Mayor of Philadelphia supports 76er Arena. Opponent promises fight is not over yet

By Randall Yip, Editor in Chief

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker on Wednesday supported the planned 76er Arena, which is opposed by much of Chinatown.

In a video posted on social media, Parker explained that an agreement had been reached and said the 76ers are “staying home.”

“To the people of Chinatown, please listen to me. I see you. I hear you,” she said. “I am committed to working with you to support it.”

However, the mayor did not meet with reporters and the Save Our Chinatown coalition says it is not giving up.

“This fight is far from over. We will keep fighting, with all our strength. It's starting,” said coalition member and community leader Debbie Wei in a statement sent to AsAmNews.

The mayor's decision came after Parker declined an invitation from the coalition to tour Chinatown, but held a town hall meeting about the arena attended by hundreds of people opposed to the 76 plan.

Parker said she would present a legislative package for the arena to the City Council “that must be approved,” claiming it was “the best financial deal a Philadelphia mayor has ever made for a local sports arena.”

The mayor said the plan includes $1.3 billion in private investment and will generate hundreds of millions in tax revenue and hundreds of jobs.

Opponents say most of these jobs pay minimum wage and point to a recent poll that found 69% of Philadelphia residents oppose the 76 construction project.

John Chinn, executive director of the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation, expressed disappointment with the mayor's announcement and said he would closely study the plan, which the mayor said will be released in detail soon.

“I think it was what we expected, given how Chinatown has been treated in the past,” Vivian Chang, executive director of Asian Americans United, told Metro Philadelphia. Chang attended an hour-long closed-door meeting with the mayor that was also attended by other community leaders.

For two years, a coalition of 245 citizen groups has been warning that the stadium, which borders Chinatown, will displace small businesses and residents, drive up rents, increase traffic and make Chinatown unattractive to visitors.

Less than two weeks ago, an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 people marched through Philadelphia in the pouring rain to protest the arena.

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