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Ask a Man-About-Town: Answers from a SW Philly block captain, final edition
Ask a Man-About-Town: Answers from a SW Philly block captain, final edition
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The Clog got a little backed up this week, and wasn't able to post our final Q&A with David Adams, the 72-year-old Southwest Philly block captain, until now. (If you're new to Ask a Man-About-Town, get the lowdown here.) We'll be returning next week with a brand new Philadelphian to answer your questions.
Without further adieu:
Q: How can I get involved in my block? What kind of help do you need/want from the block members? — posted by elisvo
A: If by getting "involved" you mean becoming the block captain, you need to get the petition from Philadelphia More Beautiful Committee and go door-to-door to get it signed. That way, you introduce yourself to your neighbors and you get to meet them and find out if they can be of assistance when you talk about block cleanups, recycling cooperation and city services. Find out what the city has to offer to residents of your block so that you will be able to answer their questions and inform them of their responsibilities. The kind of help you need/want from "block members" is first to realize that they are your neighbors and that by being block captain you want to help them.
The cooperation you need from them is whatever help they can give during block cleaning days (moving their cars, cleaning in front of their houses) and following Streets Department guidelines for trash and recycling. Their participation in block meetings is also necessary [for them to] become better informed about block news and city programs. If, due to job commitments or family responsibilities, they cannot participate in block cleaning days or attend the meetings, just being a good neighbor will suffice.
Q: Are block captains officially recognized by the City of Philadelphia? Do they play a role in the political body of the City or is their role solely restricted to the community? — posted by Beb
A: Block captains are officially recognized by the City of Philadelphia; they give you a card with your name, address and police district number on it. The card is issued by the Philadelphia More Beautiful Committee through the [Streets Department]. They come to your house on block cleaning days and give you a push broom and tall brown paper bags for the trash you and your neighbors sweep up on that morning. After you place all the filled bags on the corner of your street, the trash trucks come and pick them up. The city must approve of your block party and allow you to close off your street from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. the day of the party. The city does realize the community value of block organizations for cohesion and the dissemination of information.
Block organizations are not political by nature because their focus is on the neighbors — but we are the "political body" of the city. We are issued a "Citizen's Guide" by the Committee of Seventy that lists all of our representatives from committeeman to Congress and how to contact them. The sole job of the politicians is to represent us. We are not "restricted" to the community — we choose to become block captains because we care about our blocks and our neighbors.
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