The Gayborhood opposes the 76 Place Arena

Contact City Council!

  • Find the city council district you live in by viewing the district maps. Then, contact your representative. It’s even better to call all of them!

    Philadelphia also has "at large" representatives that represent everyone.

  • Below are just a few talking points! If you have questions or ideas to add to this list, email us at no.arena.gayborhood@gmail.com!

    • The proposed arena is an existential threat to the surrounding neighborhoods: Chinatown to the north, and the Gayborhood to the south. Both these historic neighborhoods serve minority communities — who are coming in from all over the Greater Philadelphia region — to seek culturally responsive resources, services, and community. These neighborhoods are irreplaceable if lost.

      • The Capital One arena destroyed Washington, D.C.’s Chinatown; there is no evidence that 76 Place would be any different in Philly. In fact, all evidence points to it harming our neighborhoods just as much.

    • Queer people from all over Philly, the surrounding area, and the entire mid-Atlantic region rely on the Gayborhood for our healthcare, jobs, and community.

      • Arena-related traffic will impede queer people’s access to healthcare providers and community centers in the Gayborhood.

      • Arena-related rises in rental costs will lead to the closure of queer-owned and oriented small businesses. This will limit work opportunities for queer people, including artists who perform in the Gayborhood.

    • 69% of Philadelphians city-wide oppose the arena. Our public servants work for the taxpayers who elected them — so they should reflect the majority opinion of the city!

    • The traffic created by the arena would endanger access to Jefferson Hospital’s ER. 80% of people are worried about this fact!

      • Jefferson is the only Level 1 trauma center in Center City.

      • Philadelphia’s current EMS response time (12 minutes) is already below the industry standard (9 minutes). The arena is essentially guaranteed to create gridlock traffic according to the traffic studies. Gridlock will worsen this, and in a medical emergency, every second matters!

    • Center City contains 24% of all of Philly’s small businesses, many of which would be at risk if an arena were built at this location. According to the community impact study, half of local businesses would experience net negative impacts from the arena. And the study only looked at Chinatown — it did not even include the potential negative impacts on the Gayborhood!

    • We need development that supports, works with, and invests in Philadelphia’s communities, not billionaires looking for tax breaks. 

    • There are no protections that could save Chinatown, the Gayborhood, or the heart of Philadelphia from the negative impacts of 76 Place. 

    • The impact studies show that the arena would have a devastating impact on surrounding neighborhoods and completely ignore the potential economic losses from an arena. There is no return on investment. 

    I urge you to...

    • Voice your strong opposition to the proposed arena in Center City

    • Vote no on any legislation that would enable the arena to be built in Center City

    • Find a different location for a 76ers arena

    • Consider alternative development opportunities for Market Street East in collaboration with the surrounding neighborhoods that support Philadelphia’s communities

  • Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a [MEMBER/ALLY] of the LGBTQIA+ community. My zip code is [ZIP CODE]. I’m calling to express my strong opposition to the proposed arena in Center City. 

    [SAY WHY YOU OPPOSE THE ARENA AND WANT TO PROTECT QUEER SPACES, USE THE POINTS ABOVE] 

    [PRESENT YOUR ASKS, USE THE POINTS ABOVE] 

    The Gayborhood’s fate is in city council’s hands, and I urge you to reject the proposed arena and protect queer spaces! 

  • Subject: Urgent: Say No to 76 Place! Stand with Philadelphians, not billionaires. 

    Dear Councilmember [NAME],

    I’m a [MEMBER/ALLY] of the LGBTQIA+ community and my zip code is [ZIP CODE]. I am writing to express my strong opposition to the proposed Sixers arena. This project poses a significant and unacceptable threat to our queer community, and I urge you to voice your opposition to this project and vote no on any future legislation enabling 76 Place to be built in Center City. 

    69% of Philadelphians oppose the arena. 80% of people are worried that the traffic created by the arena would endanger access to Jefferson Hospital’s ER. This arena is not a good deal for Philadelphia. Queer people from all over Philly, the surrounding area, and the entire mid-Atlantic region rely on the Gayborhood for our healthcare, jobs, and community. The proposed arena is an existential threat to the Gayborhood that wouldn’t just affect Center City, but LGBTQ+ people all over Greater Philly! 

    In 30 years, the last thing you want is to be remembered for an abandoned arena in the heart of Center City. Instead, you have the opportunity to be remembered as a leader who truly supported and listened to their constituents.

    I strongly urge you to reject the proposed arena, find a different location for a 76ers arena that won’t cause displacement, and collaborate with surrounding neighborhoods to consider alternative development opportunities for Market Street East that support Philadelphia’s communities. The soul of Philadelphia is on the line. 

    Thank you for your attention to this critical issue. I look forward to your response. 

    Sincerely,

    [NAME]

  • The official information for public hearings on the arena is here. Below we’ve summarized the important points:

    When can we testify?

    There are five dates for the public to testify about how the arena would harm our city:

    • Tuesday, November 19 at 1:30-4pm

    • Wednesday, November 20 at 10am-12:30pm

    • Thursday, November 21 at 6-9pm

    • Tuesday, November 26 at 1:30-4pm

    • Monday, December 2 at 6-9pm

    Where do we testify?

    Enter City Hall from the Northeast Visitor Entrance. Public hearings happen in Room 400, which is on the 4th floor and accessible by elevator.

    When you visit City Hall, you must bring your ID and be prepared to go through two metal detectors: one at the entrance, and one on the 4th floor to enter Room 400.

    You can wear a No Arena shirt if you like! If you bring a No Arena sign, they may let you keep it or they may confiscate it. We’ve experienced inconsistent results when we’ve visited, so just be prepared for either outcome.

    How do we sign up to testify?

    By 3pm on the day before you plan to testify, you should let City Council know you’ll be there. You can do that by either calling the Chief Clerk’s Office at (215) 686-3407 or by emailing them at arena.hearings@phila.gov. Make sure you provide this info:

    • Your full name

    • Your telephone mumber

    • The day you want to testify

    • The bill number or resolution number(s) that will be addressed in your testimony. There are 9 bill numbers for the arena, and each hearing day has different bill numbers. You can list any one of these bill numbers for the day that you are speaking!

      • Tuesday, November 19: #240973, #240972, #240970, #240969, #240968, #240966, or #240965

      • Wednesday, November 20: #240973, #240972, #240970, #240969, #240968, #240966, or #240965

      • Thursday, November 21: #240973, #240972, #240970, #240969, #240968, #240966, or #240965

      • Tuesday, November 26: #240964 or #240963

      • Monday, December 2: #240973, #240972, #240970, #240969, #240968, #240967, #240966, #240965 #240964, #240963

    People are called up to testify in the order that they sign up. However, if you forget to call or email the previous day, you can still sign up at the public hearing itself.

    I want to testify, but I need some help figuring out what to say or how to express my concerns in the best way!

    If this is you, we are happy to help! Connect with us at no.arena.gayborhood@gmail.com. All of us behind No Arena Gayborhood are everyday Philadelphians with day jobs. For about a year now, we’ve been spending our free time to learn about the arena, raise awareness of the concerns at Pride events, and lobby City Council. That just means we have a lot of research and ideas to share if you need some inspiration!

Protect Queer Spaces!

No Arena Gayborhood is a determined group of LGBTQIA+ people working to protect Philly queer spaces, especially the historic Gayborhood, from harmful development. The proposed 76 Place arena threatens to displace LGBTQIA+ local businesses, community spaces, and resources — essentially, forcing the gay out of the Gayborhood.

This is just the latest of many attempts by commercial developers to erase pieces of the Gayborhood in favor of corporate interests. You might remember the story of the 12th Street Gym, which New York developer Midwood Management Corp. replaced with a high-rise that the average Philadelphian certainly cannot afford to live in. And in doing so, they painted over — quite literally whitewashed — the mural of a beloved lesbian Latina activist Gloria Casarez. Or maybe you’ve learned (like we did, through the Philadelphia LGBT Mapping Project), that the Convention Center and Marriott Hotel pushed out and erased a whole neighborhood of Black-owned gay businesses on Filbert and Arch Streets.

This time, we want to write the story differently by protecting our remaining queer spaces in the Gayborhood. LGBTQIA+ people all over Philly rely on Gayborhood communities, businesses, and services, such as the Mazzoni Center, William Way, Giovanni’s Room, and more — but arena-related traffic, crowds, and construction could limit access to these vital resources. We say our queer spaces belong to us, not to these three profit-hungry billionaires. We’re working in solidarity with other community groups, including No Arena Chinatown Solidarity and No Arena Washington Square West, to come at this issue from all angles and make it clear that no one who lives in or cares about Philly wants 76 Place to be built. Let’s show City Council that 76 Place is not an option for Greater Philadelphia’s LGBTQIA+ community!

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