Some say the political tides are turning but we're not so sure. There have been great editorials and letters to the editors, take a look at the first round of letters...and the second. However, SugarHouse and Foxwoods say they don't plan on moving anywhere, no matter how nicely Governor Rendell asks.
We need to remind the casinos and our elected officials that we don't plan to give up anytime soon, either. It still may come down to citizens occupying the sites in order to send the message to the casinos that there will be no slot barns on our riverfront.
Please join us at 10am on Saturday, August 9, 2008 at Old Swedes Church in South Philly for a training session on how to conduct a Site Occupation. This is just a training session and there is zero risk of arrest. Bring the kids, it's never to early to see what real democracy is all about.
If the politicians won't move the casinos from these sites, direct action by citizens will. Let us train and prepare for that possibility. Come join us and learn how.
This past December, Casino-Free Philadelphia held its first site occupation training session on public land adjacent to the SugarHouse site. Over 50 people participated. Check out the press coverage. This time our training session will be in the vicinity of the Foxwoods site. We'll invite the press.
The training will be led by Casino-Free organizer Daniel Hunter. As you may know, Daniel has conducted numerous training sessions of this type, in places as diverse as Philadelphia, India, Sierra Leone, and South Korea.
We are inviting other grassroots groups that are focused on causes other than casinos, so spread the word far and wide, all are welcome! You can use this particular tactic, a site occupation, for other types of toxic projects, such as landfills, nuclear power plants or places of adult entertainment that are proposed for inappropriate locations. Whatever your cause, let's all learn more about non-violent direct action.
In the next week or so we will finalize details and we will provide you with more information about our training session. We will also be posting details on our website, so you can check that out as well.
Let's train ourselves to be prepared to do the hard work of democracy and free speech. And, oh yeah, we'll have cold lemonade and cookies, too!
