i heard about this on the AM News:

Police are looking for two masked men who robbed three woman at gunpoint in the parking lot of the SugarHouse Casino early today.

One victim was treated at Episcopal Hospital for a head wound she suffered when a robber hit her with a pistol and released.

SugarHouse Casino said the entire incident was captured on some of the facility’s 500 surveillance cameras and the footage has been turned over to Philadelphia Police.

that’s on top of this:

Police in South Jersey are investigating the assault and attempted robbery of a SugarHouse Casino patron who was apparently followed home and attacked early Saturday morning.

According to Cinnaminson police, the incident unfolded at 6:30 a.m.when the man – who had won almost $2,000 cash – took a cab home from the Philadelphia casino and was dropped off apparoximately one block from his home.

Police said the man thought he’d been struck by a tree branch when he was hit in the head and fell to the ground on the front lawn of a neighbor’s home. He told police he looked up to find two black men with handguns yelling at him to “give it up.”

One male yelled at the other to “pop him, pop him,” the victim told police, but when one of them attempted to hit him again with the butt of a gun, the victim wrestled his assailant to the ground. Then, according to the victim, the other male tripped over his baggy pants and fell, too.

And that is on top of THIS:

Hey Philebs. I just wanted to tell you about my trip to SugarHouse this past weekend. If you use any of this, please don’t use my name. But I figured you’d find this really entertaining.

The place is absolutely horrifying. Every type of drifter within a 50-mile radius of Philly was there — dudes with sleazy neck tattoos to the members of the local chapter of The Outlaws openly wearing colors.

I talked to one of the workers about what he’s seen there so far. His answer: “Everything.” I asked if he could get a little more specific. He said there hasn’t been a murder yet but there’s been everything else, which includes TWO separate incidents of people ODing in the bathroom after injecting themselves with heroin in the bathroom. So this casino is now a shelter of sorts for the local junkie community.

And apparently the food sucks too.

I fully expect more of these kinds of incidents to happen going forward. That’s because casinos slots parlors attract crime.

Thanks Mayor Nutter: you are a genius. Thanks City Council: Philadelphia’s muggers and drug addicts are forever grateful. Big props to you, Frank DiCicco: you should be forced to live next door. And BIG WHOO-HOOS to Tom Ferrick, who mocked Casino-Free Philadelphia a few years ago:

To summarize their remarks (Which isn’t easy. They do run on): Casinos are evil. They will cause a crime wave. The city will get no economic gain from them. They will result in job losses. They will ruin adjacent neighborhoods. They were created as part of a corrupt deal among casino operators, legislators and Gov. Rendell. And the rights of the people – the everyday, hardworking citizens of Philadelphia – were trampled on in the process.

To which I reply, I disagree. But none of those arguments prompted me to write the piece I did.

What prompted me was the threat by some casino opponents to block construction of SugarHouse, the one casino that appears closest to a construction start.

The argument made by folks from Casino-Free Philadelphia is that because the process was corrupt, they have a moral right – perhaps a moral imperative – to break the law. To lay down in front of the bulldozers and stop construction.

Now, that part is nuts. And it is wrong.

Who coulda predicted, eh? Who coulda predicted the Sugar SHITTERhouse would be a blight on the city?

Way to go Philly. You’re living up to your reputation: it ain’t the heat, it’s the stupidity.

it appears that Foxwoods lawyer Steve Cozen — who’s not only a close friend of Ed Rendell but a VERY generous funder — worked pretty hard to get the exemption. According to the Inky report, Rendell says he told Cozen he would sign the bill if the Foxwoods exemption made it into the bill. And it did.

And oh yeah: since 2000 Cozen personally gave nearly $145,000 to Rendell’s campaigns. On top of that, there’s an additional $66,000 his law firm’s PAC raised. And just last year, Rendell’s son joined the firm. It’s nice to have friends in high places.

Go read the rest, leave a comment, etc.

“Having suck with me,” the governor explains, “doesn’t mean I will do stuff for you.”

In Ed’s lexicon, suck is strictly a noun. It refers to influence, preference, a VIP spot in the governor’s crowded mental garage… Suck is an emotional IOU paid in full only after you have.
…
If you’re scratching your head, you must have missed Rendell’s musings in Sunday’s Inquirer.

In great detail, my colleagues Jennifer Lin, Mario Cattabiani, and Amy Worden explained how Foxwoods – the casino being forced down South Philadelphia’s throat like a vat of brussels sprouts – won legislative life support thanks to lawyer Stephen A. Cozen.

Cozen has suck with Rendell, the kind that comes with lobbying for other big shots with suck and opening the wallet – $143,000 personally, $66,000 from a PAC at his firm.

Having suck got Cozen a face-to-face to plead for an extension for the stalled casino project.

Yant Kinney’s refering to “How Foxwoods Got a Leg Up”, published this past Sunday. It’s truly disgraceful:

Foxwoods needed help in Harrisburg.

So its lawyer and lobbyist, Stephen A. Cozen, turned to an old friend whose campaigns he had generously supported: Gov. Rendell.

Then Cozen called on legislative leaders – Democrats Todd Eachus and Dwight Evans in the House, Republican Dominic Pileggi in the Senate. It was as if someone had drawn Cozen a map. Indeed, someone had.

“I advised him to talk to everyone in leadership, on both sides of the aisle,” Rendell remembered.

By December, a 42-word sentence appeared on Page 55 of the 230-page bill to legalize poker and other table games at Pennsylvania casinos.

It said the state Gaming Control Board could extend a casino’s license for “36 months . . . or December 31, 2012.”

Those words spelled hope for Foxwoods’ future.

Who put them in the bill?

The answer isn’t simple or clear. It’s behind the scenes, in the tortuous, often murky process of building a major piece of legislation – the “melting pot of ideas,” as a Senate aide said.

But the idea of giving Foxwoods more time did not rise from the grass roots; it drifted down from the top. Casino foes learned of it too late to get it undone.

Go read the rest, if you can stomach it. It’s a nauseating look at the way politics is done in Pennsylvania: it ain’t what the people need, it ain’t what’s best for he commonwealth, it’s he who pays, gets toplahy.

No wonder the legislature likes casinos so much: they identfy with the house!

I popped off a snotty, sarcastic piece about the SS United State, a once-luxurious ocean liner rotting on the piers in Philly:

The S.S. United States Casino: a unique metaphor for USA in the 21st century: where suckers go to lose all their money chasing after get rich schemes, never realizing that the house always wins.

…and so far reaction is… positive??

Go read the rest.

Apparently, Ed thinks that it’s “gutless” for City Council to delay siting slots parlors on the Delaware River. I think Ed needs a new dictionary, because what City Council is doing is called “representing Philadelphians”.

Perhaps the governor’s strongest statements about opposition to the slots parlors, Rendell referred to a “City Council with no guts that can be extorted by community groups.” He said the delays were also blocking 7,000 jobs for a city “dying for jobs” and wage-tax reductions for city residents.

If anyone’s extorting someone it’s Ed Rendell and his friends in the casino/slots parlor industry. The people in the river wards have enough to deal with with poverty, prostitution, drugs, and a poorly-designed stretch interstate that tore the neighborhood in two years ago. The area is finally making a comeback, and a bunch of special interests who don’t give a rat’s ass about the community want to plunk a slots parlor right next door to a residential neighborhood.

Slots parlors don’t attract high-rollers: there are no games of chance like poker or blackjack, just row after row of one-armed bandits. It won’t benefit the neighborhood.

But don’t tell Fast Eddy: he’ll tell you you’re gutless for standing up for your community. I guess it’s true: Ed Rendell only cared about Center City.

Tip o’ the hat to Lutton Square.

First he says:

To summarize their remarks (Which isn’t easy. They do run on): Casinos are evil. They will cause a crime wave. The city will get no economic gain from them. They will result in job losses. They will ruin adjacent neighborhoods. They were created as part of a corrupt deal among casino operators, legislators and Gov. Rendell. And the rights of the people – the everyday, hardworking citizens of Philadelphia – were trampled on in the process.

To which I reply, I disagree. But none of those arguments prompted me to write the piece I did.

What prompted me was the threat by some casino opponents to block construction of SugarHouse, the one casino that appears closest to a construction start.

The argument made by folks from Casino-Free Philadelphia is that because the process was corrupt, they have a moral right – perhaps a moral imperative – to break the law. To lay down in front of the bulldozers and stop construction.

Now, that part is nuts. And it is wrong.

But he ends the piece saying:

That’s not to say there aren’t minuses. Gambling can be an addiction, and this will make it easier for local addicts to get a fix. Traffic around them will be mucked up. There will be an increase in crime around the casinos. The casinos themselves are Grade B designs, in my view. I am not at all sure they picked the best locations on the waterfront for them.

Get it? Ferrick disagrees that “They will cause a crime wave”, but claims that “There will be an increase in crime around the casinos.” Ferrick disagrees that “They will ruin adjacent neighborhoods” but at the same time believes that “Traffic around them will be mucked up. There will be an increase in crime around the casinos. The casinos themselves are Grade B designs, in my view. I am not at all sure they picked the best locations on the waterfront for them.” Unless “mucked up” traffic, increased crime, and Grade B designs are seen as neighborhood improvements, I’d say Tom Ferrick has just undermined his entire case.

Ferrick is also a little confused about the concept of “civil disobedience,” which some might argue was essential to establishing our great United States.

So now they say they have the right to block the casinos with their bodies? I think not.

The casinos – like them or hate them – were created by a law that was passed by the legislature, signed by the governor, and upheld by the courts.

It is the law of the land. And in this country we don’t get to follow the laws we like and ignore the ones we don’t. We live by the rule of law.

Interestingly, segregation was “created by a law that was passed by the legislature, signed by the governor, and upheld by the courts”. And so was Prohibition. And the Fugitive Slave Act, which countless Philadelphians refused to obey. Perhaps the Abolitionists should have sent the slaves back. Harriet Tubman should be listed as a national disgrace for not submitting to bondage. So, in its way, were the Stamp Acts. The colonists should have paid their taxes to the King. The Boston Tea Party was an outrage. The law is the law, and there is no such thing as a bad law or legislative shenanigans or voter disenfranchisement, and those statements are doubly true in Philadelphia. Ferrick dishonors and disrespects our ancestors and our national history with his spiteful and craven apology for government malfeasance and greed.

Interestingly, you can find Mr. Ferrick’s address on 411.com. It is no surprise to this writer that Ferrick doesn’t live anywhere near either proposed site: Mr. Ferrick lives a few blocks from the Broad Street Line, which takes him directly to his office at the Inky. Mr. Ferrick’s neighborhood will not be affected by exponentially greater traffic. Mr. Ferrick will not have prostitutes and criminals (the ones he says won’t-but-will come) in his neighborhood.

I say that Palumbo Park, which seems to be right in the middle of Mr. Ferrick’s neighborhood, is an eyesore that attracts litter and criminals. It’s disgraceful: the site should be improved, and a slots parlor should be erected on the grounds, where it can bring income and tourism to the neighborhood. Gamblers can spend their winnings at Pat’s and Geno’s and shop at the Italian Market. It would be a boon for Ferrick’s neighborhood.

Put the slots parlor there, and I guarantee Ferrick would howl in protest. It’s different when it’s YOUR backyard: the people of the river wards have been through enough.

Dear Brendan,

I know everyone on this list is deeply concerned for the future of our neighborhoods, so I wanted to forward this email about what you can do today, concerning the awarding of TWO casino licenses along the Delaware Riverfront.

In case you have not heard the breaking news: the PA Gaming Control Board picked Foxwoods and Sugarhouse. In response, two events are planned.

THIS AFTERNOON at 3:00pm @ corner of 9th and Washington (in front of the seafood place) – Press Conference and Rally down in South Philadelphia

THIS EVENING at 6:00pm starting at the Sugarhouse site (North Delaware Ave. at Shackamaxon St.) and then going to the Foxwoods site (Columbis Blvd, just north of Home Depot and WalMart) – Community Gathering sponsored by NABR

For people who want more on the decision:
* Marc Stier has written a response that he’ll be posting soon on his website
* Jeff Shields and Angela Couloumbis of the Inquirer are blogging about it live from Harrisburg
* Ben Waxman has written a short summary of the situation:
-The Foxwoods project is backed by a guy who got slapped with a $200,000 fine. It’s almost like they tried to flout the ethical concerns on purpose.
-Both the Sugarhouse and Foxwoods projects have the most organized and highest level of community opposition.
-Both projects will wreck havoc on waterfront development.
-We have already won a major victory by exposing how corrupt and shady the whole thing is.
-Community activists from other neighborhoods need to be prepared to fight for all of Philadelphia.
-The process isn’t over. There are still opportunities for meaningful local control in zoning and other areas.

Lawsuits are expected, including an appeal from NLNC, NDAUC, NABR, Casino-Free Philadelphia, and likely many others. See you this afternoon or tonight.
- Daniel Hunter

I can’t make either rally (work stuff) but I am glad to pass this information along.

One thing that pisses me off about the whole debate is that the state and the gam[bl]ing interests insist that the city is getting “casinos”. My ass: they’re getting slots parlors. There are no table games here, nothing that requires more skill than putting a quarter in a slot and pushing a button. No high rollers or limousines here: just big windowless boxes, situated right next to a residential area with poor highway access that will force traffic through tiny streets where children play (I drive past the site on my way to work every day).

Another thing is this whole “gaming” euphemism, as if deleting the “bl” somehow makes it different. Sure, and if I call “shit” “poo-poo” it’s somehow less smelly?

Another thing is the whole dirty way the issue has played out: dirty, opaque, corrupt Pennsylvania politics at its finest.

I can’t make either rally, but if you have the time, please go.