"With no warning whatsoever, we got this announcement," said Mohan Seshadri, executive director of the Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance, which plays a key role in the Save Chinatown Coalition.
"It's a shame and for us, this really goes to show that this whole process has really been a sham from the beginning," he said.
Seshadri spent much of his day Thursday in meetings with people and groups who are worried about what the mayor's decision means for Chinatown.
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"What's going to happen to the ambulances? What's gonna happen to our small businesses when the delivery drivers can't get in and out of Chinatown," he said of the concerns.
In her announcement Wednesday afternoon, Mayor Parker said she's committed to keeping Chinatown thriving, while also touting the arena's economic benefits.
The 76ers declined an interview with Action News, instead directing us to a brief statement released Wednesday, which read: "We are grateful to Mayor Parker and her team for their time and diligence in evaluating our proposal and look forward to advancing to the next steps with City Council."
The Save Chinatown Coalition plans to be there for those next steps with City Council.
"We're gonna make sure that City Council hears directly from the 69% of the city that opposes this thing," said Seshadri.
Speaking on SportsRadio 94WIP, retired Eagles great Jason Kelce made it clear that he's not a fan of the team moving its arena to Center City. He said that he feels the developers strong-armed the city into the agreement when the team didn't rule out the possibility of moving out of Pennsylvania.
He also expressed concern for the people of Chinatown but ultimately concluded that the arena would probably be a space that people would come to enjoy.
"When it does get built in Center City and all these people are displaced, at the end of the day people are probably gonna love it," he said.
Mayor Parker's administration is drafting the legislation for council members to consider, including Councilmember Mark Squilla who represents Chinatown.
It'll then be up to the City Council to decide whether to pass the legislation.