Community members, elected officials march through Center City, Chinatown to protest the Sixers’ arena proposal

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Scores of demonstrators marched with members of the Save Chinatown Coalition through Center City and Chinatown Saturday to protest the Philadelphia 76ers’ arena proposal with songs, drumming, dancing, and speeches.

Drenched by a sudden downpour, protesters shouted “No arena in Chinatown” and “Hands off Chinatown” as they marched around City Hall, down Market Street and up through Chinatown, ending at the Friendship Arch on 10th and Arch Streets. Organizers said between 3,000 and 4,000 people turned out to support the march.

City Councilmember Nicholas O’Rourke, state Reps. Rick Krajewski and Chris Rabb and state Sen. Nikil Saval spoke against the arena proposal, along with representatives from community organizations from throughout the city. Interpreters were on hand to translate all speeches into Mandarin throughout the event.

“I’m here with you, encouraging [us to] put our feet to pavement and put our fists in the air and say power to the people, not another arena in Chinatown,” O’Rourke told the crowd.

The team’s owners are looking to build a new arena, dubbed 76 Place, at 10th and Market Streets near Chinatown and argue that the $1.55 billion project will bring needed economic opportunity to the surrounding area. The franchise says it needs legislative approval by the end of the year in order for them to break ground and open the arena in time for the 2031-2032 NBA season.

Chinatown community members and residents have been fighting the arena proposal for more than two years, arguing it poses an “existential threat” to the neighborhood.

Residents of Washington Square West and the Gayborhood, a historic LGBTQ area in Midtown Village, also condemned the proposal. Medical student Pari Pancholy described the impact traffic to and from the arena would have on health care in Center City.

While Pancholy did not identify where she works, Jefferson Internal Medicine – Chinatown is situated on the 800 block of Arch Street, near where the proposed stadium would be built.

“My hospital already struggles to get folks into the emergency bay. Just being close to Market Street, traffic and congestion from an arena will make it much harder,” she said. “It’s not just patients who need to reach us quickly. It’s transplanted organs for someone getting a second chance, it’s blood for someone in surgery.”

As the rain fell, protestors later began chanting “It’s raining, it’s pouring and [Philadelphia City Councilmember Mark] Squilla is snoring,” calling out the area’s councilmember, who will play a key role in the arena’s fate.

Squilla has not publicly expressed a stance on the development but has called the arena a “viable project.”

A recent citywide poll commissioned by the Save Chinatown Coalition found that more than half of residents surveyed oppose the arena proposal.

Impact studies commissioned by the city were released last week. The independent consultants said the development at 10th and Market streets “could potentially result in the loss of Chinatown’s core identity and regional significance.”

Amanda Liu, 14, came out Saturday to support the movement. She said she grew up in Philly, and goes to Chinatown at least once a week.

“I feel like I fit in the most here, because I’m Chinese, here is Chinatown,” she said. “I just hate to see it destroyed by billionaires.”

Jamie Roberts, a teacher at William H. Ziegler Elementary School, carried a sign that read “Chinatown is a Philly Treasure.”

“Chinatown is an incredibly important part of Philadelphia history. This is just another example of corporations shutting down historical communities,” she said. “I have students who are Chinese American and they should have the opportunity to come here, for them and for all students. People trying to gaslight us is unconscionable.”

The 76ers and proponents of the arena, including the Black Clergy of Philadelphia, argue 76 Place would revitalize the area known as Market East, where major developments, such as the Fashion District, have struggled to produce promised economic benefits. The 76ers say the arena would boost the city’s economy and attract more people to games and events compared to the team’s current home at the Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia.

Philadelphia City Council needs to pass necessary legislation for the development to get the green light. Squilla has said he will give community members 30 days to review legislation before he introduces it in Council.

“We still need to see what the proposed legislation would say to see if there are safeguards we can put in place to address some of the concerns,” Squilla said this week.

Melvin Hairston, a former resident of University City Townhomes, an affordable housing complex in West Philadelphia that was recently demolished after a prolonged legal battle, said Chinatown’s fight against the arena should matter to all Philadelphians concerned about gentrification and displacement.

“It affects all of us in every way, shape or form. That’s why everybody needs to be involved,” he said.

Heather Chin, deputy editor at Billy Penn, contributed to this story.