malcolmxpark.org

Mercifully, the rain held off until just minutes after 9pm last night.  Bu that was just long enough for the assembled crowd of 70 or so, undaunted by the gloomiest of weather forecasts, to enjoy the last strains of Umar Raheem and the New York Connection.  Another great installment in the Summer Heritage Jazz Series.

The next show is July 12th, with Barbra Walker Story.  See you then!

In the meantime, if Jazz is your thing, you’ll certainly want to check out the Tim Warfield Trio tonight in Cedar Park.  More info here at Denise King’s website.

The Inquirer has a story this morning, on the heels of the year’s 200th murder, about a new program for finding and retrieving illegal guns. D.A. Lynn Abraham picked “Philadelphia’s Deadliest Corner“, of course, as the backdrop to announce the new initiative which encourages people to voluntarily allow police searches of their homes

They pitched this deal: Allow police searches and no one will be charged with illegal possession of any firearms found.

“This gives . . . a mom, a dad, a grandfather, a homeowner who wants to get an illegal gun out of their house, a simple and easy way to get rid of it,” District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham shouted over the rumble of the Market-Frankford El at 52d and Market Streets.

…

The program, modeled after one in St. Louis, Mo., requires police to get consent from a homeowner or renter who is at least 21 to search a home, Abraham said.

Exemption from all prosecution is not assured. For instance, if the recovered gun is linked to a murder, prosecution for that murder would follow, Abraham said. Those inviting police into their homes to search for illegal guns also should not expect officers to look the other way if evidence of illegal activity – including drugs – is present, she said.

This is, I guess, an innovative approach to tracking down illegal guns, and it joins at least three other initiatives. The Street administration established 215-683-GUNS in 2003. Run through the Police Department’s Narcotics Bureau, they offered cash rewards of up to $1000 for the recovery of a gun and an arrest. During the Mayoral primary, Chakka Fattah announced a similar program with 215-546-TIPS, run by the Delaware Valley Citizens Crime Commission, which also offered a cool grand for an illegal gun and the arrest of its owner. Finally, in the Spring of this year, Fattah began “Groceries for Guns” which offered $200 (and 2 tickets for the 76ers) no questions asked and reportedly removed several hundred guns from the street.

The new effort splits the difference between all these programs and goes after another niche of Philadelphians concerned about illegal guns: the caring parents or family members. Still, given the fact that the owners of illegal guns would still be exposed to possible prosecution (if the gun had been used in a murder for example), it’s hard to imagine too many people taking advantage of the program. And since the searches don’t appear to require a warrant, just the consent of someone 21 or older living in the residence, abuses will have to be carefully monitored.

Let’s hope that more options mean more gun retrievals.

With the recent beating death of Philadelphia squatter Tim Bradley on the roof of the abandoned Croydon apartment complex at 49th and Locust in West Philly, attention has been trained on the squatting subculture in the city. An article on the front page of the UC Review this week by Robert P. Helms aims to clarify some of the distinctions between kinds of squatters and gives an account of his own experience squatting in the 1990s. It’s a fascinating read:

(I’ve posted the story as images because the UC Review site can be a little cumbersome to navigate, but do check out the paper this week, since there’s also an interview with UCD’s Lewis Wendell about the now-more-or-less-resolved John Fenton affair.)

For more on West Philadelphia squatters, I also recommend the documentary Squatter Days available in four parts on youtube. It features interviews with current and former squatters including some footage shot in the Croydon (known to its inhabitants as “Paradise City”) as well as archival footage of older West Philly squatter haunts.

For further discussion of the circumstances surrounding the death of Tim Bradley, there are some lengthy musings on this MySpace page from people who knew him. So far, the crime remains unsolved.

8^th Annual

Health Fair With HIV Testing

Friday, June 29, 2007

12:00 p.m. – 5:00p.m.

Myers Recreation Center

58^th & Kingsessing Avenue

Philadelphia, PA 19143

FREE LUNCH

GIVEWAYS

For more information Contact

Keisha Coffie (215) 851-1830 Vernon Montague (215) 873-3774

Emmitt Brayboy (215) 683-4060

Sponsored By:

Department of Human Services, Community- Prevent Services

YOACAP

IDAAY

Resurrect Ministries

American Red Cross (John W Mosley (Water) )

I got the spelling wrong for Mr. Raheem in my previous post. You can read more about Philadelphia native Umar Raheem and listen to sample music clips here. Sorry for the confusion.  The weather’s looking a little iffy, but I hope everyone gets a chance to enjoy a little jazz tomorrow night.

Edited to reflect correct spelling for Umar Raheem

Tomorrow night at 7pm, come on out for the tenor sax stylings of Umar Raheem and New York French Connection. Ms. Shirley Lites’ show two weeks ago was a real barn burner, and this one promises to be just as good.Malcolmxpark.org still recommends doubles for your pre-show takeout meal, but now there’s something new available during jazz night. At the last show, a crew from Levi Scott & Company (formerly Soul 2 Soul Catering) at 52nd and Pine set up a chili-dog stand in the grass near the center of the park. I got a delicious dog and cold lemonade for 3 bucks! So whether you want Caribbean food, a little something “down home”, or just some great music in your neighborhood park, we’ll see you under the gazebo tomorrow night at 7!

One of the remarkable things about an old city like Philadelphia is that it is such a great place for bicycling. It’s relatively flat and compact, so it’s not much of a chore to get virtually anywhere in the city by bicycle. And for longer fitness rides, Martin Luther King Drive and Kelly Drive (formerly West River and East River, respectively) along the Schuykill River provide a safe and scenic corridor out of the city to some nice suburban and even pastoral landscapes. Granted, there are legitimate gripes. Most everyone I know has taken a spill on the trolley tracks or busted a tire (at least!) in an unmarked pothole. And sometimes the sewer grates seem designed specifically to trap an unsuspecting cyclist. Drivers, it goes without saying, can occasionally be hostile.

The Cobbs Creek Recreation Path is a symptom of that better, more cyclist-friendly Philadelphia. It’s a beautiful off-street path that runs about 4 miles along Cobbs Creek from Market St. to 70th Street, hugging the westernmost boundary of West Philadelphia. Compared with other paths, Cobbs Creek doesn’t actually get all that much use. Indeed, in the course of Read the rest of this entry »

The first is a straight overhead from Google Earth and you can click the image for a larger version. North is at the top:

The second is a “Bird’s Eye View” from Microsoft’s Live Search site. In this one, south is at the top:

Now, here is an aerial from Google Earth of Rittenhouse Square:

Google Earth has a great feature that allows you to measure distances along a straight line or following a path. (It’s great for planning a jogging route!) According to that tool, measured from curb to curb, Malcolm X Park is exactly 10 meters shorter on each side than Rittenhouse Square.

MalcolmXPark.org first reported on nascent efforts to restart a townwatch in the park neighborhood a few weeks ago. As a follow up, an organizational meeting and brief training were held yesterday for a group of neighbors committed to the new group covering the 52nd Street corridor. There were about 8 people in attendance, but organizers expect that number to grow. The patrol area will be 50th to 54th and Baltimore Ave. to Locust:

Mr. Warwick, a longtime neighborhood resident formerly affiliated with the now-defunct 52nd Street Townwatch, shared some of his experience and identified a couple of problematic corners. Another meeting is scheduled for next Thursday at 5:30 pm at 220 S. 50th St. Apt. A after which volunteers will walk the coverage area. Interested parties can contact Mr. Warwick at (215) 570-9952 with questions or simply show up at the meeting.

Malcolm X Park’s lone coniferous tree stands by itself in front of an old dead oak marked for removal with an X. Several of the park’s dead trees, long since identified, await a similar fate.