RICHMOND’S “BLACK” CASINO DIED BECAUSE OF WHITE PEOPLE – AND IT’S COMING BACK BECAUSE OF WHITE PEOPLE…HEAR ME OUT

When I heard the news that Richmond City Council approved plans for a new casino proposal in Richmond, I only had one thought: White people have done it again.

Well, that and Petersburg will never have anything nice on our watch. (The Burg has President Dr. Abdullah at VSU, who, I believe, is the best university president I’ve ever seen. So, you have that going for you, Petersburg); but that’s it.

Like many of you, I was shocked the casino referendum failed last November. I thought it would pass with flying colors, and we’d be well on our way to the Urban One Casino on Southside. The nation’s only Black-owned casino.

I didn’t think the casino opposition was as unified as they were during the Navy Hill fight a few years earlier and before the pandemic and protest of 2020. And I thought Urban One’s funding (at least $2 million in advocacy and advertising), along with seasoned advocates, hired lobbyists, and local political leadership would cruise the vote over the finish line. I was wrong.

For those interested, The Cheats Movement Podcast had the best episode about the casino debate in the entire media cycle. Casino advocate Lisa Speller made strong points as to why a casino — located on the Southside of Richmond, would bring major investment and assets to the capital city. Allan-Charles Chipman was also a guest on the episode and made detailed points as to why a casino would be a hidden drain on public funding and resources and a detriment to our community. It was a great podcast episode, you should go back and listen, but I digress.

My point is that I was shocked the referendum failed. Mayor Levar Stoney, who strongly advocated for the casino, was disappointed. Joe Morrissey and Reva Trammell were going around calling people who opposed the casino sell-outs (sell-outs to what?). I even think my guy Ajay Brewer was refusing to serve Brewers coffee to people opposed to the casino (I made that last one up – S/O Brewers Cafe). My point is a lot of people were shocked and upset that the casino failed. (You know who wasn’t shocked? Paul Goldman, you know he has intuition on these things).

But then, in the days following the vote, the breakdown was released detailing exactly how the referendum failed. And it was defeated by the thinnest of margins, 51.1% to 48.8%. What was that answer? Why did the casino proposal die? If you guessed white people, you’d be correct.

Now, just saying white people as a general answer is not genuine at all. Not to mention, doing so would diminish very arduous and effective work done by many Black advocates like Allan-Charles Chipman, Mike Kemetic, Chelsea Higgs-Wise, Kenya Gibson, Viola Baskerville, and many more. There were a lot of Black community leaders and advocates against the casino. And, I think their anti-casino advocacy was needed in discussion. But, with that, when the voter information was released — when the public truly saw how Richmond voted, particularly by race, Something happened.

What happened exactly? Allow me to explain an elementary truth in this world: Whenever large numbers of white people get together and do anything unified — Black people are skeptical. Furthermore, if that happens in Richmond, Black people are wary and suspicious (And we should be).

So what did the breakdown report? In a city that is approximately 47% Black, whiter council districts seemed to have the most significant say in the casino vote. The proposal failed badly in the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, and split the 3rd. In heavily populated Black council districts, closer to where the casino would be located, the 8th and 9th, the referendum overwhelmingly passed, And the vote narrowly passed in the 7th.

Have you ever had a friend who is wrong so often that when that friend says something right, you have to make sure you’re on the appropriate side of the issue?

That’s the feeling I got when I saw just how the vote failed. I think that was the feeling of a lot of people.

I’ve told most people who asked me about the casino that, I like casinos. I like shows and concerts. I love good restaurants and sports bars…all of that. BUT, if a casino doesn’t come to Richmond, that’s fine with me. Virginia approved four other casinos in 2020 from Norfolk to Bristol, and the MGM is two hours north in DC. If you opposed casinos, for whatever reason, I genuinely understand that too. I don’ think casinos are a net positive for society. But I don’t think alcohol is a net positive for society either…and I do have the occasional drink.

The bottom line is, and I find this fascinating: The reason the casino vote failed in the first place is that white people voted against it in large numbers. And the reason the casino is coming back is because white people voted against it in large numbers, and that makes Black people look at the situation differently.

It’s not rocket science, it’s just Richmond.