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Lai Har Cheung, who was raging on the edge of hysteria, pleaded with Councilman Frank DiCicco to stop Foxwoods from coming to the Gallery because members of her family were addicted to gambling. The crowd turned on DiCicco when he asked her to calm down.
"You know why I understand?" DiCicco shouted back at the crowd. "My father took his life because he was a gambler."
The Chinatown stage was set against Foxwoods long before city and casino officials arrived to explain why the project might be relocated from its state-approved site in South Philly. Children sporting T-shirts that said "No Casino in Chinatown" waved signs that said: "Don't gamble with my future." Posters accused Foxwoods of pushing gambling addiction on the community.
The meeting turned heated early on when DiCicco, who represents both South Philly and Chinatown, said casinos were in the city's future.
"Don't be misled that we're going to chase the casinos out of Philadelphia," DiCicco said.
Several people in the crowd castigated DiCicco for opposing Foxwoods in South Philly but not in Chinatown, chanting, "Stand with us!"
Another proposed casino, SugarHouse in Fishtown, has resisted calls from DiCicco, Mayor Nutter and others to relocate.
Foxwoods officials, silent for most of the meeting, were booed for saying they had come to listen to concerns. Many in the crowd were angry that one casino executive said earlier this week that Foxwoods could open at the Gallery by December 2009. Casino opponents suspect that Foxwoods already is planning for city approval of the Center City casino.
DiCicco yesterday laid out some steps for the city to consider the potential Foxwoods move. He will introduce two pieces of legislation on Foxwoods Thursday. One would change the zoning for the Gallery to a Commercial Entertainment District (CED), a class approved in 2006 by Council to regulate local casinos. The other would amend the CED law to suit Center City development, reducing the required parking because of existing garages and availability of mass transit.
Several in the crowd last night repeatedly shouted that DiCicco should not introduce the legislation to start the relocation process for Foxwoods.
DiCicco refused to introduce CED legislation for Foxwoods last year, which helped stall the project in South Philly because other Council members are almost always reluctant to offer legislation in another member's district. DiCicco said his sponsoring the CED legislation now likely would give Foxwoods an easier time with other Council members.
The City Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the Gallery proposal on Oct. 21. And Council will hold a rare Saturday public hearing on Nov. 1 to discuss it.
The city also is seeking a local professional group to hold a public forum examining the potential architecture and city planning needs for a Gallery-based casino. *
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