Save Chinatown Philly

Billionaires may shape Philly’s landscape, but they do not define our character In this entire Sixers debacle, you know what the most Philly part was? The No Arena Coalition protests. 1/2 inquirer.com/columnists/six…

@FarFarrAway 😎

Protesters held a fashion show, released a “Wrecking Ball,” music parody video & protested w/the Philly Elmo Drumline, Indonesian Harley Davidson Club & Bearded Ladies Cabaret’s Beardmobile. All of that made more sense to me than the choices made by all the billionaires 2/2

My statement with @NicORourkePHL on the news about the arena:

On the 76ers news conference: The fact that Mayor Parker & Council Pres Johnson didn't acknowledge they have egg on their faces and, even more importantly, didn't acknowledge the pain & turmoil the Chinatown community was put through as a result of this process is mind-boggling🧵

@jc_bradbury JC, big gratitude for your scholarship and research that armed us with stacks and stacks of receipts.

The public opposition to the 76ers Chinatown arena plan deserves some credit for stopping it. The 100% private arena promise was never sincere, and the group made the inevitable second-stage ask impossible and demonstrated the backlash to the plan. buff.ly/4adrkU2

"I can't believe I spent years on this shit"

Mayor Parker: "This is a curveball nobody saw coming." Chinatown advocates, journalists, community members who don't trust billionaires before the public interest:

Anyway, here we are. City officials got played on the Sixers arena — and then they tried to play us inquirer.com/opinion/arena-…

@BlvdSubway build subways, not arenas!

@SaveChinatownPA Now is a good time to switch focus to the Roosevelt Boulevard Subway.

This was always bigger than one arena or one neighborhood. We celebrate that Chinatown is safe for now, but nobody’s home is safe as long as billionaire developers are planning our city and politicians are playing their game.

This sham of a process laid bare what Philadelphians have long known: Decisions about the future of our city are not being made by the people who live here or have their best interest in mind, but by a select few who care only about their own bank accounts.

@CogginToboggan 🤣🤣🤣

Sixers can’t even get their arena plans past the second round.

@marclamonthill ❤️

Salute to the activists who made this happen.

@SenatorSaval Thank you @SenatorSaval for true leadership. When they come for state taxpayer dollars, we got your back to stop that sham.

City Council approved the Sixers’ proposal over the overwhelming objections of the city’s planning and design community, the surrounding neighborhoods, and dozens of organizations. This is a bad deal. I want to be clear that I will not support state funding for this project. 1/2

@JJ_21564 @SenatorSaval inquirer.com/sixers/philade…

What City Council did today was a disgrace. Our full statement below:

Our communities showed up bright and early to pack Philadelphia City Hall! You can use any entrance to get in and enter City Council chambers & watch today's vote #NoArena

She hid our reply, so let's say it here: This is a sellout deal and you know it @cmninaahmad. You caved to billionaires, sold out the people you claimed to represent, and barely got two dimes to rub together for it. What an embarrassment.

@cmninaahmad This is a sellout deal and you know it. You caved to billionaires, sold out the people you claimed to represent, and barely got two dimes to rub together for it. What an embarrassment.