Thursday (12/12) at 5:30pm Market Street was clear and driveable, with a heavy police presence, multiple would-be protesters standing around with signs, seemingly waiting for something to happen & a loud helicopter overhead.
Last night, the No Arena in the Heart of Our City Coalition took their cars to the streets in an attempt to simulate the gridlock that the proposed 76 Place arena would cause if built at 11th & Market Street.
Market Street was the sight of a self-imposed spectacle caused by the Philadelphia Police Department. The showing of protestors was modest, but the buzzing of police sirens, news helicopters, and the flashes of blue and red lights made the scene seem much more grand and chaotic than it actually was. “I’m scared, I gotta get out of here” remarked one young man scurrying down Market Street, as patrons of Hard Rock Cafe turned their chairs towards the window to watch the spectacle.
The protestors’ “car caravan” was effective from about 5:55 to 6:20pm, they did not achieve “gridlock” but they did cause a noticeable traffic jam westbound on Market Street for 25-30 minutes.
This came just hours after many more protestors were gathered inside City Hall to oppose City Council’s vote to approve 76 Place.
The official statement released by No Arena in the Heart of Our City after the City Council votes passed reads “Today was a searing indictment of the poor leadership from Council and the Mayor, who collapsed their own deal and were railroaded by billionaires and developers. It was shocking to see Council leadership declare a bottom dollar figure of $100 million, and completely capitulate to pressure less than 12 hours later. We have wasted months of time and countless hours of hearings, for barely any change in a deal that was written by the developers more than two years ago. It’s an embarrassing indication of the lack of strategic and tactical skills from a largely rookie Council who got played.”
Thursday night’s protest action was effective in showing that although the City Council vote passed, opposition will still make noise, and was effective in making the city waste resources as police mostly sat idly or rode their repossessed dirt bikes in a loop on Market Street. That being said, the car caravan simply did not have the numbers to achieve gridlock.
Leave a Reply