On Sixers arena, opinions differ among Philadelphia’s Black clergy and leaders

It was an obvious choice for the Rev. Mark Tyler to stand with Chinatown when he heard the Sixers planned to build an arena on the neighborhood’s doorstep.

To Tyler — and other Black community members who oppose the arena — the people who ought to be given the greatest consideration are those who live there, and who would experience the greatest impact as a result. With the arena proposed to go on the block from 10th to 11th and Market to Filbert — abutting the southern border of Chinatown at Cuthbert Street, six feet from the nearest Chinatown business — that meant that Chinatown residents, business owners, and patrons were the ones who deserved support.

» READ MORE: African American clergy announce support for Sixers arena project, citing jobs and economics

So when Tyler and others who oppose the arena saw a group of Black clergy, as well as the African American Chamber of Commerce of PA, NJ & DE, gather for a news conference to announce their support for the project, they were shocked and angry.

The news conference the Sixers held, opponents said, felt like a purposeful erasure of the nuances within Black communities.

“More preachers that I’ve spoken to don’t support [the arena] than do,” Tyler said.

Those who support the arena see it as a great economic opportunity for Black residents and businesses to be included in the massive $1.3 billion project.

“This is about the opportunity for the city, and how do we include, for the first time in the history of this city, the birthplace of America, how do we finally include 44% of the population?” said the Rev. Donald Moore, of Mount Carmel Baptist Church, one of the pastors who endorsed the project at the March news conference. “How do we finally include us?”

The Black clergy who oppose the arena said they respect their colleagues’ stance in favor of it. But they take issue with the portrayal that there is just one way Black Philadelphians are thinking about the issue because “it doesn’t allow for the full character and culture of our community to come to light,” said Bishop Dwayne Royster, executive director of POWER Interfaith.

“We all have different priorities,” he continued. “Ending poverty in Philadelphia is my priority. The housing crisis is my priority. The arena isn’t addressing that. Some of us are concerned about real issues, not a game.”

An either-or scenario?

The months of protests against the project from Chinatown and its allies — focused on concerns about gentrification and displacement the arena could cause in the historic, immigrant neighborhood — resonated with many Black residents across the city who have fought parallel fights from West Philly to North Philly.

Tyler has seen the way thriving Black communities have been squeezed out by big development, such as the University of Pennsylvania. He’s seen the way his congregation at Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church, and others, has dwindled as a result. And because of his community’s own experiences, empathy and compassion for people who are harmed by gentrification — “or the next new big thing that promises that it will never disrupt your life” — are a given.

“If a group like the Sixers are comfortable enough pushing against Chinatown … there’s no space in the Black community that is sacred and off-limits,” he said. “So if you don’t stand up for Chinatown’s sake, stand up for your own sake.”

But those who support the arena don’t see it as a fast pass to the gentrification of Chinatown.

“There’s a difference between community development and gentrification,” said Moore. “This is a community development opportunity. It’s not gentrification of an area.”

If the plan was to build the arena near a Black community — and the circumstances were the same, in proximity and investment — the pastor says he would absolutely support it.

“For me,” he said, “it’s not ‘either-or.’ It looks like the Sixers are trying to make sure this is a ‘both-and.’ How can this work in a responsible way?”

Debating economic impact

Multiple community members took the podium at the March conference, all reiterating the same point: The $1.3 billion arena will provide unprecedented economic opportunities for Black businesses and residents across the city.

“The project will serve as an extraordinary catalyst for the economic development of our…