Penn students and activists for Asian Americans United battled City Council on Saturday over the proposed Foxwoods Casino in the Gallery at 10th and Market streets.
City Council listened to hours of testimony, largely from opponents of the planned casino, who spoke of rampant gambling addictions in the Asian-American community and Chinatown's history of being threatened with expressways, prisons and stadiums.
From Penn, members of the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity, as well as those who attend Living Water Fellowship Church in Chinatown, testified.
Wharton sophomore Ann Lee, a member of both groups and an Arizona native, spoke out against the casino.
"Without a Chinatown back home, I feel really welcomed by the Chinatown community," she said. "Back home, I've seen people in the Asian community attempt to use casino gambling as a social event, with horrible consequences."
Neighborhood leaders from across the city voiced opposition to the casino.
Hilary Regan, a developer from Northern Liberties, testified to the quality-of-life issues that linked her neighborhood to Chinatown.
"Who's to stop someone from putting up a jumbotron across from Independence Hall?" she asked.
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