Friday late-afternoon The Supreme Court put a preliminary injunction on the referendum. That keeps the referendum from being on the ballot until further notice. It's an outrage. And we have every right to be angry at this decision. It's against that which is deepest in a democratic system: voting and the right for the people to have their say.

This is round one of a multiple-round fight. The implementation of the preliminary injunction is a little unclear since the ballots are already printed. Stickers should not be put to cover up the question on the physical ballots, because there still remains a chance the injunction will be lifted. So hope remains.

Yet our outrage needs to be heard. Money and undue influence should not trump the interests of the public in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania.

Please send a letter to the Gaming Oversight Committee to tell them this situation is unacceptable.

PRESS RELEASE

Casino-Free Philadelphia Shocked at Court Ruling; Calls on City, State for Swift Action

Philadelphia, Pa., April 13, 2007 - Reacting swiftly to the state Supreme Court's preliminary injunction to deny city residents the opportunity to vote on minimal standards for slots parlors, Casino-Free Philadelphia today called on City Council and the state legislature to take action to uphold citizens' rights if the Court makes its ruling permanent.

“We are shocked and perplexed by this outrageous decision,” said CFP coordinator Daniel Hunter. “The Court provided no reason for denying Philadelphia citizens their basic rights, while the dissenting opinion was several pages of rationale.”

Hunter said he is hopeful that further legal action might result in the Court lifting its injunction.

If today's decision is permitted to stand, however, Hunter said his group would appeal to City Council to assert its zoning powers and reject the sites forced on the city by the state Gaming Control Board. “Council showed its resolve before when it overrode the mayor's veto of the referendum. It may have to once more step up again and force the state to recognize our rights.”

Hunter also said the state legislature should demonstrate its resolve to do away with the abuses that produced the slots parlor law. “The new legislature passed reforms to eliminate this sort of abuse,” Hunter said. “But that victory for good government is hollow if our representatives do not have the resolve to put these reforms into practice.

“If the Court does not remove its injunction, Council and the legislature must not permit this unsupportable ruling to go unchallenged. Otherwise, they will be saying to voters that money and undue influence still trump the interests of the public in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. The voters will remember that cynical stance on the part of its elected officials and reject them again as we did last November.

Briefs for the preliminary injunction have to be submitted by April 27th.

###

You can sign a letter of support by clicking here.