Port Richmond removing hundreds of white supremacist stickers
Hundreds of stickers promoting white supremacist organizations popped up in Port Richmond over the weekend, sparking discussion — and action.
- Neighbors have started pulling down the messages, which align with a coordinated push by White Lives Matter Pennsylvania, Jordan Levy reports. But the messaging isn’t lasting in the River Wards.
The neighborhood has a “reputation” for this kind of ideology, one resident said, but the area is evolving, and “we’re not going to sit down and take it.”
RECAP: What else happened?
$ = paywalled
- The many protests over the loss of affordable housing at UC Townhomes appear to have resulted in an agreement. To settle a lawsuit, the owners will provide land for new affordable units and $3.5 million for displaced tenants. [BP 2022/Inquirer$]
- Biden’s drug czar says street use of xylazine, an animal tranquilizer known as tranq, is most heavily concentrated in Philadelphia. The Philly Health Dept. last year hired two new specialists to help treat tranq’s dangerous side effects. [CNN/BP 2022]
- A three-alarm fire destroyed Chestnut Hill’s Our Mother of Consolation School. Thankfully only one person was injured; the cause is still unknown. [Chestnut Hill Local]
- It took a while, but about 100 residential and commercial buildings have signed up for Lights Out Philly to lower bird deaths, and experts say the results are promising. [BP 2018/NextCity]
- A new exhibit at the Colored Girls Museum in Germantown opened this month. The museum is a gathering place and exhibition space for submissions by Black women and girls. [PhillyVoice/BP 2019]
- Villanova basketball star Maddy Siegrist is a finalist for NCAA player of the year, and the Wildcats are now in the Sweet 16. [Nova/6ABC]
Weekly brief on gun violence prevention (with PCGVR)
We publish this report each week in partnership with the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting.
- Students from Philadelphia High School for Girls hosted a safety summit attended by dozens of teens from around the city. “The solutions lie with us,” one organizer said. [WHYY/Inquirer$]
- The Philly School Board — which is appointed by the mayor — wrote an open letter to mayoral candidates pleading for more city budget funding, including resources to address gun violence. [Chalkbeat]
- A new group led by the commonwealth’s Episcopal diocese is advocating for tougher Pa. gun laws, and is planning to meet with legislators. With a Dem majority in the House, Philly’s delegation to Harrisburg is also planning a push. [WITF/WHYY]
- Another $250k for grassroots anti-violence orgs is on the way from the DAO’s fund that uses seized assets to make grants. Past recipients include RAW Tools Philly, which turns guns into garden tools. [KYW/BP 2019]
- Here are the names and ages of 37 people killed last month in Philadelphia, plus when and where. [Philly Obit Project]
By the numbers in Philadelphia
- 37: Shooting victims recorded last week, vs. 25 the week prior. [City Controller via @PCGVR]
- 346: Shooting victims this year so far, down 24% vs. this time last year. [PCGVR]
- 98: Year-to-date homicides, down 10% vs. last year’s pace; up 44% vs. five years ago [Philly Police]
MAYOR WATCH
Financial services firm GLG is opening a 250-person office at the Bourse on Independence Mall, and Mayor Kenney helps cut the ribbon (10 a.m.).
ON THE CALENDAR
💿 East Passyunk record store Latchkey hosts a pop-up shop with dozens of local makers offering candles, clothes, and art. (11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 25)
📜 Get free admission to the Constitution Center for a day of Women’s History Month programming, including talks, tours, and make-and-take activities. (10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 25)
🤵🏽 Philly’s recurring GayBINGO goes black tie for the AIDS Fund’s annual fundraiser at the Loews Hotel. Your $200 ticket includes cocktails and dinner. (6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 25)
Catch up on the previous week
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