MOHAMED FARGHALY
mfarghaly@queensledger.com
Nearly a thousand Queens residents rallied in Flushing on Nov. 16 to demand State Sen. John Liu reverse course and oppose billionaire Steve Cohen’s $8 billion Metropolitan Park casino proposal, saying the project threatens working-class immigrant communities and has moved forward without meaningful public input.
The protest, held outside the Queens Public Library on Main Street, drew residents from Flushing, Corona, Jackson Heights, College Point, Elmhurst and Jamaica, many of whom said they were stunned to see their own senator support legislation enabling Cohen to pursue a casino on 78 acres of public parkland surrounding Citi Field. The proposed development is one of several downstate casino applications currently under review in New York.
Organizers said Liu’s move could put Flushing “at the epicenter of three casinos in a 14-mile radius,” fueling gambling addiction, displacement and economic harm. “We want to make it perfectly clear that Senator Liu lied when he said we want this casino. We do not! And he is not fit to represent us,” emcees told the crowd as the rally opened.
The project, backed by Cohen and the New York Mets, has been pitched as an economic boost that would create 23,000 union jobs and add 25 acres of public green space. But many residents said they first learned of the casino plan only months ago, and organizers argue the official outreach process was designed to limit participation.
Fulton Hou, one of the rally’s lead organizers, said that in months of canvassing across the neighborhood, most residents had “not even heard of the project, let alone been involved in the process of giving their feedback.” He pointed to recent exit polling conducted by the MinKwon Center and the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund showing that “over 80% were not aware of the process or got a chance to weigh in.”
Hou said community advisory hearings held in September were scheduled at “horrible hours” for working families. “Out of all the casino applicants, this one had the least opportunity for people to speak,” he said.
Speakers at the rally included longtime residents, tenant leaders, faith leaders and people who said their families had been harmed by gambling. Hou noted that the concerns extend well beyond moral or cultural objections. “There are issues about public safety, traffic and congestion, environmental harms. The area itself is on a flood plain,” he said. Organizers also cited research suggesting casinos may create job losses in nearby commercial corridors despite economic gains for the facilities themselves.
Many speakers warned that the surrounding communities, largely working-class, immigrant neighborhoods are particularly vulnerable to gambling addiction. Organizers pointed to studies showing that casino clusters can heighten financial instability in areas like Flushing and Corona, where residents already face high economic pressure and limited access to support services.
“My husband and my three sons all fell into gambling. Gambling has destroyed my family, and many families like mine,” Bao Jin Qiu, Flushing resident and retired home care worker said. “This is about our whole community. Yet Liu dared to claim that he represented us to support the casino. John Liu, if you don’t right your wrong, you should NOT be our representative!”
Liu has previously spoken in support of the Metropolitan Park plan, arguing it would revitalize underused land around Citi Field. But Hou and others said the senator had undermined community sentiment and the stance of State Sen. Jessica Ramos, who represents the district containing most of the proposed site and has opposed the casino. “He went against her and against the interest of the community,” Hou said. “At least we want him to acknowledge and apologize for it.”
Organizers say they are also pushing Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state Gaming Facility Location Board to reject the application. At the rally’s close, attendees signed a large poster addressed to Liu, Hochul and the gaming commission demanding no casino. The poster will be delivered during the licensing board’s public process, which is expected to conclude by the end of December.
Two faith leaders, Pastor Dave Smith from Queens Christian Alliance Church and Imam Benyahya from Muslim Center of New York also joined the community in opposition to the casino. Pastor Smith, said “Here we are anti-casino, we are against something. But it’s also important to say we are for something. We are for families. We are for children. We are for young people. We are here because those are the people we need to reach out and care for.”
Hou said the coalition of neighborhood groups plans to continue phone-banking, canvassing and picketing until a final decision is made. While some residents have expressed interest in the jobs promised, he said most change their mind once they learn about potential long-term impacts. “The regular working person does not know about this project or has not had a chance to weigh in,” he said.
“All New Yorkers,” organizers said, “are encouraged to contact Governor Hochul and the Gaming Commission, and to continue spreading awareness about Senator Liu’s betrayal to the community.”
