Photos: Thousands rally and march with Save Chinatown Coalition to protest proposed 76ers arena

Thousands of people rallied outside of City Hall Saturday, Sept. 7, to protest the 76ers’ proposed basketball arena on the edge of Chinatown, on a portion of the current Fashion District Mall in Center City.

The energy was high as politicians and community activists took the mic, decrying gentrification and corporate greed, citing experiences of marginalization and discrimination in neighborhoods ranging from Chinatown and West Philly, to Washington Square West, Midtown Village’s Gayborhood, and even Camden across the Delaware River in New Jersey.

Hospital workers were also in attendance, including medical student Pari Pancholy, who described the devastating impact that traffic congestion caused by the arena crowds and construction would have on patient’s lives, emergency response times, and health care access in and around Center City.

A sudden downpour didn’t dampen spirits as hundreds of demonstrators remained to march with members of the Save Chinatown Coalition with songs, drumming, dancing, and speeches, ending at the Friendship Arch on 10th and Arch Streets.

Shouts of “No arena in Chinatown” and “Hands off Chinatown” were coupled with of-the-moment chants of “It’s raining, it’s pouring and [Philadelphia City Councilmember Mark] Squilla is snoring” — calling out the area’s councilmember, who will play a key role in the arena’s fate.

Squilla has not publicly expressed a stance on the development but has called the arena a “viable project.”

Philadelphia City Council needs to pass necessary legislation for the development to get the green light. Squilla has said he will give community members 30 days to review legislation before he introduces it in Council.

The rally came a week after the city released four impact studies commissioned by independent consultants that were paid for by the Sixers management. The studies said the development at 10th and Market streets “could potentially result in the loss of Chinatown’s core identity and regional significance.”

A recent citywide poll commissioned by the Save Chinatown Coalition found that more than half of residents surveyed oppose the arena proposal.

Wednesday night, Mayor Cherelle Parker hosted a community town hall at the Pennsylvania Convention Center that drew about 1,000. The mayor, who has not announced her position on the arena plans, said “all of Philadelphia matters to me,” and that she will have a decision soon.