Don’t Let One Man’s Greed Destroy Everything We’ve Built Over the Last 100 Years

Don’t Let One Man’s Greed Destroy Everything We’ve Built Over the Last 100 Years
As we collectively reflect on the joyous Passover season and the magnificent time spent with family and loved ones in our homes, we cannot help but to pause and thank G-d for the bounty in our lives and for the outstanding community that we have built over the many decades.

Because we are so very concerned with perpetuating the legacy that we have created with tremendous effort, we cannot remain silent in the face of an ominous threat that looms over us. As many of you know, the issue of establishing a casino gambling mecca in nearby Coney Island has been a thorn in our side. Unfortunately, with the passage of time it has become abundantly clear that this dangerous proposition is on its way to become a frightening reality.

As a community that prides itself on assiduously building the moral character of our children and for making efforts to keep them safe at all costs, it is incumbent upon us to raise our collective voice in outrage over the likely possibility of having casino gambling and its colossal negative impact in our own backyard. It is prohibited for us not to speak out against the ill conceived plans of one person who is single handedly attempting to vanquish everything we have given our lives to build, not to mention the efforts of our antecedents.
It goes without saying that gambling is an egregious vice that has shattered lives, families and entire communities and that, if not stopped, will infect our community in the most nightmarish of ways. As published studies acknowledge, casino gambling represents a virtual magnet for the proliferation of violent crime, the insinuation of mafia elements, the dissemination and sale of lethal drugs, the moral filth of prostitution as well as creating snarling traffic and the increased chance of vehicular accidents and theft.

Despite reports to the contrary, those who have conducted exhaustive studies of the effects of casino gambling on the vitalization of the local economy agree that casino gambling does not bring about job growth and that locals still live in abject squalor, as is illustrated in Atlantic City. Local businesses will not thrive, a housing crisis will worsen and the quality of living will drastically decline.

Speaking to the Brooklyn Paper, a Coney Island native said, “From the 2009 rezoning, we learned the hard way. They promise you jobs, jobs, jobs, and what you get is bupkis,” as was reported by Archinect.com. “You get a few construction jobs and maybe a few minimum wage jobs, and the rest goes to the whole universe, they don’t try to hire in the community. So if you ask me, the only thing this is going to bring us is aggravation.”
She also said: “Everybody else on the peninsula has become a stepchild to the amusement area,” adding that “the amusement area, as it is, sucks up resources like the vacuum cleaner.”

Let’s not forget that the Orthodox community in Sea Gate faces enormous danger as well due to the proximity of their community to where the proposed casino gambling hotels and halls will be built. It is no secret that for all of us, rampant crime in this city is of paramount concern and we are doing everything in our power to create a safer place to live and raise our families. Why make things exponentially worse by adding the deleterious effects of casino gambling to this potentially lethal mix?

We exhort each of you to take a moment to reach out to our local elected officials and tell them in no uncertain terms that we adamantly refuse to allow casino gambling to destroy all that is dear to us.