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Environmental racism, Chinatown and the Gallery casino
Submitted by HelenGym on Mon, 09/29/2008 - 12:41pm.
Gambling and gambling addiction in Asian communities is a well-known problem. Jennifer Lin’s Inquirer story today shows just how severe it is. Among the stunning statistics:
- A survey of southeast Asian refugees in Connecticut (where statewide they only have two casinos), found that 59% were pathological gamblers.
- In Atlantic City, an estimated 15-20% of revenues come from Asian gamblers.
- A national study found that Asians had a prevalence of pathological gambling three times higher than whites.
Studies in general on Asian particularly Asian immigrant mental health problems are limited by the lack of bilingual and culturally responsive outreach. But for people on the ground level the concern about gambling addiction is overwhelming. The few doctors and family health counselors who work in Asian immigrant communities all point to gambling addiction as a major problem in Asian immigrant communities. But even more relevant is the lack of available help for immigrant gambling addicts.
Access to help already is a problem for Asians who don't speak English.
"Treatment of gambling addiction that is culturally competent is nonexistent in Philadelphia," said Philip Siu, founder of Chinatown Medical Services, the city's largest community health center for Asians.
Gamblers Anonymous, the best-known self-help group for compulsive gamblers, does not offer local meetings in Asian languages. The state-supported Council on Compulsive Gambling of Pennsylvania hands out printed information on how to get help, but not in Asian languages.
Last week, I and one of the leaders of the Chinatown community went door to door to businesses to do a sample survey of their feelings about the casino. We found that more than 80% of businesses oppose the proposed casino or needed more information (this latter group was less than 10% of respondents). The number one concern cited, even by those who supported a casino, was the concern about gambling and gambling addiction. It wasn’t a generic fear of gambling. It was literally: I am afraid my husband, or my mother, or my children will be at the casino.
So what does that mean for the city? In our meeting with city officials, most professed that they had no knowledge that gambling was any greater a problem in Chinatown than in other communities. We’re willing to give them that. But now that concrete evidence indicates that not only could there be a serious problem, but that the city and state centers are poorly equipped to handle such a problem, what does it mean for the city to go ahead and continue to place the casino next to such a vulnerable community?
For many people in the community, this is what environmental racism looks like. It’s not only that a tiny residential community has endured 30 years of urban renewal projects that have taken away half the land and destroyed a third of the housing. It’s not just that there’s a lack of investment in the community – Chinatown despite being one of Philly’s oldest immigrant neighborhoods still lacks a public library, health clinic, rec center, or neighborhood public school.
Environmental racism also raises its head when there’s evidence of mental health problems and lack of infrastructure to address such problems, but all we get is a social worker or Foxwoods-sponsored counseling program or some translated brochures about gambling addiction. That just doesn’t cut it.
There are lots of things wrong with this site, but dismissing Chinatown’s anguish over the sufferings of its own people is not only cruel, it’s environmental racism at its clearest.
protecting people from themselves
if the problem is asian people why not just ban asians from the casino?
everyone else can enjoy the new facility and then asians won't have to worry about gambling addiction.
but your statement makes no more sense than banning bars and liquor stores from irish neighborhoods.
i'm sorry
i would like to apologize for this comment. i used a snarky one-liner because i saw signs of possible hypocrisy. my comment added nothing to the discussion.
please recognize by my several long (and i hope more constructive) responses that i have since decided engage in honest debate.
But the slot parlors are themselves the "nanny state"
Gambling under the rules set up by state law are all about government intervention. Not everybody gets a license to operate slot machines, only those with enough money and political clout to convince a handful of political appointees get a license to play the game and small time business folks are locked out. Every aspect of the industry is regulated with an eye towards maximizing government revenue from a few big players and cutting everybody else out.
Nothing about the casinos is about encouraging free and fair competition - they are exclusive licenses to profit immensely handed to the select few. The problem is that the criteria so far for how those licenses get distributed and the accountability of those who get the licenses to the communities they plan to operate in has been almost entirely pushed out of the publics hands.
Casinos do inflict social costs and their proponents ave not been honest about those costs. Its only what I would call "fair trade" to talk about forcing those operators to be fully responsible for the costs they inflict on their neighbors.
If the state is going to get in the business of granting limited licenses and protecting the profits of casino operators, its reasonable to ask them to take on the job of protecting the community from the casino operators as well.
-Sean
MrLuigi, my cat, actually only types half as badly as I do.
not quite nannies
government intervention does not necessarily mean a nanny state even if the intervention is foolish. the presence of slot parlors does not meet the above standard for a nanny state. the slots parlors are all about capturing for pennsylvania the gambling money that had been going out of state (mostly to atlantic city).
i do not actually think that we should ban asians from the slots parlors. but the real racism in this case is in saying that asians are constitutionally incapable of controlling themselves. african americans have also been stereotyped as gambling too much (like dice games). the elderly said to enjoy too much of the 'one armed bandit'. should we prevent the slots parlors from being placed anywhere near blacks or old people too?
i repeat my analogy of preventing bars in irish neighborhoods because the irish are constitutionally incapable of not getting drunk. you could make all the same arguments about liquor licenses that you do about slots licenses. yes slots licenses are rarer than liquor licenses but liquor licenses are still held only by a select few (who have a lot of money) and the resulting businesses effect the surrounding neighborhood.
i do not gamble, i do not smoke, i do not drink, i do not use drugs. i agree that the slots parlors will impose social costs (but to me this means increased crime and i think that the parlor operators should help pay for increased policing). personally i am not a fan of the slots parlors at all but it seems ironic that the argument here is itself the racist one - that an ethnic group is so helpless in the face of its own impulses that the government must protect it from itself. and while there is definitely a difference of degree this is similar in essence to the argument that blacks should remain in slavery because they cannot govern themselves.
everything i have written so far is theoretical. let me get down to the pragmatic. you say "its reasonable to ask
them[i presume the government] to take on the job of protecting the community from the casino operators as well" - what do you propose the government do to protect the chinatown community? in your 'fair trade' concept is there anything that the slot parlor operators could do to mitigate its being placed at market east? and if the slot parlor is moved away from chinatown - but near blacks or the elderly or the irish - will you be satisfied then?Um, you missed the point?
If you've read any of the posts about booze and slots parlours here, here, here, and, uh, here I don't think "blacks, the elderly or the irish" are mentioned as prime targets.
The point is that most cities with casinos don't put them near any residential neighborhoods.
You also missed Sean's point that it is the government's job to watch these casino operators because it's a state-sanctioned, site-specific, government-endorsed project.
maybe i did miss the point
maybe i did miss the point.
in the case of sean's comments i would say that i just wanted more information about his point. i asked him to clarify which he did below. i agree with everything he says in paragraphs 1, 2, and 4. the mixed-income housing mentioned in paragraph 3 isn't a bad idea by itself but i don't think the correlation will be as strong as sean might like.
that most cities don't put casinos near residential neighborhoods is a legitimate criticism. it's one that has been used since the very beginning of the slot parlor debate and it's one that i agree with. and that's the point of the four blog posts you just linked to.
but if "most cities with casinos don't put them near any residential neighborhoods" is the point of the jennifer lin article then yes i really missed the point. because as i read it the lin article (and the blog post to which these comments are attached) did not say that casinos ruin neighborhoods. it said that a slots parlor will especially ruin an asian neighborhood because asian people are especially incapable of controlling their impulse to gamble. and that's what i take issue with.
arguing that putting a slots parlor so close to a residential neighborhood is a fair point. taking the steps sean mentioned are beneficial and probably necessary. but arguing that it is racist to put a slots parlor so near chinatown because asians are comparatively defenseless against the temptations of gambling is racist in its own right.
Trying to understand but not sure it's worth it
1. Let's clarify that there's a difference between racism and environmental racism. I personally think that it's a comfort level issue (since we're on a blog and not in a court of law), but you're obviously freaked out about charging governments with racist practices, so be assured that my post above focused on the more legally recognized term of environmental racism.
2. Doctors, mental health professionals, family counselors, neighbors and Chinatown residents themselves recognize and have documented gambling and gambling addiction as a problem in our community.
3. To clarify, no one's saying we Asians are genetically predisposed to it - I agree that that would be racist. There are some unique socio-economic circumstances about Asian immigrants in the U.S. in particular, particularly poor and working class Asian immigrants that make gambling addiction more prevalent. Because of immigration restrictions for example, many family members are separated and are left alone with few social anchors and cultural or community outlets, especially if they are not English proficient. Gambling is an outlet for them.
4. But make no mistake - it's not a coincidental outlet. Foxwoods among other casinos are well aware of the "Asian market." They cater to it - or rather prey upon it. Las Vegas is expanding its Asian table games, 52% of Atlantic City revenues come from Asians. In a discussion I had with Foxwoods chair Michael Thomas, after I raised concerns about prevalence of gambling addiction in the Asian community, he said " You call it a gambling addiction. I call it a client base."
5. The City has no resources to address needs of Asian gambling addicts. None. Nutter is being praised (as he should) for being the first Mayor to call for city departments to have a language policy, for heaven's sake. How are they equipped to help limited-English speaking Asian immigrant gambling addicts?
6. Again, we're not talking about joining your office NCAA pool. We're talking about a state-sanctioned, government-endorsed project where everyone from the Governor to the Mayor to the Planning Commission and City Council are lining up to give this project a smooth run.
7. They have chosen as their site, despite all the studies, despite fleeing the waterfront because of residents booting them out, a location less than 50 feet away from a residential neighborhood where mental health professionals and the people themselves have raised concerns about gambling addiction.
8. And to us that is the definition of not just environmental racism but state-sanctioned predatory gambling. This is a case where the state/city is using all its government power, resources and money to exploit a vulnerable community that is denied access to resources within the government to combat the exploitation.
So what about this makes me racist? You're uncomfortable that we're calling the city on it, but not that the state and Foxwoods is exploiting us for their profits. We're missing each other here but not sure it matters.
that quote....
That pretty much says it all.
a point of agreement?
i have been preparing a lengthy response to your comment. in researching my argument (thanks to google) i found an interview with gambling researcher dr. timothy fong of ucla. he conducted a study of gambling among the korean, cambodian, and vietnamese communities in los angeles.
he found that the higher rate of asian problem gamblers within the population at large is solely because asians as a whole gamble at a higher rate than other ethnicities. the percentage of asian problem gamblers relative to the percentage of all asian gamblers is in line with the rates for the population at large: "What’s surprising is we didn’t find a higher rate between Asians and non-Asians. But what we did find was that about half of the actual casino patrons were Asian."
the interviewer and dr. fung then discussed why this is so:
if it has been your point all along that "there is a disproportionate number of asian problem gamblers because asians gamble at a disproportionately higher rate than the population at large" then i have misunderstood and i must adjust my argument. but this is not the impression i got from the blog post or from ms. lin's article or from john chin's sept 15 interview on whyy's radio times. reading dr. fung's remarks was enough to stop me in my tracks and ask you for clarification.
I won't belabor
your curiosity about whether, why, or justifications for the prevalence of gambling addiction within Asian communities. That's not my point (though it could be the least grammatically correct sentence I've ever written).
The point is about state-sanctioned predatory gambling that exploits a vulnerable community. The casino industry, as this Chicago Sun Times story points out, smells blood:
Like the man said: You call it a gambling addiction, I call it a client base.
For starters
Real cost estimates for language specific gambling additcition programs. Real numbers for defraying the costs of extra police and traffic control for the slot parlor - which means real numbers for how many folks going to the slots parlors will actually drive - instead of just hoping that because The Gallery is above public transportation that the people who will actually come will use it.
Planning concessions to make up for the fact that casinos are by design about capturing people ad dollars and not letting them out - often to the very real detriment of restaurants and entertainment venues in the immediate surrounding area.
How about mixed-income permanent residential upstairs from the casino itself so the developer has a direct investment in how the casino effects home values and residential livability in the immediate area.
Helen mentioned some things - a library, a local public school. I'm sure there is stuff that Foxwoods can do to show that it wants to be a good neighbor.
-Sean
MrLuigi, my cat, actually only types half as badly as I do.
Helen, this is heartbreaking
Is there an email list that people can sign up for to stay in the loop for actions around the Chinatown siting issue? Through AAU or is there a separate coalition-type group?
Email me!
We have a Casino News Round-Up.
wow
Thanks for these stats -- I had no idea! definitely something that should be part of the conversation!
For what it's worth, the library at 7th and Market has a huge section of Chinese books and videos (and classes and readings), so the Chinatown community isn't really being overlooked on that front, at least.
sigh.
acm
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
— Margaret Mead
hope
i separated the following from a longer comment i am going to post because i didn't want it to get caught up in the political debate:
gamblers anonymous is an independent organization that adheres to the twelve traditions so i expect they would not get involved in political matters. i will not drag them into this controversy. as the group's website states:
people who think they may have a gambling problem (and those who don't) may be interested in reading the group's Q&A. those seeking help can click the following links for lists of gamblers anonymous meetings in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and all over the world.
i did not see a gamblers anonymous meeting in the chinatown area of philadelphia. when was going through alcoholics anonymous (i have been sober for nearly two years) i was told that there is can be an AA meeting wherever there are two AA members. maybe someone would like to start a GA meeting in the chinatown/market east area.
this comment is not intended as criticism but as a note of optimism.
Hope don't belong here
I know your comment was made with the best of intentions, and forgive the edge in this comment here: But if people really cared about gambling addiction in the Asian community, MAYBE THEY WOULDN'T PUT A CASINO THAT TARGETS THEM IN AN ASIAN NEIGHBORHOOD.
"Our Asian blood loves to feel the luck"
Oh yeah, so I thought maybe that Michael Thomas might have had an off day when he said that our gambling addicts were his "client base" , but then I saw this quote from this, albeit, random internet news site:
It's so wonderful to have your culture be appreciated!
And all you folks out there who say it's OK cause it's being said by an Asian, go back to reading your Michelle Malkin and feel comforted.