What to know about Parker’s pick for PPD commissioner
Mayor-Elect Cherelle Parker today will officially announce her choice for police commissioner, but the news already broke: It’s Kevin Bethel, a former deputy commissioner and current school district safety chief. Bethel fulfills Parker’s promise of hiring someone familiar with the city — he’s been here since high school and spent 30 years with the Philly police, where he spearheaded juvenile justice reform.
Asha Prihar runs down 5 things to know about Philadelphia’s likely next top cop. Continue reading…
Kid Hazo looks back on 10 years of Philadelphia street art
If you ever noticed a street sign in Philadelphia that made you do a double-take and burst out laughing, you can probably thank Kid Hazo. Pieces by the anonymous street artist have been popping up for a decade — some so authentic-looking that municipal workers have mistaken them for real.
Meir Rinde gives us an inside view on how Hazo works and why he does what he does, thanks to new podcast Art Outside. Continue reading…
RECAP: What else happened?
$ = paywalled
• Pa. counties must count mail ballots even if they have incorrect envelope dates, a federal court ruled in a long-awaited decision that could have big impact in 2024. [Votebeat]
• You can’t miss the crosswalk at Frankford and Columbia in Fishtown — it’s been painted with a bright green fish mural in an attempt to slow drivers and reduce pedestrian danger. [PhillyVoice]
• Close call for Manayunk’s Main Street Music, one of the busiest vinyl record stores in the region, which will still open for Black Friday/Small Biz Saturday after a van crashed through its front door. [BP 2022/NBC10]
• Boathouse Row will not glow in holiday colors this season, as the lighting system on the iconic clubhouses is still being upgraded. Officials had hoped to complete the $2.1M revamp this month. [6ABC/Phila Gov]
• Heads up on road closures as Philly’s prepares to host the nation’s oldest Thanksgiving Day Parade, culminating in the floats getting blown up during the wee hours tomorrow. Check out retro videos of the event going back to 1957. [Phila Gov/BP 2022/BP 2015]
Weekly brief on gun violence prevention (with PCGVR)
We publish this report each week in partnership with the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting.• Last week, 27 North Philly students graduated from a school district youth conflict resolution program. Run in partnership with Temple, it teaches teens to avoid or de-escalate situations that might otherwise turn violent. [Chalkbeat]
• Organizers of “Operation Hug the Block” say stats show the volunteer nighttime patrols work. A Drexel researcher analyzed shootings in Kensington this year with patrols vs. the same dates last year, and found a 64% decline — more than double the citywide year-over-year drop. [WHYY/NBC10 video]
• The executive director of Drexel’s Center for Nonviolence and Social Justice discusses community trauma interventions in the latest episode of From Words to Weapons podcast. [Kouvenda]
• About 25 journalists and 15 community-based experts gathered last week at the Awbury Arboretum for PCGVR’s first Gun Violence Prevention Reporter Certification Workshop. [PCGVR]
By the numbers in Philadelphia
- 23: Shooting victims recorded last week, vs. 22 the week prior. [PCGVR]
- 1,522: Shooting victims as of last week were down 28% vs. the previous year. The city hasn’t updated counts since last Thursday. [PCGVR]
- 372: Year-to-date homicides, down 20% vs. last year’s pace; up 22% vs. five years ago [Philly Police]
MAYOR WATCH
Mayor Kenney joins interim PPD Commissioner Stanford at the Convention Center to congratulate recently promoted members of the Police Department (11 a.m.). He then heads to the Art Museum for the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau’s annual pre-Thanksgiving luncheon (12 p.m.).
ON THE CALENDAR
🎄 Check out one of Philly’s most impressive holiday light displays at the opening night block party for the Miracle on South 13th Street. Expect snacks and hot chocolate, plus balloon art and Santa. (5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 25)
✍🏾 Gather with artists from Azuka Theatre at the Walnut Street West Library to learn new ways to share and preserve stories through live theater. (3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28)
Catch up on the previous week
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