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Archive: November, 2011
Despite warnings from the city — not to mention its own various internal difficulties — Occupy Philly is still standing this morning, after supporters, clergy and even a small contingent of New York Occupiers flooded Dilworth Plaza last night to wait for the city's next move.
That next move is undoubtedly coming. Just this morning, Mayor Michael Nutter's press office sent out a media advisory about media parking logistics during construction on Dilworth Plaza, the ostensible reason Occupy has been ordered to leave the site. Presumably, that construction is going to start soon.
The Philadelphia Inquirer has dedicated article after article to its "Assault on Learning" series, describing a school district where students suffer from widespread violence that administrators underreport so as to not look "persistently dangerous" on paper. They exposed a dysfunctional early intervention program that enrolls nearly everyone — again, like standardized test scores, looks great on paper — and helps almost no one. And they disclosed that school police receive little training and even less vetting. This year, one uniformed officer appeared in court the first day of school — to face charges for crack possession.
The most recent installment, "Armed with Guns and Understanding," however, raises more questions about the Inquirer's reporting than it does about our beleaguered public schools. Profiling the armed school police of Houston, Texas, the 4,500-word article suggests that Philly follow the lead of Houston, which has a lower rate of school violence. Since both cities are similarly big and similarly non-white, what else could explain the schools' lower rate of violence?
Well, we don't really know, since the Inquirer simply implies/assumes that armed police were the decisive factor. And perhaps they were. But as social scientists like to say, correlation does not equal causation. It's bad journalism to assume that the two districts' different outcomes (less vs. more violence) are the result of a single cause (armed police). I would imagine that the differences between the two cities (one Texan, one Pennsylvanian) and two districts go well beyond whether school cops have guns. That's just a hunch, but it's not my job to figure that out — it was the Inquirer's, and they didn't. This was a thinly disguised editorial for arming and "professionalizing" our school police hidden under even thinner reporting.
While its methods may at times seem harsher than in Philadelphia — Houston school-police K-9 units conduct random sweeps for weapons and drugs — statistics suggest that its professionally policed schools are markedly less violent than Philadelphia's.
Occupy Philly's gotten noticeably quieter over the past couple of days as the group contemplates its own uncertain future.
Last week, the city gave notice that occupiers should leave their site at Dilworth Plaza "immediately," prompting the group to undertake a hasty vote to relocate across the street, to Thomas Paine Plaza, which site the city had initially suggested as an alternative to Dilworth.
They were immediately rebuffed by police and, just a few hours later, by the Nutter administration, which said they needed to apply for a new permit first. Not long after, the city rejected their application, saying it would only offer a permit that restricted Occupy Philly from putting up tents and other structures and from staying overnight.
No more occupation, in other words.
Last night, the group voted to appeal that offer, but that vote did little to answer the looming question:
What will it mean for Occupy Philly if it's no longer an "occupation?"
Several speakers at last night's meeting spoke of getting ready for the "next phase" and of "Occupy 2.0" — but those seem more like optimistic ideas than plans so far.
Meanwhile, the group seems uncertain itself about what to do. On the one hand, it's not clear whether this movement can sustain its energy without its trademark public hub. On the other, the issues over the public encampment have all but taken over the coverage of Occupy Philly and its counterparts elsewhere, while camping itself is looking more problematic the nastier the weather gets.
The city's promised to give the group 48-hour notice before evicting them for good — which means the Occupiers have, if nothing else, a little holiday respite to think it over.
Philly is sick of paying out to pensioners and beneficiaries who don't pay their taxes, and they've announced a crackdown on the 2,500 or so recipients who owe a collective $12.9 million. "The City has sent a letter to all 2,500 pension recipients who owe back taxes; some have already entered a payment plan. If they fail to make voluntary repayment arrangements or if they do not maintain current repayment agreements, they will be subject to enforcement measures. These measures include having up to 25% of their pension benefits deducted from their pension checks and offset against their delinquent taxes," a statement from the city reads.
Best of all, they're invoking Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins to scare delinquents straight.
A purported police Facebook thread, posted with blurred photos and names on the Occupy Philly forum within Reddit, appears to show an officer eager for a crackdown. "Those worthless assholes should occupy the end of a baton," a commenter told a Facebook profile owner who is supposedly a Philadelphia cop on Occupy detail. "Soon, Dan, soon..." the alleged officer responded.
View galleryThis is the most recent map drawn up for the Occupy Philly's move from City Hall to the Municipal Services plaza.
"This is a draft map of what our winter city could look like across the street. This is Draft #5. We have been working with members of the working groups, with individuals, and with urban planners to create this draft. What do you think?
Walk the space across the street and let us know your thoughts. Where should your working group be located? Keep in mind that we need to keep all of the entryways accessible, and to measure a 20 foot fire safety zone on all sides of the building. Please send your comments, questions, and concerns to occupydraftmap@gmail.com. You can also write your comments in the suggestion book at the Information Tent."
Occupy Philly wants to turn the conversation away from the should-we-stay-or-should-we-go bickering over Dilworth Plaza and back to economic justice issues. This afternoon, they made an attempt to do just that at Wells Fargo at 1700 Market. One demonstrator entered the bank as "sheriff" at 4 p.m. and began posting foreclosure notices, and 11 others already inside the bank joined the protest, until they were detained by police. Before the demonstrators were carted off in police wagons at around 6 p.m., dozens of bicycle police had arrived on the scene to create a barricade, at one point pushing protesters back from bank's perimeter with their bicycles.
Zachary Hershman, 26, a schoolteacher from West Philadelphia, said they had selected Wells Fargo because it had evicted more families in Philadelphia than any other bank. And, he added, "the purpose is to redirect the focus on Occupy Philly away from the logistical bullshit and back onto the economic crisis that has affected so many families in the city."
Sheila Maddali, an attorney assisting Occupy's legal collective, said that at least half the protesters arrested on Market Street bridge yesterday had been released and that so far the city had not set bail for any protesters that have been arrested in connection with the movement.
Early Tuesday night, Kevin Neary of Northern Liberties was shot outside his house, and possibly left paralyzed. Right now he's in recovery. His friends and family have set up a blog for updates on his condition. There's also a page about the incident on Reddit. I know Kevin from bowling against him at North Bowl. He's a good dude. Please keep him in your thoughts.
In the meantime, the police have released this video of a suspect.
The Philadelphia City Planning Commission and contractor Toole Design just posted the draft plans for phase two of the Philadelphia Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan, covering West and Northeast Philly. It covers bike lanes and bike-friendly streets (if there is such a thing), along with sidewalks and lists "priority" projects near schools and community centers. The community meetings are over, but the public comment period is still open. It ends Dec. 9, so now's the time to make a push for sidewalks and bike lanes in your neighborhood.
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