STATESIDE STATESIDE Stateside


It seems everyone - in every city - is looking to develop their own entertainment hubs. Sharon Harris considers the impact of such plans.


Arrested developments A


s usual, happenings occurring nationwide in real time create a dilemma for me. How do I prioritize where to focus my attention for this column? Do I discuss events fi guratively “on fi re” or report on topics that will remain timely?


It is always a tough call. At the risk of repeating myself, two


recent issues and their fallout continue to make the headlines, and with good reason. First, the New York City casino battle has ignited real division among


groups supporting and opposing specifi c proposals. New York Mets owner Steve Cohen is confronting protests against his proposed Queens casino next to Citi Field baseball stadium. Area residents and environmental groups argue Cohen will eliminate 50 to 60 acres of vital public park land. They demand the land be used to benefi t the


community since soaring rents and infl ation have hurt residents. Miles away, the Manhattan Times Square casino proposal from music mogul Jay-Z, real estate developer SL Green and Caesars also incites passionate responses. The infl uential 700-plus- member Broadway League rejects their concept. They have organized the “No Times Square Casino Community Coalition” of local community groups, businesses, prominent restaurants and the Times Square Church. Broadway League President Charlotte St. Martin warns


8 MAY 2023


Wynn called Las Vegas a “target rich” environment in November 2015 and recruited top law enforcement and military


congestion will cause economic disturbances and “social harm.” How does she defi ne “social harm” to Times Square? She surely has seen the guitar-playing “naked cowboy” singing in his underwear for the past 20 years, or the many topless young women, with body paint covering appropriate body parts, who parade through Times Square almost daily. People line up to take photos with them and give them tips. I’ve


often seen them myself. Are these wholesome tourist attractions or does it cause “social harm” when families visit New York City? St. Martin’s reaction seems selective and, once again, gaming is the villain in the story. St. Martin said, “After a decades-long turnaround that revitalized


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the neighborhood and turned it into a pre-eminent destination for locals, businesses and tourists, Times Square is one of the most vibrant areas in the country… We don’t want to see that progress jeopardized by a casino.” I agree it is the wrong site, but for different reasons. I have stressed


that it is New York City’s worsening crime that concerns me. The opposing “Coalition for a Better Times Square” advocates include hotels, labor unions, other businesses and restaurants. Some


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