SugarHouse 13 Found 'Not Guilty'

Verdict a Victory for Entire City, Casino-Free Philadelphia Says

For Immediate Release

Today, Judge Dugan found 13 anti-casino activists "not guilty" on charges of failure to disperse, disorderly conduct, and criminal conspiracy. The activists were arrested on Sept. 29, 2009, for demonstrating against casinos by lining the entrance to the SugarHouse casino construction site.

"This verdict is a victory, not just for the defendants, but for the entire city of Philadelphia, and for citizens all over the nation that are fighting casinos," said Dan Hajdo, spokesperson for Casino-Free Philadelphia.

"These defendants put their bodies and their liberty on the line for their city," Hajdo said, "And they put casino supporters and investors on notice: The fight against casinos is just getting started. Save yourselves some money and save the taxpayers some money. Get out now."

All Philadelphia residents, the Sugarhouse 13 range in age from 25 to 72 and include several grandparents, two members of the clergy, several public school teachers, and veterans of the civil rights movement. Each defendant testified on her or his own behalf.

The trial helps put names and faces to a growing movement in Philadelphia and across the country, and highlights the reasons for this movement. The movement opposing casinos "is not about gambling. It's about stopping a predatory industry, the most predatory industry in America" said Les Bernal, head of the national group Stop Predatory Gambling. Casinos cultivate addiction because they depend upon addicts for their profits.

Research shows the presence of casinos in a community generates the need for more police, as well as criminal justice and addiction services; so the casinos will cost Philadelphia more than any revenue they may generate.

Far from creating jobs, the experience of other cities show casinos often result in a net loss of jobs when competition from casinos causes local businesses to close.

Casino-Free Philadelphia's mission is to stop casinos from coming to Philadelphia and close any that open. The social and economic costs of predatory gambling are plainly apparent from an industry reliant on addiction to survive. Visit us online at www.CasinoFreePhila.org.

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