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We want to be direct with you.

We know we want SugarHouse to go bankrupt, so a more sustainable riverfront with good jobs can emerge. We know Foxwoods should never arrive in Philly, and that leaders should commit to funding an economy that doesn't prey on our city's residents and local businesses.

Over the last few years, we've developed a new way to fight casinos, and now we're at it again, facing a different playing field, but with the same determination to win. That said, sustained, strategic opposition to a casino has never before been attempted.

With YOUR help, we can do it. But we need more than your money or your time -- we need your ideas.

Last week, about 30 of us got together to talk strategy -- fighting SugarHouse in the short-term and predatory gambling in Philly in the long-term.

We know this will not be a short campaign. We will need to keep the pressure on SugarHouse for some time, and only regular vigilance will keep Foxwoods in purgatory forever.

So, how about it? Want to help us construct a historic campaign against casinos in our city? Sign up to volunteer.

• Action Planning Team: Make SugarHouse's opening week one to remember, and help plan a long-term strategy to shut down SugarHouse and fence out Foxwoods.
• Fundraising Team: In order to promote a sustainable city, we need to be a sustainable organization. Funding isn't the only pillar of a healthy organization, but it's a critical one! Help write and review grant proposals, cultivate individual donors, and plan a "sustainer party" for this fall.
• Messaging Team: Help formulate our message to the public through writing and reviewing emails like this one, building relationships with news reporters, contributing to our website, brainstorming audio and video projects and assisting with our presence on social media like Facebook and Twitter.
• Outreach Team: Increase our visibility across the city, cultivate relationships with local businesses, and help us find and review potential interns.

Sign up to work on any of these teams today!

Our next strategy session is on the evening of Tuesday, Sept. 14. Find out more and sign up to be reminded of the meeting the day before.

P.S. The Legal Intelligencer reported earlier this week that "Foxwoods might be years away" from opening. We prefer "never," but it's an encouraging headline nonetheless!