Philly black leaders say casino developer is not racist

A LOCAL GROUP of prominent black leaders found "no credible evidence" to support allegations of racism against a Baltimore-based developer that plans to build a casino in South Philly.

The Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity reached its conclusion after a two-month investigation into claims that Cordish Companies engaged in discriminatory enforcement of dress codes and that managers paid white men to pick fights with black patrons as a ruse to boot minorities from Cordish-run entertainment venues in Kansas City, Mo., and Louisville, Ky.

Not only did the black clergy's probe find no evidence of racist practices by Cordish, the clergy concluded that the company "has gone over and beyond the goals set for minority inclusion," according to a 17-page report released yesterday.

"We are convinced that the company really promotes harmony in the communities where they serve," Black Clergy President the Rev. Terrence Griffith said during a news conference at City Hall.

Griffith said he thought the allegations against Cordish were fueled by a labor union, Unite Here, which is vying against other unions to represent casino workers at the proposed $425 million Live! Hotel & Casino, planned to be built in the city's stadium district. (The project is on hold pending legal challenges to the casino license awarded to Cordish by the state Gaming Control Board.)

"We have come to the conclusion that this may be a struggle between contending unions," Griffith said. "In my opinion - and that's my opinion - I think it's an issue of positioning to represent workers here in Philadelphia. So that's a union fight, which Black Clergy will not get involved in. We're not interested in union fights. If they want to fight among themselves, they can do that. Our interest primarily was finding out whether or not this company was a racist company, and our conclusion is it's not."

For four years, Cordish has managed Xfinity Live! Philadelphia, which features dining and entertainment at 11th Street and Pattison Avenue. The Black Clergy report, dated July 2, noted: "We were unable to uncover any complaints or suits against the company in these four years."

The allegations against Cordish had come to the fore here in March when Jason Ortiz, who works for a New York-based consulting firm hired by Unite Here, met with Griffith and urged him to oppose Cordish's plans for a new casino. Ortiz brought to light several racial-discrimination lawsuits and complaints, involving 24 separate plaintiffs, and the testimony of five former employees against Cordish. The claims were filed against Cordish in Kansas City and Louisville.

"Based upon what appeared to be credible evidence, I sent a letter to Councilman Kenyatta Johnson opposing the Cordish project in Philadelphia," Griffith wrote in the report. Johnson urged Griffith to conduct his own investigation into the allegations before opposing the project.

Ortiz also met with Philadelphia NAACP president Rodney Muhammad, who then agreed to speak out against Cordish at a June news conference organized by Ortiz. Ortiz's firm had prepared a report detailing alleged racist practices by Cordish.

At the last minute, however, Muhammad decided not to participate in the news conference after Mayor Nutter reached out to him and the national NAACP office. Nutter has said he simply asked to speak with NAACP leaders regarding their concerns about Cordish. Nutter emphatically denied a Daily News report that he pulled the plug on the news conference, which fell apart when Muhammad failed to appear.

Muhammad, in a letter read by Griffith yesterday, suggested that he felt duped by Ortiz.

"We have now learned that Metropolitan Strategies was in fact representing Unite Here, a union seeking unfair advantage over other unions, which is not the agenda of the NAACP or the Black Clergy," wrote Muhammad, according to Griffith.

Ortiz declined to comment yesterday.

In the investigation, Griffith said, he and other Black Clergy members visited Cordish-owned-and-operated operations in Maryland and Kansas City and interviewed NAACP leaders in the Midwest.

"Based upon several meetings, research and comparisons with similar companies, it is Black Clergy's position that there is no credible evidence that the Cordish Company practices racism or has a culture and/or history of discrimination," the report said.