A heated public hearing at the Coney Island YMCA drew residents, developers, and a six-member community advisory committee to debate a proposed $3.4 billion casino. Neighbors packed the gym with opposing signs, chanting and heckling during testimony and lining up for hours to speak. Some residents and NYCHA leaders emphasized potential local resources and economic advancement. Other residents warned of privatized streets, displacement, and loss of neighborhood character. Developers described the complex as a major economic engine that would create programs and funnel opportunities for advancement. The testimony underscored deep divisions within the community.
At the end of the day, you go home to your comfortable place. We stay here. This is our house. Leave it alone,
What we're really being asked is to accept a future where our streets are privatized, our residents are displaced, and everything that makes Coney Island ours is traded for the profit of the developer,
They said it would be "creating programs that allow people to advance" and funnel a "plethora of opportunities" in their facility.
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