Protesters arrested at casino construction site
More than a dozen demonstrators have been arrested for protesting at the Sugarhouse Casino site along the Delaware River near Fishtown. They were taken into custody early this morning. The protest was organized by the anti-gaming group Casino-Free Philadelphia.
More than a dozen demonstrators have been arrested for protesting at the Sugarhouse Casino site along the Delaware River near Fishtown. They were taken into custody early this morning. The protest was organized by the anti-gaming group Casino-Free Philadelphia.
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The vacant plot of land gaming officials say will one day house a casino, was full of the sound of chanting protesters.
Casino-Free Philadelphia member Dan Hajdo says about fourteen protesters blocked the entrance to the work site.
Hajdo: It was emotional certainly on the part of the protesters. There was a lot of noise. We were all trained for this, we practiced for this, and so it all went off roughly speaking according to how we expected.
In a written statement, Sugarhouse officials said that while they respect the rights of the protesters to have their voices heard, it is disappointing that they want to prevent the creation of over 1,000 construction and permanent casino jobs.
The casino is expected to open in about 10 months.
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