be notified.

Our action today was just the beginning -- we are serious when we say that we will shut down any casinos that open, and demonstrated our commitment this morning. We encourage the financial backers of SugarHouse and Foxwoods to reconsider the stability of these risky investments, but if any casinos do attempt to set up shop we are prepared to shut them down. At every step of the way, cynical politicians and compromised regulators told us casinos were a "done deal" -- but we know the real power rests with you, the people.

Thank you for your continuing support and dedication.

Philadelphians Get Serious About SugarHouse

Casino-Free Philly — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:00:00 GMT

14 Arrested for Blockading SugarHouse Construction Site; Activists Demand Neil Bluhm and SugarHouse Leave Philadelphia

For Immediate Release

Contact:

Dan Hajdo, dan [at] casinofreephilly [dot] org, (267) 971-0937; David McKenna, (215) 917-5640

PHILADELPHIA, September 29, 2009

Fourteen activists from Casino-Free Philadelphia were arrested this morning while blockading the SugarHouse construction site entrance as demonstrators cheered them on. Three police wagons took the Casino-Free protesters to the station house at 21st & Hamilton Streets for processing, and supporters await word on how soon the activists will be released.

UPDATE, Tues. 1:10 PM: We've received word that each activist will be charged with one count of "failure to disperse," a class two misdemeanor. We do not yet know when they'll be released. Our legal team is in constant contact with both those arrested and the city police.

UPDATE, Tues. 10:00 PM: All activists have now been released, but two additional charges were filed: trespassing (a second class-two misdemeanor) and "conspiracy"/disorderly conduct (a summary charge similar to a traffic ticket). We'll have a more detailed legal update on Wednesday.

Casino-Free Philadelphia spokesperson David McKenna said, "We've shown Neil Bluhm and SugarHouse, and their friends in Harrisburg, that we're prepared to do what we need to do in order to stop these casinos. We're here to defend our city against a predatory industry, and we're only getting stronger. As far as we know, this is the first action of this kind at a casino construction site, but we know it won't be the last. We'll keep fighting until Neil Bluhm and SugarHouse pull up stakes and get out of our city."

Casino-Free Philadelphia took action because politicians and investors haven't gotten the message yet. Even with the writing on the wall — in stark relief — about the casino industry's downward slide, financial institutions and city officials continue to ignore the facts. The fully trained team of blockaders and supporters demanded a halt to the ground-breaking of the SugarHouse site on the Delaware waterfront. The action's message was simple: "We are ready to bankrupt SugarHouse and its predatory accomplices before they bankrupt us."

The action is part of Casino-Free's newest In the Red campaign, which aims to persuade developers to abandon their plans for predatory gambling in Philadelphia. The campaign will show that the casinos, if not stopped, will inflict financial damage on families, communities, local businesses, and our city budget. And with recent reports of market saturation and dwindling casino revenues in several U.S. states, the banks who have committed to the SugarHouse loan package, including PNC Bank, stand to face a devastating wake-up call in the coming years.

Last week, Casino-Free Philadelphia supporters protested outside the Philadelphia headquarters of PNC Bank that is providing Neil Bluhm's casino with a ten million dollar loan. The terms of the full loan package have been sealed due to fears of ongoing protests against lending institutions making risky loans to junk bond projects like SugarHouse casino.

Concerned citizens told SugarHouse developer Neil Bluhm, his allies and lenders that a unified alliance is committed to stopping casinos in Philadelphia and to shutting down any that open. Ron Rubin and his partners will receive the same message if they move forward with Foxwoods anywhere in Philadelphia.

Campaign organizers formed two groups for the action. One group staged a direct, nonviolent demonstration; another rallied in solidarity. The action was the result of extended preparation and planning.

Lily Cavanagh, organizer and Casino-Free member, said, "We've requested an objective, independent study of the economic costs of these proposed casinos, and received nothing. We had a public process to develop our vision for the waterfront, which was ignored. When voters were disenfranchised in 2007, we gave citizens a free and fair election and their votes demonstrated overwhelmingly that casinos are not welcome in neighborhoods. Through people power we can achieve the outcomes that elected officials have let slip away."

###

Stand with us tomorrow

Casino-Free Philly — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 21:00:00 GMT

Yesterday we held a training for the action tomorrow morning. Participants came from all over the city: Fishtown, Chinatown, Kensington, Powelton Village, Northern Liberties, West Philly, Queen Village, Frankford, Old City just to name a few. At the end of the training we closed with one word from each person.

Fierce. Psyched. Proud. Strong. Confident. Excited. Calm. Supported. Resolved.

Are you ready? Can you join us tomorrow at 6 AM to support those taking nonviolent direct action to stop the proposed SugarHouse casino?

We will be meeting at the intersection of Frankford and Delaware Avenues in Fishtown/Northern Liberties.

We will stand together for what we believe in. We want a city that thrives because of true economic development, not a job killing predatory business that relies on addiction to succeed. We will succeed in driving the casinos into the red by bankrupting casinos before they bankrupt us.

Will you stand with us?

Why we're protesting SugarHouse

Casino-Free Philly — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 21:00:00 GMT

This week, Casino-Free Philadelphia was honored to win Citypaper's choice award for activism. The honor is a testament to your hard work, and our collective victory in keeping casinos from opening in Philadelphia for more than three years.

Next Tuesday morning, we hope you'll continue this proud record of activism and join us in a citizens' protest of any construction at the SugarHouse site on the Delaware river.

It's time for us to put our bodies on the line for what we believe in. Time and again, it's been demonstrated that Philadelphians don't want predatory slots parlors in their neighborhoods, they don't want an industry that will result in a net loss of jobs and revenue, and they refuse to support politicians who look the other way when undemocratic laws are passed in the middle of the night.

The action on Tuesday morning will be comprised of both nonviolent direct action and a supporting rally. For those interested in being a part of the direct action, you must attend the training this Sunday afternoon. If you plan to participate in the support rally, you aren't required to attend the training, but we strongly recommend it. The action and rally will begin Tuesday morning at 6AM, in front of the SugarHouse site at Frankford and Delaware Avenues. View map and get directions.

Dozens of people are already signed up for the action, and we wanted to share some of their reasons with you:

"I will be there because I object strenuously to the placement of casinos in our neighborhoods and I want the supporters of this to know how I feel." --Andrea Preis, South Philly

"I believe that the legislation that enabled the development of casinos in Pennsylvania was the result of a corrupt process. I believe that local economies suffer and fail when casinos extract and divert local income. I believe that the predatory practices of the casinos entice persons to take risks with income originally intended to pay bills, put food on the table and provide and provide opportunities for personal, family and community growth." --Rev. Robin Hynicka, Arch Street United Methodist Church

Nearly three years ago, in one of Casino-Free Philadelphia's first direct actions against casinos, 14 Philadelphians served a "citizen's search warrant" to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board for access to documents about casinos that were rightfully subject to public review. The action, Operation Transparency, was a milestone in building public support for Philadelphians' control over their own city. Norma VanDyke, a long-time Casino-Free supporter, talked about her experience and how it relates to Tuesday's action:

"The day prior to the action, 14 of us met to be trained in civil disobedience, just as you will be doing. I found it to be a comforting and enlightening experience, which helped me feel both prepared and supported."

Please join us this Sunday at our training!

Philadelphians Up the Ante

Casino-Free Philly — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 08:41:11 GMT

Plan to Protest Construction At Site of SugarHouse’s Future Bankruptcy

Media Advisory

Contact:

Jethro Heiko, jethro [at] casinofreephila [dot] org, (267) 984-3493

PHILADELPHIA, September 24, 2009

When: Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 6 AM

Where: Proposed SugarHouse site, intersection of Delaware and Frankford Aves

Even with the writing on the wall — in stark relief — about the casino industry's downward slide, financial institutions and city officials ignore it. During the early morning of Sept. 29, a fully trained team from Casino-Free Philadelphia and its supporters will demand a halt to the ground-breaking of the SugarHouse site on the Delaware waterfront which has now been postponed to within the next two weeks. The action's message will be simple: "We are ready to bankrupt Sugarhouse and its predatory accomplices before they bankrupt us."

The action will be part of Casino-Free's newest In the Red campaign, which aims to persuade developers to abandon their plans for predatory gambling in Philadelphia. The campaign will show that the casinos, if not stopped, will inflict financial damage on families, communities, local businesses, and our city budget. And with recent reports of market saturation and dwindling casino revenues in several U.S. states, the banks who have committed to the SugarHouse loan package, including PNC Bank, stand to face a devastating wake-up call in the coming years.

On Sept. 29, concerned citizens will communicate to SugarHouse developer Neil Bluhm, his funders and lenders that a unified alliance is committed to stopping casinos in Philadelphia and to shutting down any that open. Ron Rubin and his partners will receive the same message if they move forward with Foxwoods anywhere in Philadelphia.

Campaign organizers have formed two groups for the action. One will stage a direct, non-violent demonstration; another will show solidarity. The action is the result of extended preparation and planning.

Lily Cavanagh, organizer and Casino-Free member, stated, "We've requested an objective, independent study of the economic costs of these proposed casinos, and received nothing. We had a public process to develop our vision for the waterfront, which was ignored. When voters were disenfranchised in 2007, we gave citizens a free and fair election and their votes demonstrated overwhelmingly that casinos are not welcome in neighborhoods. Through people power we can achieve the outcomes that elected officials have let slip away."

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