Two weeks after dozens of Nassau County, New York residents rallied on the steps of the legislature building on Long Island to protest the proposed Las Vegas Sands casino at the site of the Nassau Coliseum, another protest was held in front of the building, this time by 50 residents who were joined by elected Nassau County village officials.
This latest protest had officials leading call-and-response chants such as “Say no to the casino, say yes to our children” and “Say no to gambling addiction, say no to the casino.”
“We’re particularly concerned about the traffic on our already overburdened roadways,” said Village of Garden City Mayor-elect Mary Carter Flanagan, according to the Long Island Press. “We’re concerned about crime, we’re concerned about DWI fatalities, addiction issues—all of the things that come along with a casino.”
Flanagan told the rally that the Garden City Village Board of Trustees has unanimously passed a resolution opposing the casino.
“It would be in an area where we have 40,000 students—Nassau Community, Hofstra University, Adelphi University, Uniondale High School, Bishop Kellenberg,” said Village Trustee Bruce Chester at the rally, according to the Press.
“We have a problem on this Island with young people and gambling addiction. This is not going to help this. This is a quick, easy-money solution, but it will be a long-term detriment. There will be a number of diverse communities in the area affected by this all around.”
In mid-March, the trustees of Hofstra University published an open letter opposing the casino, citing the same reasons recounted by Chester.
