Chinatown activists opposed to 76ers arena legislation disrupt Phila. City Council meeting

Hundreds gathered at Philadelphia's City Hall on Oct. 24 as the new City Council session got underway, arguing in support of and against new legislation pertaining to the proposed Philadelphia 76ers arena.

The rally, which was organized by the No Arena PHL Coalition, aimed to express opposition to the proposal for a new 76ers arena on the border of Philadelphia's Chinatown. Over the course of the day — the first of the new City Council session — protesters filled the council's chambers and rallied outside the building, calling for a rejection of the legislation and a delay in the legislative process, citing elected officials' dismissal of community members' concerns. 

Asian Americans United Civic Engagement Director Wei Chen told The Daily Pennsylvanian that the group hoped to “pack” City Council and show “that Philadelphia residents do not want the arena, especially Chinatown residents.” He cited the results of a recent economic impact study that raised potential negative impacts of the proposal on neighborhoods beyond Chinatown, including concerns about the public school system and environmental issues.

“[The proposal] is not about building a strong Philadelphia," Chen said. "It's about how to destroy Philadelphia with all types of billionaires agendas. We need City Council to understand which side they're standing on, because if they understand the struggle that we are going through now, they should give up this proposal."

"They should be standing with the people, not the billionaires,” he added.

According to Chen, City Councilmember Mark Squilla — whose district includes Chinatown — “promised” constituents that the proposal would not move forward “without community support.” Chen called Squilla’s proposal of legislation authorizing the arena project “a shame.” 

During Thursday's City Council meeting, Squilla introduced 13 pieces of legislation — including nine edited bills and two resolutions — to allow the 76ers to advance their plans to build a new arena between Market and Filbert streets and 10th and 11th streets. The legislation is a revised version of 2016 Fels Institute of Government graduate and Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker‘s proposed legislative package, which was introduced in September. Squilla attributed this decision to feedback he received from Chinatown residents. 

One proposed resolution removed the authorization to build a residential tower on top of the arena. Additionally, he added two measures aimed at protecting affordable housing, implementing use controls, and protecting small businesses in Chinatown.

City Councilmember and 2004 Stuart Weitzman School of Design graduate Jamie Gauthier — whose district includes the University — will be making a “formal decision” on the Squilla’s proposed legislation after City Council completes its “legislative review,” a spokesperson wrote in a statement to the DP. He added that Gauthier “looks forward” to speaking with developers, Parker’s administration, and “impacted communities” about the proposal.

Members of the IBEW Local Union 98 joined the No Arena Coalition protestors in line outside City Hall to show councilmembers that opposing the arena legislation would be a "huge loss for the City of Philadelphia," according to IBEW 98 Political Director Thomas Lepera.

“We need to be able to survive as a city. This project is a huge opportunity for that to happen,” Lepera said. “I think that Chinatown should come to the table and negotiate what they want out of the deal.”

In response to Lepera’s comments, Chen urged stakeholders to consider who the “facilitators of the table” are, and cited his own union background. 

“If the ‘table’ is about how to destroy Chinatown, I am not going sit at the table. But they are welcome to join our table about how to save Chinatown and build the arena in another location,” Chen said. “Their table is about how to hurt the [Chinatown] community and about building oppression on the community.”

As the City Council meeting continued, protestors chanted, halting the meeting several times. The No Arena Coalition unfurled banners from the chamber's second floor balcony, prompting police officers to remove some demonstrators from the room. 

Activist and Asian Americans United co-founder Deborah Wei was forcibly removed from the room and escorted out of the building by security guards for chanting during the meeting. In a written statement to the DP, Wei said she was “appalled at the level of repression against peaceful protesters yesterday in Council chambers.” 

“I have visited City Council many times, including giving public testimony and being the recipient of commendations and awards. I have never felt more aggressively targeted, harmed and disrespected in all my years in City Hall,” Wei wrote. “Councilmember Squilla is content with receiving crumbs from multibillionaires in exchange for allowing this land grab and the city is paying the price.”

There is currently no timeline for the final approval of the legislation package. A 30-day mandatory period of public hearings is in place and will allow residents to comment on the bills. 

Mary Yee, a No Arena Coalition activist and 2018 Graduate School of Education graduate, indicated to the DP that the group would be present at every subsequent City Council meeting to express their opposition to the proposal.

The privately-funded arena proposal, which was originally announced in July 2022, is led by Philadelphia 76ers managing partners Josh Harris and David Blitzer and businessman David Adelman. Both Harris and Blitzer received their undergraduate degrees from the Wharton School, and Adelman is the CEO of Campus Apartments, which owns and manages many off-campus student housing properties around the University's campus.