Honoring 14 community members

All of the community members who were arrested yesterday protesting SugarHouse's proposed predatory casino in Fishtown were released last night without bail.

These 14 individuals -- representing the breadth and depth of the movement against casinos in Philadelphia, from Fishtown to West Philly, North Philadelphia to Pennsport, 20 to 70 years in age -- are now facing three charges from the District Attorney's office. Each will be charged with one count of defiant trespass, one count of failure to disperse, and one count of disorderly conduct. The first two counts are misdemeanors, and the third count is a summary offense, similar to a traffic ticket.

Please save the date for the trial of these community activists, which will take place on Friday, Oct. 23 at 10 AM, at 1301 Filbert Street. We will announce more information about our plans for this trial in upcoming emails.

For those who are able, we're asking you to make a financial contribution in honor of each of the 14 activists:

• $1 in honor of each activist and speaking in one voice, for a total of $14
• $2 in honor of each activist and defying two proposed casinos, for a total of $28
• $3 in honor of each activist and celebration of three years of delays for casinos, for a total of $42
• $4 in honor of each activist and outrage over Act 71, passed at 2AM on the Fourth of July, for a total of $66
• $5 in honor of each activist and the five years that have passed since casinos were a "done deal," for a total of $80
• or any contribution you can make

Make a donation in honor of these 14 community members now.

If you're not able to make a financial contribution, we're also looking for "in-kind support," or donations of supplies and furniture -- follow the donation link to see our list of needs.

What's next in the fight against casinos? Please join us TONIGHT at the No Slots Spot, 718 Market Street, at 6 PM, for an open discussion of next steps.

The city-wide coalition that was created in response to the proposed move of Foxwoods to Market Street has not only held together but has grown and strengthened. If you want to change our city for the better, the No Slots Spot tonight is the place to be.

Finally, please prepare to join us the afternoon of Oct. 8 at 2 PM at the intersection of Frankford & Delaware Avenues for a very important event which will precede the behind-closed-gates groundbreaking of the future bankrupt SugarHouse casino.

That afternoon, we will be inviting all the VIPs (Very Important Predators) and all citizens and press to a public meeting that is being held at Drexel University at 4:30 PM. Timothy Fong, MD, co-director of the Gambling Studies Program at UCLA School of Medicine, will be speaking on "Pathological Gambling: A Hidden Public Health Issue," at Drexel's School of Public Health, Geary A Auditorium, 245 N. 15th Street. It is critical that Philadelphia citizens continue to educate ourselves about the real issues associated with bringing in predatory gambling to our city so as not to let the VIPs hide behind photo-ops and false promises.

In celebration of our successes yesterday, and in dedication to the ongoing struggle to keep the predatory gambling trade out of our city,