North Philly

We had our first official screening, with the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania featuring media by four amazing organizations working in Philly. We thought this was the best way to highlight the lesser known mission of Dr. King - his passion for economic justice. To set the tone, we watched some footage from Citizen King, a documentary of the final years of his life. The movie is available from the Free Library (there are 33 copies in libraries all over the city) and its amazing so check it out!

Khalif Dobson of Philadelphia Student Union (!!) kicked it off with a powerful speech. We saw a montage of the media produced by MMP and others we're connected to, and then the panel screened 3 pieces and talked about their mission and messaging. Hopefully others will post their statements because there were some wise words by many, and photos too! Here's my intro to the montage...

The mass media played many roles in the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His messages and strategy were judged, and interpretations presented to the wider public on TV, radio and in newspapers. This became the lens through which King' message was known even during his lifetime.

When 200 residents of the Lindley Court Apartments in Logan lost their homes with two hours’ notice on Saturday, June 21st, the building' fire alarm system didn’t work, raw sewage festered in the basement, putrid garbage piled up atop overflowing dumpsters, and there was no water because the copper pipes had been stolen.

Wachovia Bank has played a major role in funding 'community planning' in various neighborhoods in Philadelphia. I think the relationship between the city, community development corporations/developers, and community organizations needs further exploration. I know of several community organizations that I feel are being bamboozled in their alliances with CDC's and developers. Especially when this is happening in neighborhoods in the early stages of gentrification, or next to neighborhoods that have already gentrified, I believe that residents should do more research before they enter into agreements to put their names on 'community plans' and therefore imply the community's consent. Here are some things to look out for:

Several community meetings put on by the Don't Tax Me Out Campaign of the Community Preservation Network have been in the news recently. Check them out here:

South Philly Review and Al Dia

The entire process that is forcing casinosinto Philadelphia grows more disturbing everyday.We need to know aboutthe real story ofwhat casinos are and how they may end up in our backyards. Accurate and fair distributionofinformation is essential, which is why the relationship between Philly's largest newpsaper and the Trump Casino is upsetting.

Inky article on housing boom in Francisvile(Realty boom spreading in N. Phila.) does a decent job highlighting how the dramatic rise in housing prices threatens to push out longtime residents. 'Francisville' includes Project HOME's hq where some affordable housing coalition meetings are held. Thoughts?