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A little while ago, I was contacted by David Adams, block captain of the 900 block of S. 49th Street in West Philadelphia, who wanted to know why his permit application for a block party was denied this year by the city.
Adams and others say the annual block party is a 45-year tradition, and that this is the first time anyone can remember that their permit request was denied. Adams says he took up the issue with his Council office, but was told by staff at Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell's office that the denial was due to a new policy – or new implementation – by the Streets department.
A few days ago, Andrew Stober of the Mayor's Office of Transportation and Utilities confirmed to City Paper that the Streets Department is changing the way it handles block party permits:
Block parties are a great part of Philly culture and we are pleased to be able support block parties. However, the department also has a responsibility to make sure parties are safe and don't have a disproportionate impact on surrounding streets or SEPTA service. The department has begun to implement an existing policy of not issuing block party permits for streets with higher traffic volumes or streets with SEPTA service. An unanticipated closing of a busy street can present a safety hazard to those attending the block party and impact response time for emergency vehicles.
Permit or no, the residents of the 900 block of S. 49th Street were determined, and had their own "stealth" block party anyway – but said it just wasn't the same.
Meanwhile, Adams says new policies haven't been communicated to block captains, and wonders why Senator Anthony Williams was allowed host a "block party" this past weekend. In a letter to Councilwoman Blackwell's office, Adams wrote:
I couldn't help but notice that Rep. Anthony Williams had a a 3-Block Party on September 4th that covered Baltimore avenue from 48th street to 51st street - and Baltimore avenue is a major 'arterial roadway'. Septa routes were diverted until 10pm that night(our Block Parties must end at 8pm).
Mr. Stober, asked about the event, told City Paper in an email that:
Sen. Williams may have described his event as a block party. However, officially it was a festival, since it was held on a major thoroughfare (not a residential street). The Senator applied for and received a festival permit from the Streets Department and Special Events Unit of the Managing Director's Office.
Still, we wonder: if denying block party permits is am issue of safety and traffic ... why should a "festival" be any different?
I went to an awesome block party this summer. Lots of neighbors meeting each other for the first time. Lots of kids playing together. Music. Extremely diverse crowd. I remember thinking, "This block just became a little safer, because now everyone knows each other, and will look out for each other." Plus, the party was a lot of fun, and didn't cost the city a dime. Surely, there's a way to maintain this tradition without inviting serious public transportation issues. If we can divert traffic to repair streets, why not to celebrate with our neighbors?
A little update: The city's Andrew Stober (quoted above) sent me this answer to my question of why festivals should be any different. "A festival includes traffic control provided by the Philadelphia Police Department, which ensures the safety of attendees and the traveling public."
It is very interesting the city believes block parties are so life threatening to it's populace that they need to be cracked down on. I'm curious as to what other priorities they will enforcing to ensure the safety of Philadelphia residents. They did the lemon stand thing, right?
At first I thought the headline said, "Philly cracking down on crack parties." That made sense to me. The reality, not so much.
block parties are one of the beauties of the city i've known and loved.now they are trying to drive them out of existence.no wonder so many want to move out.philly treats their people so shitty.
Since when does drinking on the stoop constitute a "stealth" block party?
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