Black Clergy Disputes Allegations Of Racist Policies At Casino Firm
By Mike Dunn
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Black Clergy of Philadelphia says accusations of racism against the company planning to build a second casino in the city are false and are driven by a union that wants 'in' at the casino.
The Cordish Company of Baltimore, which intends to build a casino in South Philadelphia, has been accused of racist policies toward customers at some of its entertainment sites across the country.
The allegations prompted the Black Clergy of Philadelphia to investigate, and the group's President, Rev. Terrence Griffith, says they found no evidence of racist policies at Cordish.
"We are convinced that the company really promotes harmony in the community that they serve." said Griffith. "And these accusations, they really benefit no one."
Griffith believes that the accusations against Cordish were fueled by the labor union "Unite Here" which hopes to represent casino workers at the new site.
"In my opinion, and that's my opinion, I think it's an issue of positioning to represent workers here in Philadelphia. That's a union fight which the Black Clergy will not get involved in." said Griffith. "We're not interested in union fights. If they want to fight among themselves, they can do that. Our interest was finding out if this company is a racist company or not. And our conclusion is, it's not."
The COO of Cordish, Zed Smith, attended the Black Clergy's news conference and welcomed the findings.
"We appreciate the seriousness in which the Black Clergy and the NAACP took in their responsibility to research the facts and support the truth." said Smith.
The Black Clergy did urge Cordish to create a community advisory board to oversee minority issues at the casino, to commit to diversity training and to adopt a policy of zero tolerance toward discrimination.
Smith, the Cordish COO, said those are things the firm is already doing in other cities.
Cordish plans a $400 million casino and hotel complex on a parcel near Citizens Bank Park.
The project is on hold pending legal challenges to the awarding of the license by the state Gaming Control Board.