The Chinatown community’s fight against building a new Philadelphia 76ers arena in the neighborhood is one deeply rooted in history, writes David W. Chen for The New York Times.

Deborah Wei, a co-founder of the community group Asian Americans United, can recall wearing a “No Stadium in Chinatown” T-shirt in 2000 when a new baseball stadium for the Philadelphia Phillies was proposed there.

Now, she wears another T-shirt with the word “Arena” replacing “Stadium” in opposition to a new Sixers arena being built six inches away from Chinatown’s southern boundary.

The fear stems from the fate of the downtown Chinatowns in Washington, St. Louis, and other cities, which saw gentrification and redevelopment shrink or erase them entirely. 

The National Trust for Historic Preservation named Philadelphia’s Chinatown as one of America’s 11 most endangered historic places in 2023.

Those at the forefront of the proposal have suggested there should be no fear.

“We’re going to do this right. We’re going to honor this and respect this and find a way to enhance,” said David Adelman, part-owner of the 76ers and chair of the 76 DevCo development team.

With a new administration now in office and the team’s lease expiration another year closer, the Chinatown community is continuing the fight. 

Read more about Chinatown’s fight at The New York Times. 

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