NATIONAL GAMBLING IMPACT STUDY COMMISSION

LILIAN BRYANT

Ms. Lilian Bryant.

MS. BRYANT: Good afternoon. Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you.

My name is Lilian E. Bryant. I live at 1917 Horace Bryant, Jr. Drive in the City of Atlantic City, which is an island of sin. I live there with my mother, who is 86, who was born in Atlantic City in 1911. I was born there in 1944. I don't intend to leave for a tunnel, a roadway or whatever.

Previous speakers have informed you of this idiotic proposal to destroy a stable black neighborhood to build a road to a casino that isn't even there yet. We are particularly irritated with this proposal because there are 13 casinos in Atlantic City who paid their way to get there, bought their property, built their properties, and have operated.

Now, we have one come along and say, "I want the public tick (phonetic) in order to be there." We say, "No, not over our dead bodies."

To that end, I helped write, participate in the brainstorming of the present act. It was to rebuild Atlantic City, not to destroy it. We're not going to let it continue to be bastardized by whoever comes along and says, "I need this. I need that."

We insured that the industry would be regulated to the utmost. We failed to regulate the public officials in the legislation. That's where we have to start now, and we're going to start now.

We're going to insure that Atlantic City is rebuilt because if the tunnel comes, it will become the City of Atlantis. I urge you to come there as soon as you can with your hearings so that you can see first hand how 21 years of the first wave ought not to end up so that before we begin this second wave.

Thank you very much.

CHAIRPERSON JAMES: Chief Billie Redwing Tayac.