Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez hosted a town hall style meeting on the topic of recovery houses in Frankford at Sankofa Freedom Academy last Tuesday night.  This was the followup to the meeting held in February of 2009 at St. Joachim.

There was a very good crowd on hand with representatives from both Frankford and Northwood Civic Associations, the Frankford CDC and a large number of residents of Frankford.

Councilwoman Sanchez lead the meeting.  Jorge Santana attended for Representative Tony Payton.  Roland Lamb, the director of Addiction Services, was there.  Doctor Arthur Evans represented the Department of Behavioral Health.  Thomas McDade represented L&I.  Fred Way was there for PMHCC.

All of the experts on the panel made their pitch explaining their function in addressing the problem.  There is no comprehensive legislative approach to solving this problem because, as was pointed out, this problem is really multiple problems manifesting as one.

You have drug treatment providers, good recovery homes,  bad recovery homes, boarding houses and some people that are just plain nuisances.  We have people of good will, ill will and no will.

So where does that leave us?  We as a community have to keep up the pressure.  It doesn’t matter too much to us what the source of the problem is.  The solutions are where we are headed.

• There are some things that can be done legislatively to limit providers and regulate recovery so that certain standards are maintained.  We have to stand together as a community and demand that those changes be made.
• We have to stand together with the best of the recovery homes and demand that any others either be brought into compliance or shut down period.
• We have to demand strict regulation of the drug treatment providers and demand that no others be allowed to set up shop in Frankford.
• We want to demand that the the Zoning Code Commission add recovery houses and rehabilitation centers to the Zoning Code’s list of Regulated Uses (§
  14-1605); or, at the very least, to the prohibited uses list found in the Frankford Special Services District
  Controls Overlay (§ 14-1623).

Now here is the hard part.  We cannot change the economic forces that made Frankford ripe for exploitation but we can decide to work together to fight them.  Time is on our side.  In ten years, give or take a few, our problem will be how to preserve the neighborhood from becoming another Northern Liberties.  Right now are are waging a holding action until the tide changes in that direction.

Now a word of praise for a guy who does his best to just tell a story.  Toward the end of the meeting questions were taken from the audience.  That is always interesting in Frankford but in this case there were a lot of good questions from very sincere people.  At the end, john Loftus of the Northeast Times stood and said something that kind of hit the mark.  Paraphrasing it, he said there is nobody in this audience who doubts the need for recovery services.  That is not the issue.  The question is why are they all here.  Why should they all be here. Why are they all here, far in excess in proportion to the population.  That is what the community wants to know and there has not yet been a satisfactory answer to that question.

The process is ongoing.  Thanks to Councilwoman Sanchez for having this meeting and pledging to meet with the Frankford Recovery Coalition.  The more parties at the table, the more likely we are to make some progress.  A followup meeting may be scheduled for as early as September.

Read the full story from Northeast Times here.

The Historical Society of Frankford, in partnership with Holy Family University, the Northeast Times, and State Representative Dennis M. O’Brien, announces that the public is invited to suggest individuals for consideration for the 2010 Northeast Philadelphia Hall of Fame. Candidates should be Northeast Philadelphia residents past or present whose lives or careers have been marked by high achievement or individuals who have had a lasting, significant, and positive impact on the Northeast Philadelphia community. Inductees will be chosen by the Hall of Fame Selection Committee, a twelve-member panel of experts in various aspects of Northeast Philadelphia life. The committee is chaired by Holy Family University President Sister Francesca Onley.

There are several ways for the public to suggest candidates. Throughout the month of March, a clip-out/mail-in ballot form will be printed in the Northeast Times and be available for download on the Historical Society’s website (www.frankfordhistory.org) and on the NeastPhilly.com website. The ballot form will also be distributed to public locations throughout Northeast Philadelphia. Suggestions can also be submitted by email to halloffame@frankfordhistory.org. The deadline for submissions is April 1^st. Inductees will be announced in the spring and inducted in the fall at a ceremony at Holy Family University, date to be announced.

The goal of the Hall of Fame is to foster civic values and a sense of community in Northeast Philadelphia, along with a greater awareness and appreciation of the area’s rich history, by honoring the lives and accomplishments of its most distinguished citizens. In 2009, the inaugural year for the Hall of Fame, four historical figures, three living individuals, and one organization were inducted at a ceremony attended by a wide range of people from throughout the Northeast Philadelphia region.

Plans for a Northeast Philadelphia Hall of Fame were initiated in 2008, leading to its sponsorship by the Historical Society of Frankford, in partnership with Holy Family University, the Northeast Times, and State Representative Dennis M. O’Brien.

The Fox Chase Cancer Center lost another round in their effort to expand the hospital using what is now Burholme Park land.  The city had proposed to lease the park land to the Cancer Center.  Neighborhood groups rallied to oppose that intrusion into the park.  The courts have ruled for the neighbors.

The land was left to the city with the proviso that it be used for a park.  It is that simple.  Kind of if I left you some money to care for my cat and after I was gone you decided the cat did not suit your lifestyle and dumped the cat and kept the money.  It’s not quite right.

Joe Menkevich has done some research on this issue and wrote the editor of the Northeast Times yesterday.  I have his permission to reprint his letter.

December 17, 2009

A Lesson to John Scanlon, editor of the Northeast Times:

History the way I see it:

There is always a certain level of arrogance that come with money, power and elected Public Servants. They forget the reason why they were elected. It would seem that they think too much of their own thoughts, while the money whispers in their ear.

The reason why this decision was so important -

It upholds the Donated and Dedicated Property Act of 1913 as well as the Public Trust Doctrine.

It protects the Holmesburg Library and other property that was donated by the Public from being confiscated by government and given to private developers. (It should even protect our natural resources, which are public property from being given away to the energy development companies by Gov. Ed Rendell but a petition has not yet been filed.)

Much of the research in this case was done by Leonard Williams (deceased) and a certain unnamed co-conspitator. The information was then passed to Fred Maurer who took tremendous (and unfair) criticism in the press by the Northeast Times Editor, who did not care about our rights and was more interested in promoting Fox Chase Cancer Center’s expansion.

By not taking a position of neutrality, the N.E.Times editor John Scanlon, abused his obligation to report the news and the facts. Instead in the press he sided with FCCC, by chastising Fred Maurer and characterizing him and anyone opposed (as being “evil”).

This was a well coordinated attack, as Fred was simultaneously being hit with a SLAPP suit from Fox Chase. It was all done for maximum impact and maximum pain.

It was a case Goliath accusing Samson of being too small to count, so Fred was sued for his smallness.

Mr. Maurer did not lose his cool. In the end, he won on all counts. We all won – except for neutrality and Freedom of the Press.

The lesson to be learned here is just because projects are backed by the Wall Street Pharmaceutical Companies endless supply of money, it does not mean they are good or right.

Cancer Treatment is always well packaged and well promoted as if it was the elixir of life itself. Unfortunately even with cancer treatment people still die. They always have, they always will. Such is the nature of life.

Unfortunate too is that Cancer Treatment a business which is billed like it’s a charity; but it not a charity.

The lesson:

Take nothing for granted. WE must fight for our rights or lose them.

Nothing is free – least of which are the PUBLIC’S RIGHTS to accountability.

There are still other fights on the horizon. There always will be.

Stay vigilant.

J.M.

That is an interesting question that came up in a discussion today and low and behold Harry Silcox answers it tonight in the Northeast Times.  It looks like a no brainer given the energy issues that confront us today.  Folks in the past thought otherwise.

We updated the crime map page to include the data from 9/14 through 9/27/2009.  We are continuing to run about 24% below the same period last year for major crimes.  Those sirens you hear are the police doing their job.  Say thank you.  This is the link to the statistics.

The Northeast Times has a story talking about the new Police Service Areas, or PSAs.  I noticed this a few weeks ago while I was doing the computations for our crime page.  Where one week the 15th district had patrol sectors from A through P (I think it was P), suddenly it went from A to C.  I had to adapt my system to account for the change.  I’m not sure exactly how it will help but so far they are on the right track so let’s hope this keeps it going that way.