The casino-thwarting loudmouths of Casino-Free Philadelphia scored a minor victory last night in Scranton when Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board chair Mary Colins actually allowed them to speak. She also denied both SugarHouse and Foxwoods an extension on their $50 million casino license fees. Hooray. Perhaps those chaos classes CFP held on Monday actually worked out?

Both Daniel Hunter and partner-in-foe-dom Jethro Heiko got a chance to address the PGCB for 21 minutes, passionately reiterating the awfulness of Foxwoods and SugarHouse and explaining how personally slighted they’ve been during the whole approval process. Thankfully, no one was arrested or escorted out of the meeting — this time.

Hunter tells the Daily Examiner that last night showed legitimate progress in what had appeared to be a futile battle: “I think actually it’s a big victory because the PGCB and Mary Colins are taking a different stance. Most of us had figured that SugarHouse would get they want. I was surprised to watch the board take in what was clearly new information.”

Hunter added that board members seemed quite flustered when Heiko threatened to block the construction roads with 25 people if SugarHouse continued to get built. Should we be expecting our own little Tiananmen Square on Delaware Avenue? “I don’t think they’ll have tanks, ” Hunter says. “I just think it’s going to be a hard journey for SugarHouse from now on. The easiest path for them is to reconsider.”

Public gets say as casino licensees ordered to pay up [Metro]
Casino Foes Have Their Say Before Board [Daily News]

Although the demonstrations between those for and against the SugarHouse (or “SugarHell,” depending on how long you’ve been in the neighborhood) casino site on Delaware Avenue have been contentious, it didn’t turn bar-brawl ugly until this past weekend, when an anti-SugarHouse “peaceful” protester was, apparently, attacked by pro-casino rallyers. Last night’s protest at Delaware and Frankford avenues had its share of Fishtown bluster but didn’t come to blows, unfortunately.

The most interesting part was how, by sight only, you could determine which protester was pro-Sugar and which was anti-. The pro-casino folks tend to be the Fishtown lifers — some replete with various forms of calf tattoos, earrings, work boots and soft-pack cigs. The antis are your Northern Liberties young’uns. (As one pro-Sugar demonstrator pointed out to a scraggly bearded anti-Sugar: “You’ve been here since ‘92? My dog’s been here longer than you.”) Local photog Jonathan Rubin was there and posted his photo account of the event.

That’s what this all comes down too, really: If you weren’t in Fishtown during its really dirty years, you have no right to complain about a casino being constructed a butt-flick from your house. You don’t know real Fishtown riffraff, Mr. Ponytailed Man With a Stroller. The SugarHouse slot-mongers will be nothing compared to what it was like in ‘72.

Fishtown boils over SugarHouse [Inquirer]
CasiNO [StudioNine]

PHOTO: Studionine Blog