Frankford Gazette

Mike, at the West Frankford Town Watch, forwarded this email to me tonight.

This is important,

We need everyone’s help.  Read this story that just came out today in the Phila Inq.  I spoke with Anthony Murphy and there is a huge press conference happening today.  It does not look good.

The statement I am concerned with is “Speculation is rampant in city government that the real budget gap is far bigger than the $450 million announced last month, and the list of potential budget victims includes city ice rinks and pools, Town Watch programs, new police hires, and $2 million in extra funding for Fairmount Park”.

We need to save town watch, we need to prove how dangerous this would be if it is cut.  Call everyone you know in the Mayors Office, City Council, State Rep, ANYONE NOW!  FYI people, they just took away our NETS Unit, our Burglary Unit and now possibly our 5 squad.  Where does that leave us – bare ass naked with tons of criminals laughing at us.

Let us flood these offices with calls today so they have NO idea what hit them!

Angel

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/home_top_stories/20081008_Nutter_restores_weekend_library_hours_for_now.html

Sometimes I think we focus too much on the crime in Frankford and not enough on the positive things going on.  Town Watch is a combination of the two things.  You have people volunteering for the good of the community.

The city will be under significant budger constraints due to the ongoing financial crisis.  The mayor has to look at every area to save money.  That is understandable and expected.  But the reality is that in the next few weeks decisions will be made and priorities will be set.  The criteria will be to cut expendable programs.  What is expendable?  Well if we can cut it and nobody screams then it is expendable.

The people of Frankford have been docile for too long.  If they want to cut something, tell them to cut it out of Chestnut Hill or Old City.  Call you councilperson and call the mayor.  Give them your opinion.

I think this is number 9 for this year.  From Philly.com:

In the 1300 block of Pratt Street, an unidentified 18-year-old male was shot once in the back. He was taken to Frankford Hospital-Torresdale Campus, where he was pronounced dead on arrival at 8:15 p.m.

From the Daily News today:

About 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the city’s Oxford Circle section, Marquel Colbert, 18, of Akron Street near Pratt, was shot multiple times on Pratt Street near Oakland, around the corner from his home, O’Brien said.

Colbert was being driven to a nearby hospital when police pulled the car over, based on radio information of a vehicle observed leaving the scene, Wilkins said.

Once officers realized the victim was inside the car, a rescue transfer was called and Colbert was taken to Frankford-Torresdale Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8:15 p.m., police said.

An arrest has yet to be made in the case, but Wilkins said the shooting followed an argument.

This is a link to the murder map for this year.  Marquel Colbert graduated from Northeast High this year.