Wow folks -- what a victory for people fighting to make sure that we get casinos moved out of any Philadelphia neighborhood that doesn't want them --

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20080704_Evans__Fumo_give_casinos_a...

House Appropriations Chairman Dwight Evans and State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo said at a news conference that they would draft legislation to remove the casinos' tax breaks if they did not abandon their proposed sites on the Delaware River waterfront.

The locations, which were decided upon 21/2 years ago, are "untenable and contrary to the public interest," the Democrats said in a statement.

"We are sending a message to citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that we are trying to fix the problem," said Evans, joined by nine Philadelphia-area lawmakers in addition to Fumo. "We didn't think it would be the problem it is today, but it has created tension for people in the community as well as politically."

Hi folks -- I've seen lots of debate about whether or not the information that my colleagues and friends released Friday about the police action at 17th and Ridge was enough for folks. There's been much conversation and support bubbling up from the city for the folks who were evicted Friday. Over the weekend they developed this press release, and decided to organize a press conference to answer questions and to hammer home the point -- the city can't use the police, L&I, or any other instrument to stop us when residents ask questions about the rising police presence and surveillance in the city. Hope to see you at the press conference.

RELEASE: Homeowners Fighting Police Brutality Illegally Arrested, Never Charged
Home Closed by Dept. of Licensing & Inspections, Property Seized by PA State Police
Press Conference: Tuesday, June 17th, 1 pm, Outside West Side of City Hall

Media Mobilizing Project and local broadband activists are urging Philadelphians to call Mayor Michael Nutter on Wednesday May 21, (today!) to demand that the city step in to save the Wireless Philadelphia network and keep digital inclusion as part of its agenda.

Earthlink plans to begin dismantling the $17 million network June 12, after failing to convince either the city or a non-profit to assume ownership. If you are making this call, you could say:

My name is ___________, and I live at __________ here in Philadelphia. Please tell Mayor Nutter to halt Earthlink's dismantling of the municipal wireless network. Before Earthlink breaks its contract with our city, we need a full conversation about how to get everyone online!

Or something of that nature.

Call now! (215) 686-3000 or (215) 686-2250.

For more info and background, click here.

In case you missed it: on Wednesday, Philadelphians who want to check out just how new Mayor Nutter's "new day" is have a chance to do just that, by asking the city to make sure that Earthlink does not dismantle the 17 million dollar wireless network affixed to Philadelphia's lightpoles. Beth McConnell posted the news release from the Media Mobilizing Project yesterday:

Media Mobilizing Project and local broadband activists are urging Philadelphians to call Mayor Michael Nutter on Wednesday May 21, to demand that the city step in to save the Wireless Philadelphia network and keep digital inclusion as part of it's agenda. Earthlink plans to begin dismantling the $17 million network June 12, after failing to convince either the city or a non-profit to assume ownership.

When: Wednesday, May 21st 9AM-5PM

Phone Number: (215) 686-3000 or (215) 686-2250.

"A new day?" you say? But it was John Street who put Philadelphia on the wireless map by saying that our city would be one of the first, and the biggest of the wireless hotspots in the country. "Out with the old," you might say -- or "I don't know anyone who uses this network anyway, and it's a waste of money."

Well, I'm here to tell you that if Mayor Nutter wants Philadelphians to get online and to enjoy all the benefits that affordable, ubiquitous access can provide, abandoning Wireless Philadelphia is exactly the wrong start. Plus -- Mayor Nutter is letting Earthlink break a contract it made with our city to operate this network for at least ten years. Letting an out-of-state company walk away from a deal to put our city online, just because the deal is inconvenient, sounds a lot more like yesterday than a new day to me, Mayor Nutter.

Mayor Nutter talks about the concerns he has when it comes to the costs of operating a wireless network -- he doesn't want city residents to pay 3 million dollars a year to subsidize this internet service. Fair enough, I guess, but we should remember that we haven't spent anything at all, yet, on installing or operating the network. The investment and the risk here in the Philly market were Earthlink's. After endless debate in City Council and in the court of public opinion, the city decided to choose a wireless network builder that would build and operate a network at its own cost, and build a profit off of the customer base that it would attract. That didn't work out for a bunch of reasons -- but Mayor Street, and now, Mayor Nutter, have their heads screwed on sideways if they think that a city as big and diverse as Philadelphia can break the digital divide without any investment at all.

On top of that -- instead of committing to being an anchor tenant in the network, paying for city accounts and service and taking some responsibility for using it, the city chose to build a quasi-private nonprofit, Wireless Philadelphia, that would somehow figure out how to force Earthlink to provide reliable, cheap internet to folks without computers or experience using them -- while also raising money to subsidize those computers and that training. With dollar signs and technology-minded fame in his eyes, Mayor Street ran forward, promising no cost to the city, and profit to Earthlink -- forgetting that real investment is needed for real digital inclusion.

Greg Goldman and Wireless Philadelphia should be praised for working hard to raise money and to pilot that training, as Earthlink started to shutter its wireless projects nationwide. He should also be congratulated for sticking to his post and his battleground -- he and Wireless Philadelphia seem to be fighting hard to make the city and Earthlink stop their rush to dismantle the $17 million dollar network.

Whether or not we think that wireless is the right way or the wrong way to provide service to thousands of people who otherwise would have to wait hours at the library to get access to blogs like this, we have to face facts -- if we let the city shut the door on Wireless Philadelphia, we're saying that getting our neighbors online doesn't matter. Instead of bowing to Earthlink's tantrum, the Mayor should be fighting to keep the network online while negotiating a real settlement with Earthlink, Wireless Philadelphia, and the dozens of community groups and institutions who want a seat at the table.

For starters: Earthlink, breaking its contract to serve the city for at least ten years? The Mayor and the City Solicitor need to keep our wireless equipment on our poles and Earthlink's service running, at least for the time being. Next: Earthlink, suing in federal court to keep their contract-breaking liabilities to $1 million dollars or less? If we decide to let Earthlink go, we need a compensation package and a real deal that puts the city on its next steps towards real digital inclusion.

And that's the real point. When it comes to folks and their basic human right to communicate, the technology is a lot less important than all of us coming together to decide what we need and to implement it. The municipal wireless negotiations were notorious for cutting out immigrant communities, independent media makers, and neighborhoods that Comcast and Verizon never visited with cable modems or DSL. And, with no wireless network or organized base of community members clamoring loudly for digital inclusion, Comcast and Verizon will feel well within their rights to smack down any other attempt at the city fighting to serve our community with a network that it owns. Remember: Verizon got the legislature to pass a law keeping municipally-controlled broadband and communications out of every other city in the state back in 2004. Verizon got the right to veto any other community and its plans -- and Rendell signed it.

We got a pass because of Wireless Philly, because we fought to make the decision ourselves -- and I hope we all intend to fight for our right to serve our city with communications any way we damn well please.

Starting with our calls to the Mayor tomorrow, and the Media Mobilizing Project's wireless forum on June 3rd at Temple, we can start fighting to make sure that Philadelphia, and the communications companies who profit here, provide us with communications that are worthy of our great city.

Both the Washington Post and the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote stories in the past two days discussing the financial support that Sugarhouse Casino majority-owner Neil Bluhm has provided to the presidential campaign of Senator Barack Obama. As the Inquirer tells us:

The Obama campaign said yesterday it saw nothing inconsistent in the senator's accepting support from Neil G. Bluhm, a Chicago-based real estate developer. According to the Washington Post, Bluhm has bundled together $78,000 in contributions from himself and his family.

Mr. Obama's position on casino gambling seems confusing at best. He made one oft-mentioned quote to the Chicago Defender back as a State Senator, fighting the then-Governor of Illinois Rod Blogojevich's hopes to patch up a budget deficit with casino receipts, saying that the "moral and social cost of gambling, particularly in low income communities could be devastating." But during and after his hard-fought race for the presidential primary win in the Nevada caucus, he defended himself against Clinton camp attacks on his gambling positions by saying:

Asked in February about his views, Obama told The Associated Press that Nevada should be proud of how it's used gambling as a "very successful economic model."

"The concerns that I had in Illinois related to the way in which those who own these (gambling river) boats had a very exclusive monopoly, were making enormous contributions to the state Legislature and were having a disproportionate influence on the legislation," Obama said.

Obama also was a critic of lawmakers accepting political contributions from gambling interests that were seeking permits from the Illinois Legislature.

The Senator said he continued to believe there is "certainly a potential moral and social cost to gambling, if it's not properly regulated, if children have access to it. It's something I continue to be concerned about."

What questions do you have for Ms. Dicker, Mr. Farnese, and Mr. Dockerty?

My question: Mr. Dockerty, both Ms. Dicker and Mr. Farnese have stood up to say that
casinos aren't right for our neighborhoods. Will you commit now to keeping casinos out of Philadelphia's neighborhoods, and empowering Philadelphia voters to decide whether or not they want casinos in our city at all?

http://www.whyy.org/91FM/radiotimes.html

Hour 2
PA State Senate debate. The fight to replace one of the Pennsylvania's
most powerful lawmakers takes center stage today. Guest host Dave Davies
moderates a debate between the three democratic candidates vying to
replace Philadelphia state senator Vince Fumo. Fumo who has served 30
years in the legislature announced earlier this year that he is not
seeking re-election while he is under Federal Indictment. The candidates
are community activist ANNE DICKER, Center City lawyer LARRY FARNESE, and