It was January 2022. The horrific fire three streets from my home just occurred where 12 people died, 8 of them children, in a PHA housing unit. The city of Philadelphia hadn’t taken the time or the care to be sure the people they allowed to live there had the basic safety requirements of every city home: smoke detectors.

That tragedy was just one that had filled the first few weeks of the new year, as throughout 2021: daylight carjackings, shootings, muggings, robberies in residences and businesses, all within the blocks of my home—in what I thought was a safe neighborhood.

I didn’t want to become a community activist but someone had to bring the community together and start a mini revolution. I offered my organizational skills on NextDoor and had 150 names in two days. That’s when #SaferStreetsForAll/FAIRMOUNT was born.

We had two meetings in February, and one each in March, April, and May. By the last meeting, interest had fizzled. The community had big expectations that things would be solved quickly.

Jump to August 2022: Things were worse and the community was outraged again, even more than before. An armed, carjacking in front of my house in broad daylight, robberies across the street at the coffee shop and pizza shop—all within one week. Smashed windows, car break-ins. It was time to organize again. This time it was easier to gather the community and local business owners. 160 people attended our September 27 meeting.

In anticipation of next spring’s mayoral primaries, Philly Forward is sponsoring City Leader Forums at Di Bruno Bros., 1730 Chestnut Street. (Also available via a pay-for-view Zoom.)

Attendees can mingle with the speakers over food and a wine/beer bar, after which the speaker will present and answer questions. To help cover expenses, there is a $25 admission fee for both in-person and online viewing. Our schedule:

ALLAN DOMB, former At-Large City Council member TUES., OCT. 18 at 6:00 PM

REBECCA RHYNHART, City Controller TUES., OCT. 25 at 6:30 PM

HELEN GYM, At-Large City Councilmember TUES., NOV. 15 at 6:30 PM

JEFF BROWN, Shoprite grocer TUES., NOV. 29 at 6:00 PM

MARIA QUINONES-SANCHEZ, former District 7 Councilmember TUES., DEC. 13 at 6:00 PM

DEREK GREEN, former At Large City Councilmember, TUES., JAN. 10 at 6:00 PM

CHERELLE PARKER, former District 9 Councilmember TUES., JAN. 24 at 6:00 PM

Click here to register for an in-person ticket.

“9-1-1. What’s your emergency?”

Depending on your answer, you might have a dramatically different experience.

There are two “radios”: one for police-related emergencies and one for fire and emergency medical services (EMS). Every 911 call is answered by someone on the police side. So, if you have a safety-related emergency, the operator will dispatch police based on availability.

If you call because you’ve been shot by someone who broke into your house and is still there, first the police dispatcher has to address the safety concerns.

Next, they need to loop in the fire dispatcher who can send an ambulance. If the police take longer to arrive than the ambulance, the EMTs have to wait outside until they arrive—because they don’t want to be shot either. Can you blame them?

The staffing shortages you read about are real. And sometimes there aren’t enough police to respond to every emergency happening at once. That means you’re going to wait.

[On how to fix the system] Melissa, a long-time 911 operator said, “We need more operators. It’s that simple. If there were more people to answer the phones, your calls would be answered more quickly.”

On the heels of another violent weekend in Philly, let’s look at how we compare to other major cities across the United States.

Yes, violent crime has been a nationwide problem since the pandemic, with headlines like “2021 Ends as Chicago’s Deadliest Year in a Quarter Century” and “New Yorkers Don’t Feel Safe at Home Anymore” becoming more common.

And yes, we know last year was Philly’s deadliest on record with 562 murders in a city with 1,576,251 people.

What about elsewhere? The decade-high count that understandably left New Yorkers feeling shaken: 485. 14% FEWER than in Philly. In a city with five times the people.

If Philly had the same per capita murder rate as New York, we would have had 90 murders last year. Or at our rate, New York would have had 3,019.

Even Camden, New Jersey—a city made famous for its violence—had a lower per capita murder rate than Philly (32 per 100,000). Of note, this is down dramatically from 2012 (87 per 100,000), the year before the city made significant changes to their police force to address their violent crime problem.

And despite being a record-breaking year for Philly, some cities even saw homicides decrease: Dallas (-12%), San Jose (-30%).

An August 15 Inquirer article notes that the police administering the City’s gun-buyback program “do not expect crime guns to be turned in.” Why might that be? Consider why the program exists in the first place: To remove guns that could be used in future crimes.

How effective is our program at preventing shootings? Well, 1,534 Philadelphians have already been shot in 2022, so arguably not great.

How about at providing ballistics to solve crime, including the 50% of unsolved homicides? Sixteen gun-buyback programs were held last year and collected more than 700 guns (a five-fold increase from 2019). Yet, of all the weapons amassed within the past three years (over 1,000 in total), ZERO have been linked to a crime.

Even so, City Hall continues to pursue this initiative, which, according to the Inquirer, has been shown over “decades of research” not to reduce crime.

Recent programs exchange a $50 Shoprite gift card for a firearm, any firearm—regardless of whether it would likely be used in a crime. This seems to compare with similar programs nationwide. Maybe that model is doomed from the start?

Perhaps it would help to raise the amount or only to reward guns that can be linked to a crime. But that would require someone in a dangerous part of the city to turn in the weapon of someone who they know has committed a violent crime. Seem unlikely?

Seeking Someone Competent, Responsive, and Who Wants the Job.

WHEN a candidate announces their run for office is critical in an election. WHY? Longer campaigns give voters a chance to get to know the candidates and lead to higher turnout elections.

Michael Nutter won the primary in 2007 after he campaigned for 11 months. Jim Kenney announced his run in January 2015 and won his primary just a few months later.

Voter turnout in the Democratic primary was 26% higher in 2007 than in 2015 and 16% higher in the general election.

Another distinction? Nutter, the 11-month campaigner, has said time and again that it was a “great privilege, honor, and joy” to serve as mayor.

Kenney, who campaigned for three months, told us all that he “will be happy when I am not mayor” on the Fourth of July.

It's AUGUST—more than a month after Nutter declared—and no one has officially thrown their hat in the ring for mayor.

To anyone interested in BEING mayor and NOT just getting elected, now's your chance to prove it.

We all cringe when we hear “Filth-a-delphia” but it’s true. Per our very own Philadelphia Inquirer: “Since the early 2000s, Philadelphia has been the only major U.S. city without a citywide street-sweeping program.” March 30, 2022

But…inflation! Taxes! We don’t have the money… right?

Philly’s budget increased 37% from $4.1 billion to $5.6 billion between 2016 and 2022. Inflation (i.e., the consumer price index) increased 13%.          

So, don’t we have the money?

Well, the City spent $3 million on ten streetsweepers—which are too large to sweep our uniquely narrow streets.

“We’re looking at other trucks that will be able to… supplant what we’re doing right now, which is getting down those small streets that are tight.

Each additional street sweeper would cost the city $250,000. The department hasn’t decided how many of the slimmer sweepers may be needed.”

—Carlton Williams Streets Dept. Commissioner (Plan Philly June 4, 2019)

Well, even one would be a good start.

NOTE: Thanks to a large grassroots effort, Governor Wolf signed this legislation.

Urge Governor Wolf to Sign Senate Bill 1183.

Earlier this month, the Pennsylvania House and Senate passed SB-1183 that bolsters the ability to seize off-road vehicles. Now, this broadly-supported, bipartisan legislation is awaiting Governor Wolf’s signature.

Want to make sure he signs it? Write him NOW. All you need to do is copy and paste the text below and submit it through his office’s online portal.

This is something you can do today to help our city.

Join the Cause.

The number one question people ask us is, “How can I help?” They want to do “something” but aren’t sure what. A few ideas to consider:

Sign the Philly Forward Bill of Rights: The more of us there are, the harder we are to ignore. Sign the Bill of Rights to stand up and be counted.

Share the Bill of Rights: Know someone who also feels like Enough Is Enough? Share the petition and ask them to sign. Or consider posting the link on social media!

Volunteer: Have some spare time you’d like to devote to helping our city? Consider joining a Philly Forward committee or helping with a one-time project.

Host an Event: Board members will help you hold an event for interested acquaintances. Email info@phillyforwardpac.org for more info.

One is the Loneliest Number

Philly is the only major city to reinstate a mask mandate—just to repeal it within 72 hours. This episode typifies the lack of competency and leadership plaguing our city.

Philly is the only major city to not graduate a class from its police academy last year. Yes, the pandemic brought unprecedented challenges. However, other cities managed to adapt, including New York City (with more than 600 new officers), Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, and Dallas.

More disheartening still, Philly is the only major city where the main governing body, City Council, is still meeting remotely ("because of COVID").

Let's ask the real question: Is this less an effort to control COVID and really more an effort to cut down on public comment, public criticism, and public discourse?? It sure is hard to argue back or make your voice heard when you have to talk to a remote screen, controlled by the people you are arguing with!

Small businesses across the city are struggling and desperately in need of customers. City Hall denizens should be leading by example and getting back to work in person, ordering pizzas for lunch, and stopping in a store on their way home.

Patrick Christmas, a policy director with the Committee of Seventy—the local nonpartisan good-government group, recently told the Inquirer, "I do think it’s important for them to get there in person again because you can just hash out and talk about difficult issues in a much more substantive, nuanced way when you’re face-to-face with somebody. There’s also something to be said for getting back to business and getting back downtown and setting a good example.”

Philly Forward is tired of all this nonsense. Council: Get back to work in person now, before you are off on your three-month vacation!

We’re Better Than This.

Philadelphia libraries are closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Assume it's the same everywhere? Think again.

Pittsburgh: Each branch is open every Saturday, and the three flagship libraries are open from 10am to 5pm on Sundays.

Harrisburg: The main library is open every day, and all branches are open on Saturdays.

Chester (the commonwealth’s poorest city): The library is open on Saturdays.

Why does this matter? Libraries do more than promote literacy. They play a vital role for their communities, especially in low income neighborhoods with fewer other resources.

Consider McPherson Square Library in Kensington. In 2017, CNN reported on a librarian there who learned to administer Narcan. “She’s not a paramedic,” the guard, Sterling Davis, said later. “She’s just a teen-adult librarian–and saved six people since April. That’s a lot for a librarian.”

Think we don't have the money to expand? The city's budget is $5.6 billion. Just 0.5% ($30 million) would keep all Philadelphia branches open 6 days a week. It would cost significantly less to prioritize libraries like the McPherson Square branch where they are desperately needed.

The funds are available, it’s the leadership to execute a plan that's lacking. The city received $700 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, with $700 million more to follow, but the Kenney budget only allocates $250 million in ARPA funds for fiscal year 2022. Imagine what else we could do with that money?

At Philly Forward, we know this city can do better.