Atlantic City: 'Trump turned this place into a ghost town'

[arenean]

From The Guardian:

When Trump won the election, photographer Brian Rose made straight for the gambling town – to show the reality behind his billionaire boasts. The broken city he captured speaks volumes about today’s America.

Full story: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/apr/08/atlantic-city-trump-ghost-town-gambling-brian-rose-photographer

[NewJeffCT]

1. This is true

my ex-wife's family is from a suburb of AC, so I used to go down there frequently in the mid-late 90s. I think there was still some hope that things would turn around then, but you could already see that it wasn't a great place.

[SammyWinstonJack]

2. tRUMP promised to Make Atlantic City Great Again with unpaid contractors and money laundering

casinos. tRUMP, still the same after all these years.

[3Hotdogs]

3. Yeah, but it wasn't all Trump.

I'd need to take my shoes off to count the number of council members and mayors that were convicted.

$millions in rehab were squandered over the years. Hell. Even today, if you are a summer lifeguard for more than 10 years, you get a lifetime pension.

[BumRushDaShow]

8. THIS (but more importantly) -

Being from Philly probably 3/4 of the city make it down there (or in the area) part of the “goin’ dunnashore” summer tradition (a ~90 minute drive). Yet the literal successive train of mayors convicted is pretty breathtaking and the result was the squandering of time and money that was supposed to be used for bringing about some positive changes to the rest of the city beyond the boardwalk. But what put the nail in the coffin was the legalization of gambling here in PA (where PA residents made up the bulk of the regular gambling tourists along with southern NYers - the casinos used to regularly sponsor round trip bus trips from Philly to AC where they would give you $10 worth of quarters which was the same as the r/t fare so the trip was “free”). Legalizing table games and now sports books here in PA sealed it.

One of my biggest complaints about Atlantic City having grown up as a kid in the ‘60s and ‘70s going there pre-legalization, was the gradual elimination of the “fun” that was part and parcel of all the piers and amusements. When gambling came, the hotels and casinos basically wanted people OFF the boardwalk and inside their facilities losing money so they could clean up. That in turn resulted in the closure of at least 2 amusement piers (IIRC Million Dollar and Steeplechase). I think one became condos and the other a mall (that I think is/has been renovated).

[3Hotdogs]

11. But before Pa. gambling, they had 30 years of parking fees donated to the city.

It was squandered...

Drive there today and go a couple of blocks from the casinos and the thruway ----nothing attractive.

[BumRushDaShow]

12. Well that's the thing...

The legalization was supposed to be the be-all end-all to revamp the city with the extra money from the casinos and tourism and as we agree, none of that happened either. One of my uncles (by marriage) had family who were multigenerational born and raised there (as was he) and I have heard all kinds of tales... It seems that this has been a chronic problem with AC for well over a century.

[lastlib]

4. tRump did NOT win the election.....

He only won the installation (Electoral College). But you knew that, you're on DU.

[zipplewrath]

7. Read the Constitution

Point to the place where it mentions "your" kind of election.

[njhoneybadger]

5. No, tRump did not turn Atlantic City into a ghost town

Casino Expansion across the country did. When we repeat bullshit like this we look bad.

[watoos]

6. Is that the narrative?

I have been to casinos in the middle of no where in Michigan and New York that are still thriving. It's pretty bad when one has a business where people come in and put their money into your machines for no good reason and that business fails. Of course there is the possibility that the Trump casino actually achieved its objective, but that's the wrong narrative.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. You know that gambling here in PA

basically killed AC. And since AC was the only place in Jersey where it is legal and PA has multiple places (at least 4 in and near Philly and a 2nd Philly location set to finally get constructed soon, taking the number to 5 casinos here in eastern PA), then that pretty much sealed the fate.

If AC could just think “Ocean City” (which has taken most of AC’s foot traffic) and “Wildwood” (which along with OC are “dry” towns, although AC doesn’t have to go to that extreme)...and look at how Las Vegas is trying to reinvent itself being “family friendly” then maybe it can start turning things around.

[pdsimdars]

9. Isn't that just the opposite of what Mayor Pete did for S. Bend? It was dying and he revived it.

Whereas hotshot in chief kills everything he touches.

[Vinca]

13. I wish Mr. Rose had "made straight" to Atlantic City BEFORE the election.