Chinatown Looks Like Troubletown For Casino Proposal

There is a famous Daily News photo of enraged Chinatown residents in City Council during then-Mayor Street's first term, protesting the notion of building a baseball stadium in their neighborhood.  One sign says: "Chinatown is troubletown for stadiums." The Phillies, of course, still play their playoff games in a South Philly stadium.  Many of the people who crammed into a Chinatown meeting last night keep fresh the memory of the last fight as they oppose a potential casino at the nearby Gallery.

Mayor Nutter, who says he is "favorable" to the casino project, was not at the meeting.  PhillyClout asked him today if he was surprised by the fear and anger that took hold there.  "This is the start of a process," Nutter said. "Often in these kinds of situations there is a lot of concern and anger and fear about something that is new."

Nutter has been stopped by Chinatown residents on the street who like the idea of a casino at the Gallery.  He wasn't surprised that they were not heard from last night.  "I think it's difficult in this kind of environment at times to be a lone voice or two because of the anger and shouting," the mayor said. "For some people that can certainly be an intimidating kind of environment."

Nutter was surprised to learn that City Councilman Frank DiCicco, who represents the Chinatown area, told the crowd he understood their fear of gambling addiction because his father, who ran numbers in South Philly, had killed himself because of gambling.   Nutter said he was "very saddened to hear that."