Fight over 76ers future heats up as Philly City Council opens fall session
CENTER CITY - As Philadelphia City Council opens its fall session, the issue of a new home for the 76ers has arrived on the 4th floor of City Hall right alongside them.
Council members were greeted by sign waving members of the Save Chinatown Coalition chanting, "Power to the people!"
Opposed to the construction of the 18,500-seat arena for the 76ers on the edge of Chinatown, they had a question for Mayor Parker and City Council.
Jenny Zhang, of the Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance, asked, "Who do you work for, the people of this city, or do you work for the billionaires who own the Sixers."
On the 4th floor of City Hall, arena opponents, wearing the white tees with the red lettering of their movement, watched as City Council opened its fall session two days after New Jersey made a multi-million dollar bid to lure the Sixers to an open lot in Camden.
Kenyetta Johnson, the City Council President said, "Moving out of the City of Philadelphia, for me, is not an option. I do believe those who are trying to go after the Sixers, from my perspective, we have to take very seriously."
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The team says it’s also taking New Jersey’s offer seriously. The Sixers have yet to respond in detail to recently released impact studies offering a mixed review of the arena construction on Chinatown.
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Mayor Cherelle Parker, after attending a city clean up celebration Wednesday, said, "I am Philly born and Philly bred. The place for all Philadelphia teams is right here in Philadelphia and that’s a priority for me."
The mayor says she wants the team to remain in town but hasn’t taken a position on the new arena in Market East near Chinatown. The leader of City Council says he knows Parker’s staff worked over the long, holiday weekend on the issue.
Pressed on whether the mayor and the team are working on a deal right now, Council President Johnson said, "They’re working, yes. They are working."
The opponents are also working - on a planned weekend protest at City Hall. Brittany Alston, of the Philly Black Worker Project, said, "When we see Black politicians aligning themselves with billionaires, saying this is good for Black folks, we know it’s not true. We’ve been here before."