Throngs of protesters were turned away — and at least one was thrown out — at City Council on Thursday morning as legislators introduced bills that would authorize the construction of the 76ers arena on Market Street.
The chaotic session was the culmination of two years of starts, stops and strife since the proposal was announced. The plan calls for an 18,500-seat arena between 10th and 11th streets, which would take over part of the current Fashion District building and former Greyhound bus terminal. 76 DevCo, the developer behind the arena, has pledged to privately fund the $1.55 billion arena at no cost to the city.
MORE: Family of man who died of diabetes complications in Philly jail sues city, alleging his death was preventable
But activists argue that the plans would actually come at a huge price. The anti-arena contingent has insisted the development would shutter small businesses in neighboring Chinatown and price out longtime residents, among other ill effects. Some health care workers say the traffic generated by the arena would impede emergency vehicles to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, which operates the only Level 1 trauma center, reserved for the most critical cases, in Center City.
The battle between these dissenters and the developers had largely been playing out in the court of public opinion, until Mayor Cherelle Parker endorsed the arena in September. Parker called the plans "the right deal for the people of Philadelphia" and pledged to send the legislation necessary to approve them to City Council. Those 11 ordinances and resolutions were released digitally, with a formal introduction expected in City Council next month.
Councilmember Mark Squilla, who represents the district where the arena would be built, also introduced two additional bills on his own, one creating an authority and arena service district, and one removing Chinatown from the Center City zoning overlay.
Crowds gathered outside City Hall early Thursday in anticipation of that event. Lines to enter the City Council chambers spilled out into the courtyard a full hour before the legislative session, as protesters queued up to show their opposition.
They included Katie Glick, a registered nurse coming off a 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift at Pennsylvania Hospital.
"I don't work at (Jefferson), but I'm very concerned about the health and welfare of Philadelphians because of this potential arena," she said. "A trauma center deals with gunshot victims, stabbing victims, things like that. Instances where people could in fact bleed out really quickly. ... Anyone who is experiencing a massive trauma is going to (Jefferson) and any of them could be impacted if the traffic is worse."
Jeff Gruenwald, who lived in Newark before moving to Philadelphia, remembers when the Nets moved into their new home in the Prudential Center — only to leave a few years later for the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. This history drew him into the anti-arena movement in Philadelphia.
"It's the same kind of thing that would happen here," he said. "Only here, it would be far more dramatic because it's in the middle of Center City."
Security announced the chambers were full at 9:58 a.m., turning away all remaining activists. The ones who were already seated inside unfurled banners reading "Black Philly for: schools, housing, work, Chinatown!" and "Flagrant Foul: $400M Robbery Billionaires Handouts" from the balcony. Protesters booed and shouted at the first mention of the arena bills, drowning out the council members' voices and halting proceedings for several minutes. Council President Kenyatta Johnson pleaded several times for order.
The ruckus led to at least one ejection. Debbie Wei, a founder of Asian Americans United, grinned as sheriffs escorted her out of the chambers.
Despite the noisy start to the day, many protesters had left the session by the time Squilla introduced the legislation to little fanfare.
Council President Kenyatta Johnson said if he feels constituents have been heard and council members support the legislative package, he believes it can be voted on before the end of the year. If not, it will likely take longer.
In the interim, he declined to take an official stance on whether or not he'd support the arena.
"I support the effort to bring the legislation down to the actual council legislative process where it's going to be a real pressing dialogue and making sure that the end product is one that represents what the city of Philadelphia looks like demographically," Johnson said.
Squilla, however, made his stance clear when speaking to media after the meeting.
"I wouldn't have introduced it if I didn't think I could vote for it," he said, although he said he'd like to add some additional "safeguards" to the legislative package.
A 76ers spokesperson thanked Squilla, Johnson and Parker for their help in "reaching this critical milestone."
"There is still a lot of work to do, but we are one step closer to building a world-class arena for the 2031-32 season," the spokesperson said in a statement. "We look forward to working with the city as we move to the next steps in this process."
The protesters who participated in the actions Thursday will surely be there with them every step of the way.