On December 19, 2024 City Council voted to approve legislation allowing the arena deal to move forward. But this fight is far from over. The developers still need more permits, more funding, and more permissions and we will fight them at every level, using every tool at our disposal. This is not a done deal.
What started as opposition in Chinatown has grown into a citywide movement. People of all races and from across the City packed City Council over ten days of public hearings. Thousands of Philadelphians stood up with Chinatown to say an overwhelming, “No!” to the arena. We have built alliances with West Philadelphia tenants, Jefferson Emergency Room doctors, our neighbors south of Market Street, cultural organizations, and small businesses across the City. In a citywide poll, only 15% of Philadelphia voters said they support the arena while 69% oppose it.
City Council hearings showed that the arena will harm Chinatown, push SEPTA into further financial crisis, cause almost certain gridlock in Center City, endanger patients trying to reach the Jefferson ER, rob the City of tax dollars, and displace small businesses. And still City Council voted for the billionaires and against Philadelphians. We won’t let them get away with it.
In 2000, Chinatown and our allies never stopped fighting the stadium until we won; finally Mayor John Street gave up, saying, “Mayors don’t always get what they want.” In 2009, City Council approved building a casino a block away from Chinatown, but we never stopped fighting and we defeated the casino. Chinatown is resilient and we have the people of Philadelphia on our side. The battle continues in 2025.
Chinatown Forever!
We Will Never Back Down!
