Recent comments

Have you seen the video made by PB residents, featuring the same PB residents you're claiming to 'save'?
http://sct.temple.edu/blogs/murl/2010/03/05/southwest-planning-commission-focuses-point-breezes-future/
 
It's embarassing that civic groups in our hood can campaign against development, acting as if they speak for the entire community.  In reality, your group consists of the same tired old people crying out against change.  This hood has been trash for years, do something productive because we want to see it!  And what's the community you're claiming to save anyway?  Trash, abandonment and crime? Good riddens people!

Allied Barton has a long history of being abusive to employees.  Messing around with employees benefits has been an age old problem for guards  with Allied Barton.  They create a hostile work environment. 

Across Philadelphia over 8,000 are people living with HIV/AIDS and without adequate housing 646-204. Living homeless through the winter while struggling with a sickness that weakens the immune system, these individuals face a crisis of healthcare, housing, and poverty.

This campaign is a great continuation of earlier work in Point Breeze and it is very important to the future of affordability in South Philly.  Do the organizers know what garbage the City Paper wrote about their efforts?  Check out http://citypaper.net/blogs/clog/author/andrewthompson/.
 
The writer, Andrew Thompson,  reprints the campaign flyer and disrespects the entire community, calling them violent and drugged out.  What benefit could he get from attacking our women, children and elders?
 
Here is his trash:

"February 22

Save Point Breeze; or, Don’t let the Sidecar happen to your neighborhood!
Monday, February 22nd, 2010 at 4:03 pm
posted by Andrew Thompson

Back in October, I wrote about simmering tensions between newcomers and old-heads in Point Breeze, the mostly derelict, violent, drugged-out, blighted neighborhood south of Washington Ave on the West side of Broad Street that had accrued such a reputation as to be designated for federal funds to make it slightly more livable. At that point, push-back to the newcomers was more of a tacit sentiment than a force with any organization.

Now, the latent antipathy has become at least as organized as a flier distribution program. The “Save Point Breeze” campaign, started by Concerned Citizens of Point Breeze, is perhaps the most visible sign of resident-rage yet at the prospect of wealthy white folk coming into the area and building condos and living with their dogs - dogs they will, undoubtedly, take for walks. The flier shows the Sidecar cafe at 22nd and Christian Streets as an example of doom that could potentially befall Point Breeze residents, raising their property values and and wreaking havoc on their idyllic Eden.

The link above gives a “list of demands” CCPB has for the Philly Planning Commission, among which is that Point Breeze residents have priority for jobs at the new Philly Live complex, to be built neighborhoods away. Also demanded is tax amnesty for old residents who may be kicked out of their homes and a strict prohibition on condos.
I think we can all agree that the best thing for Point Breeze is to keep it poor and segregated."
 
|| End of the City Paper's garbage ... ||
 
If these primitives are crawling out from under their rocks because of what you folks are doing, then you must be doing something right. Keep up the great work!!

• to keep Point Breeze as the name for the neighborhood
  really?  that's beef number one?

• not to allow zoning changes that would result in more condo construction
  so leave the vacant lots as trash heaps instead...

• the city demonstrating a commitment to housing equality by providing money for housing for poor and working-class people
  how's that equal?  i pay my mortgage.  my neighbor gets the city to.  please explain to me the equality in that?

• money for home improvements and repairs for existing residents
  finally!  a point worth talking about!  here's the kicker: the money's already there, but you have to actually do work to get it.

• tax amnesty for longtime residents at risk of losing their homes
  ummm, the city is broke.  you're talking about, on average, letting the people who proportionally use the most city resources (welfare, health clinics, public trans) to not pay for it.  how long you've lived somewhere shouldn't determine anything.

• improved facilities for all of the neighborhood's recreation buildings
  again, the city's broke.  there are grants for things like this.  but YOU HAVE TO ACTUALLY APPLY FOR THEM TO GET THEM.

• funding for job training programs
  that usually takes private investment.  the very private investment you're saying you do not want.  make up your mind.

• local residents prioritized in hiring for the new Philly Live entertainment complex
  ???

• stimulus money used to encourage the construction of a grocery store and pharmacy in the neighborhood
  how about assuring new business owners they won't be robbed at gunpoint within a week of opening?  oh right--that's the element that you're trying to preserve by not allowing people to move in to the neighborhood.

I guess my point is, you can't have your crack and smoke it too.  The "gentrifiers" aren't trying to kick you out.  In fact, most of them want the same things you want and would bend over backwards to work with you.  But unless you're willing to enter into a conversation instead of listing your demands, that's not going to happen.

But, if that fails, I hear properties down by the airport are cheap ;)  have fun "gentrifying" that neighborhood...

i am so sick of you people using gentifications as a means to practice bigotry of fellow residents of this city. its a deceptive attempt to mask the true emotions of bigots in our city. you are just as bad as whites who dont want blacks in their neighborhoods. redlining was a great example of this. you all may not realize it now but my only hope is that some day you will realize and come to terms with the beds that you make. spreading hatred and exploiting others for deviant means is wrong. you might call yourselves community activists, call yourselves what you really are, community terrorists looking for any opportunity to spread hate and alienate those who have nothing to do with what ails these communities. its people like yourselves that keep these neighborhoods riddled with crime, substance abuse and the like. you are the disease and crutch and keeps people ailed. your mission is not to work with communities, your mission is to divide and evoke hatred towards other groups of people, mainly white or any one who sympathizes with whites moving to black communities.

Here's more from Casino-Free Philly:


Earlier today, you and your entire city got some good news. Fourteen
of its citizens, arrested in September for blocking the entrance to the
SugarHouse construction site, were acquitted of all charges. Watch the video from Fox 29.
 
The judge dismissed the case. As a result, all Philadelphians
should feel empowered to work for a more transparent, democratic and
sustainable future, even when political forces are stacked against them.


We know the last year has been hard.
 
Yet today's win demonstrates once again that Philadelphia has
only been casino-free for five years -- and remains so to this day --
because of your hard work and dedication.


We've seen many victories over the past year: increasingly perilous
financial situations for both SugarHouse and Foxwoods, the formation of
a city-wide coalition fighting predatory gambling and another year
without slots in our neighborhoods.
 
This past year has been challenging -- as we've attempted to
accomplish so much, in the face of such odds and political opposition,
while remaining true to our mission and history as a community-centered
organization.
 
We can do even more with your continued support. Foxwoods can be
kicked out of Philadelphia entirely. Investments in SugarHouse can be
slowed and cower from our growing community power, causing the slots
parlor to go bankrupt if it does open. And we can push for a city and
state budget based on commitments to fund essential services rather
than exploit people through predatory gambling.


But we simply can't do it without some measure of financial support.
More than 85% of our funding comes from individual donations, and we
steadfastly refuse to accept donations from other casinos or their
backers.
 
Donate to Casino-Free Philadelphia, and let's make this the first of many victories in 2010!
 
--Lily, Ivan, Francesca, Dan and the rest of Casino-Free Philadelphia
 
P.S. We're still pulling together more images and video from today's events, but check our website and our Facebook page for live updates and other multimedia collected throughout this amazing day.

The struggle for Justice and
Equality is well known and established in the Philadelphia Black
Community; for it has played a vital role in US and international
socio-political arenas.  As in the years past, today we are still
facing many racial and ethical dilemmas that requiring serious and
non-stop actions. While civil rights are still of great concern, in
this day and age human rights must be expanded upon. Unity as with many
things is a work in progress but levels of Solidarity is readily in our
midst.  We owe it to ourselves and to those who have come before us to
do the work that is mandated for now.  With that said we commence with....

Open Forums, Panel Discussions, and Debates on

"Building a NU Black United Front in Philly"   

  A Call for Presenters, Panelist, additional proposed Topics,  

  and Endorsers

During the late 1970's and early 80's the Phila "Black United Front"
was a very vocal, visible, and powerful element in Philly.   It was a
force recognized and respected, nationally, with Bro. Dave Richardson
(Rep. David P. Richardson) and Sis Falaka Fattah (House of Umoja) at
the helm as Co-chairs along with a huge number of street
soldiers/warriors, committed professionals, activists, etc.   Issues
and concerns were being seriously addressed, a sense of accomplishment
and hope was readily available.            But what happened?

Was it the change in the time or season, a change in goals and
objectives, was it sell outs, burn outs, or did it serve the  purpose
that it was meant to be.?     Surely there is no one answer or reason,
but generally, where there is a better understanding of the past, there
is a greater possibility (for the better) in the future.

With all that is going on in the world today and there being little to
no real and genuine direction and collective (especially grassroots)
efforts to move forward in a realistic and necessary manner in Philly
and nationwide, it brings us to ask: Is there a need for a Black United
Front now and if so how can/should it happen

These and other questions will be examined during the weekend of Feb
20-22, 2010 in recognition of one of the most prolific thinkers and
representation of Black/African self-determination, Black Nationalism,
Pan African and Progressive energy in modern times, Malcolm X (El Hajj Malik El Shabazz

Open Forum and Panel Discussions will include:   (partial listing)

• History
  of the Black United Front  (specifically Philly and
  NY)                                                                                                        
  (including the reason for its formation, specific mission,
  accomplishments, ultimate limited impact and demise)
  
• What
  role did COINTELPRO and other destructive entities play, if any, in the
  Black Liberation Movement and other related work and programs?
  
• An Examination of "The Philadelphia Negro": Yesterday and Today
• Why
  & Who were/are the players and who were/are the pawns as it pertain
  to the best interest and development of Black/African folks in Philly?
• Why are there little to no "independent" Black groups, organizations, institutions, in Philly today?
• How
  has, if at all, the multiculturalism platform and program affected the
  Black Consciousness Movement and other related struggles/work to bring
  about freedom and justice for people of African descent.
• Who does the Black Community in Philly takes its lead from now and why?
• An
  Examination of the MOVE Bombing and the Case of Mumia Abu Jamal: What
  was and was is now the "Black Voice(s), Presences, and Stances in these
  cases?
  
• Do
  we need to build a NU "Black United Front" (or something of that
  nature) in Philly in order to bring about a more cohesive, productive, 
  collective mandated reality, and improved quality of life for the Black
  family and community?
  

If
you have historical of other information about any of these topics or
something else that is relevant to this project, or if you would like
to be a presenter, participate on a panel discussion or in a debate, or you have a suggestion for a topic(s) you would like to see discussed or presented, please e-mail your request (specifying your area of interest) by Sat. Jan. 30. 2010 to:  

                       nationalmwm@aol.com      blacxphilly@aol.com    or     officialmwm@yahoo.com

If you would like to be a co-sponsor of a session, have your
group/organization listed as an endorser, which to make a contribution,
or would like additional information, please contact the above email
addresses or call:  267-636-3802.  

ALSO:  Postal mail inquiries can be sent to: 

National MWM     P.O. Box 53668     Philadelphia, PA  19105

Attention: Blacx Philly Press

Your support is greatly appreciated....

Topics for Solution Oriented Discussions (partial listing)



A NU Black Philly Agenda, African Reparations & Remedies,

Culture & The Arts, Communications, Self-Defense/Security,

Finance & Wealth Development, Gentrification and Displacement, Codes of Conduct, Systematic Racism, Collective Management, 

Treason & Sell-Out Identification and Response, Employment,

Prison Industrialized Complex,  Skills Development,

Real Community & Nation/Village Building Development and
Self-Determination, Practical Unity & Solidarity,, Homelessness,
Support for Existing Black Institutions and Building Independent Ones,
Health & Healing, Preparations for a Plebiscite, Police &
Governmental Terrorism, Positive Children & Youth Development,
Black History Documentation and Preservation, Holistic Black Family
Development, The Rightful Place of the Black Woman, Elders' Council,

Leadership Requirements & Accountability, Progressive Political
Development, Environment, Gender & Age Discrimination,
Education/MisEducation, Ample Research & Information Dissimulation,


21st Century Emergency and Crisis Preparedness and Response,

Supporting Black Owned Businesses and Developing New Ones



List of presenters will be announced the week of Feb 1, 2010.





A
Community Poll will begin to take place and be made available via
internet, participating Black publications, businesses, and
institutions  beginning  January 18, 2010

Crisis still lingers around us but almost everyone is still eager to fight and face the wrath of the economic depression. Even though, you have a credit card history still there is no assurance of a good life. Everybody is looking forward to a big upturn of the economy but this crisis is still on a slow recovery.

PSU, you guys demonstrated the power you as students have to change education policy for yourselves, for all students in this city, and throughout this region and country.  What did it feel like to see 600 plus people united before you and led by your vision of the future?  I was honored to be led by you and look forward to working in the city and world you build.
 
My favorite moment -- one shared by some of the other leaders who came to the event and sat and marched with us -- was how you kept elected officials on your program, speaking to your message and vision.  Thanks for teaching me so much more about accountability there.  You all are amazing.

Thank you PSU for organizing such a beautifully powerful event for all of Philadelphia!  You captured the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King in your call for non-violence in the face of violence -- and for fundamental, lasting changes to education in this city.  You reminded all of Philly that we will only see peace when we fight for justice. 
My favorite thing about this event was seeing PSU uniting so many in the city and animating the everyone to work together -- for MORE positive changes.  

Considering the decline on unemployment rate, it really gives us hope that economy would recover. Amidst turmoil that we facing today, there are still a lot of reasons to thank for. The good news about economic recovery is that some indicators are showing improvements in the Achilles Heel of recovery – the unemployment rate.  The jobless rate and the rate of underemployment dropped slightly in November of 2009, and layoffs drastically slowed.  These are good signs, and while they don't mean people don't need payday loans, it does mean that if the good signs keep up, real recovery isn't as far off as previously thought.