Save Chinatown Action Toolkit

Updated 11/21/2024

Mission

The billionaire owners of the 76ers want to build a new arena just one block away from Chinatown. The Save Chinatown coalition has been working since the project was proposed to fight back and protect their community from the devastation an arena would bring to the neighborhood and the businesses surrounding it. City Council is currently holding hearings on the arena proposal which means we still have the chance to win big improvements for working Philadelphians.

The proposed community benefits agreement is an insult to Chinatown and the entire City. Chinatown is at risk of being destroyed by the arena, and the Sixers' CBA pretends a few million will help. Schools across the city are at risk of closing; the Sixers don't care. This fake CBA shows how little they think of our city.

SEPTA is facing a "death spiral," and 76 Place will only make it worse. SEPTA is enacting fare hikes and service cuts that will disrupt the lives of working-class Philadelphians. The Sixers know that their arena plan will only work if they can rely on SEPTA; but they still refuse to pay for the tens of millions a year it will cost to implement. We stand with SEPTA's workers and the hundreds of thousands of community members who rely on them every day.

Don't roll out the red carpet for billionaires when we have real problems to address! This plan is a blank check for billionaires who care about maximizing profits, not making Philadelphia stronger. We should be focused on funding schools, housing and SEPTA instead.

The good news is that there is still time to fight back and protect center city’s last working class community of color. It is up to us to make our voices heard and call our city council members to demand that they stand with everyday Philadelphians, Chinatown — the people they are elected to represent — instead of siding with billionaires who have no stake in our city beyond how much money they can make off of us.

Talking Points:

• 69% of Philadelphians oppose the arena.
• 60% of Philadelphians want the Sixers to stay in South Philly.
• Workers at the Wells Fargo Center are unionized through Unite Here, and opening a new arena would create non-union jobs to replace them. No matter what statistics elected officials in support of the arena give about job creation, building a new arena would be a textbook act of union busting.
• The traffic created by the arena would endanger access to Jefferson Hospital’s ER.
• SEPTA is enacting fare hikes and service cuts. This plan puts tens of millions in costs onto their budget that the billionaire owners of the arena refuse to pay. Any plan that includes an unfunded mandate for SEPTA is unacceptable.
• This is a project backed by a billionaire sports owner and wealthy developers — not everyday Philadelphians.
• Chinatown is a growing and vibrant community where families can live near small businesses, schools, and places of worship, and where Asian Americans across the Greater Philadelphia area feel at home.
• The owners of the Sixers want to change Chinatown without caring how it would impact the lives of the people who live there or if it aligns with the community's vision for the future of the neighborhood. 

Call and Email your City Council Member!

Now that the fate of Chinatown is in the hands of our city council members, we are asking all Philly DSA members to contact them and demand that they stand with working Philadelphians and the Chinatown community and vote AGAINST the arena unless serious improvements are made to the CBA.

Call your district Councilmember, or help us target these high-priority votes:

Phone Script

Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a resident of Philadelphia. I’m calling to express my strong opposition to the proposed arena in Chinatown. The arena will lead to severe disruption of businesses, displacement of residents, and would endanger hundreds of good union jobs. This isn’t just about construction; it’s about tearing apart a community that has thrived here for generations, lining the pockets of billionaires, and union busting.

I urge [COUNCIL MEMBER NAME] to consider these concerns, and the concerns of all Philadelphians who love and care about Chinatown, its immigrant communities, and the working people of Philadelphia, and to not move forward with the proposed arena. I am deeply opposed to the arena, and I demand that this matter be taken seriously. 

Email

Subject: Urgent: No Arena in Chinatown

Dear [COUNCIL MEMBER NAME],

I am writing to express my strong opposition to the proposed Sixers arena in Chinatown, also known as 76 Place. This development poses a significant and unacceptable threat to our Chinatown community, and I urge you to reconsider it immediately.

Chinatown is more than just a neighborhood; it is a historic and cultural landmark that countless families and businesses call home. The construction of the arena will not only disrupt, but displace, residents and businesses who have lived and worked here for generations, jeopardizing the cultural heritage of one of our city’s last working class communities of color.

The anticipated increase in traffic, noise, and environmental strain associated with the arena will all have a detrimental impact on the quality of life for local residents, leading to congestion and safety issues that simply cannot be ignored. Additionally, the arena would endanger the jobs and livelihoods of Unite Here workers currently employed at the Wells Fargo Center, busting one of our city’s most vital unions. I strongly urge you to reconsider the proposed arena, say no to the billionaires behind it, and stand with the overwhelming number of Philadelphians like myself who want Chinatown, its communities to thrive, and all working people in Philadelphia to thrive. The stakes are too high. 

Thank you for your attention to this critical issue. I look forward to your response and hope that you will take decisive action to protect one of our most beloved neighborhoods.

Sincerely,

[NAME]

Sample copy for socials — please boost our posts on Twitter and Instagram! [INSERT LINKS]

• Hey @[COUNCIL MEMBER SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLE], it’s time to decide: do you stand with billionaires, or our immigrant communities and the working people of Philadelphia? 
• While @PhillyMayor and union busting billionaires threaten the lives and livelihoods of working class Philadelphians and immigrant communities, Chinatown is still fighting to save their community. Call your council member today and tell them to vote no on the new arena!
• Despite all the noise about job creation, a new Sixers arena would threaten the lives and livelihoods of Unite Here workers already employed at the Wells Fargo Center. It’s time for @[CITY COUNCIL MEMBER] to decide: do you stand with union busting billionaires, or working Philadelphians? 
• A Sixers arena will cost taxpayers, increase housing costs, and threaten small businesses, neighborhoods, and working people in our city. It is time for @[CITY COUNCIL MEMBER NAME] to decide if [HE/SHE/THEY] works for Philadelphians or for billionaire developers.  
• 🛑OUR CITY IS NOT FOR SALE 🛑 The arena threatens to displace residents, destroy Chinatown’s cultural heritage, and harm our immigrant communities. We can’t let this happen. Tell @[COUNCIL MEMBER] today — NO ARENA IN CHINATOWN!
• It’s up to our elected officials to protect our communities and our workers, not hand them over to billionaire developers. Call your council member today and demand that they stand with Chinatown and all working people of Philadelphia. NO ARENA IN THE HEART OF OUR CITY!