Community members gather in support of proposed Philadelphia 76ers arena
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Community members gathered Monday night in Kensington in support of a new arena proposed by the Philadelphia 76ers.
The gathering was held at FAME, an event venue in Kensington.
"A lot of talk and chatter has been going on, but I feel like many communities, various communities have been spoken to, but the African American community hasn't been spoken with or spoken to or addressed," Pastor Carl Day said.
Pastor Day wanted to get everyone on the same page and had support from David Adelman, the chairman of 76 Place and co-owner of the Sixers.
"I have been at this for over two years and we are going to try everything we can to get this right. But I need feedback. I need to hear good, bad and otherwise. I want to take it in and I want to do what's right," Adelman said.
Those who attended say they are pro-arena and pro-opportunity, especially for the youth in the city.
"So when you are talking about young men that are fighting against the day-to-day battle of not feeling worthy because of the fact they don't have resources, something like this would be applicable to them," Taj Murdock, the executive director of Men of Courage, said.
"It would be a great opportunity for them to be able to be plugged into employment and also a career opportunity," John Solomon, of Endangered Kind, said.
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The proposed arena, called 76 Place, would be located in part of the Fashion District Mall from 10th and 11th Streets on Market Street.
While it's not directly in Chinatown, residents in the neighborhood say it will directly impact them since it's right on the edge. They say effects like parking, traffic and overdevelopment will destroy their everyday lives and culture.
They've held many community meetings and established the Save Chinatown Coalition, saying the arena will do more harm than good.
"The actions of team owners speak far louder than their false promises, and show that 76 Place would be a monument to exploitation. When the Sixers moved their headquarters to Camden they made big promises about jobs and taxes. Today, just 11 Camden residents are employed there. With 27/29 NBA arenas taking taxpayer subsidies, it's likely 76 Place would take more from Philly families than it gives," Bishop Dwayne Royster, of Power Interfaith, said in a statement.
The developer for the arena, 76 Devcorp, says the arena will bring thousands of union and service jobs, will generate $1 billion in new tax revenue that can go to the city and schools and 40% of the food and beverage businesses in the new arena will be Black owned.