Frankford Community Blog | Local News, Events, Community Resources
The bridge that crosses the Frankford Creek on Castor Avenue is to be formally dedicated in honor of Philadelphia Police Officer Gary Skerski who was killed in the line of duty 11 years ago.
The ceremony will be held on Tuesday, May 8th at 10 AM. The bridge is located on Castor Avenue between Wyoming Avenue and Cayuga Street. The public is invited to attend.
You never hear about Philadelphia’s Mayor, Jim Kenney, having his house stolen by squatters. That is probably because it has never happened. Squatters know that it would not be allowed to happen. If the mayor came home from being away one day and found squatters occupying the premises, the police would have the bums in cuffs and charged with Criminal Trespass in the blink of an eye. That is how it should be for any situation of that kind in the City. If you steal a house, you get arrested.
Yet, when the property at 1301 Wakeling Street (right across from Frankford High School) was taken over by squatters in the 3rd week of March, why did the Conservator (Scioli Turco), working on behalf of the Northwood Civic Association, have to go to court to have the crooks legally evicted? Why should the victim of this crime suffer further loss?
1301 Wakeling Street
Why didn’t the police just throw the bums out when they were called on the first day when they were called to the property? It is the theft of a house. But that is not the way it happened. Instead it took 3 weeks for the legal process to get them out.
Joe Krause, President of the Northwood Civic Association, has been working to bring this property back from near extinction, since 2015. Last year, after battling the absentee owner for two years in court, the Conservator was appointed, and work began to rehab it and get it back onto the market as a single-family home. Great progress was made. Until somebody stole it and held up the project for three weeks.
Its back in the hands of the Conservator now and work must be done to repair the damage. Three weeks of time lost in the battle to keep the neighborhood a decent place to live.
What will happen the next time squatters take over a house? It could be yours.
Representative John Taylor has decided to retire, so this year’s election for the 177th Pennsylvania House District Seat is the one and only time that Democrats have a good opportunity to rise up in their righteous anger and deliver a stinging blow to Trumpery, gerrymandering, global warming, fracking, gun violence, misogyny, and compulsory pregnancy.
We all need to get to the polls on May 15th to vote in the Democratic primary, and again on November 6th for the general election.
Please!
The good news is, that with John Taylor leaving, four Democrats have stepped up to contend for a legislative seat from a district that was carved out of our overwhelmingly Democratic City for the purpose of guaranteeing that Philadelphia would have one Republican State Representative.
Take a look at our ridiculous legislative district below:
Map courtesy of the Committee of Seventy
This obscene structure isn’t just a Republican product; it’s the result of a corrupt bargain involving incumbents of both parties. Democrats in the State Legislature colluded with the Republican majority and the then incumbent Republican Governor to commit this fraud on voters in Northeast Philadelphia. And Democratic Ward leaders in Philadelphia have colluded with those despicable legislators to maintain them in office. And labor union leaders have gone right along with the scam.
So, what to do on May 15th? I recommend voting against gerrymandering, as a top priority. And the obvious choice is Joe Hohenstein. Joe is firmly committed to the creation of a non-partisan commission for redistributing Congressional and State Legislative seats. He doesn’t have a famous last name to run on and the establishment won’t be able to buy him off. Instead, he is backed by a consortium of independent, progressive minded labor unions who have a history of working to elect independent minded politicians who advocate for policies beneficial to ALL working people.
Then there’s all of those other issues. All four candidates say that they mean to do the right thing. All four talk about their deep roots in the community and their local activities. How do we choose the most effective spokesman?
My thought is, when you have multiple options who all talk the right talk, you should check their educational credentials and philosophies. Joe Hohenstein’s college and law degrees and 25 years of law practice seem like the most promising credentials for what we need: a skeptical independent thinker who will confront right-wing extremism effectively.
Ultimately, the issue isn’t who talks the right talk but who has walked the right walk. Joe Hohenstein is the candidate who has an actual record of confronting right-wing extremism. His law practice has been specialized in immigration issues, and he mixed it up in court with the jingoes, and won. I don’t see anything like that with the others.
Joe Hohenstein’s roots and engagement in the community are at least as deep as the others. His grandparents’ wedding at St. Joachim’s occurred 60 years prior to his own. His grandfather had a saddle shop on Frankford Avenue. Joe learned to swim and worked as a lifeguard at Simpson playground. He played soccer at Frankford High School and was on the second team, all public, his senior year. And today Joe is Clerk of Frankford Friends Meeting. In that role he has actual experience in managing a school, as opposed to talking about educational issues.
Democrats in the 177th District aren’t likely to go wrong on May 15th with the available candidates. But, we really need to do the best we can to put up a candidate who will put up the best possible fight against Trumpery. That choice, I submit, is Joe Hohenstein.
John V. Buffington
April 13, 2018 (The 275th birthday of Thomas Jefferson)
John Buffington is a retired lawyer living in Frankford. He sometimes has opinions.
Do you have space in your home and your heart for a foster child? Could you be a foster parent – full or part-time or on an emergency basis? This is the question that Latasha Myers and Marcus Wing, Resource Home Coordinators, at Turning Points for Children are asking us to consider. Their “job”, but it is so much than a job, is to build stronger families, giving them and the community a foundation for a brighter future.
Turning Points for Children is a leading agency in the city providing services to families. For over 175 years they have been successfully been offering programs for children who have been in abusive or unsafe environments. Families often find themselves in difficult situations due to poverty, unemployment, addictions, homelessness or the parent’s own childhood experiences.
Turning Points for Children was born because of the mergers of several agencies servicing children. Most recently in 2008, The Children’s Aid Society of Pennsylvania and The Philadelphia Society for Services to Children would form Turning Points for Children. This name really fits. Our local office is located at 4329 Griscom Street. May is Foster Care Awareness Month and this is the perfect time to learn more about being a foster parent.
I recently sat down to interview Latasha and Marcus. I was very impressed with their passionate advocacy, their hearts and the smiles on their faces as they talked about their life’s work. Both believe that every child should have a real childhood in a stable and safe home environment where they can grow physically and emotionally. Children are referred through the Child Abuse Hotline and/or through Department of Human Services.
Latasha Myers (l) and Marcus Wing (r), Resource Home Coordinators
Here is what they want you to know: their days are spent recruiting prospective foster parent(s) for infants up to 21 year olds. Don’t believe the stereotypes that foster children are “bad”. Very often, these kids are in these situations through no fault of their own. There is a large need and Turning Points for Children is dedicated to helping kids. That’s why these children are often placed in their own neighborhoods because the familiar surroundings help them. Helping these kids is also helping to build community and a strong foundation for the future. The Department of Human Services’ Improving Outcomes for Children initiative came up with the idea of trying to keep the children in their communities so that it would be less disruptive.
If you would like to be a foster parent, you first receive training from a Resource Parent Support Specialist. You must be at least 21 but there is no age limit regarding being a foster parent. You need to get the appropriate clearances but they are paid for by Turning Points. A home inspection is conducted to be sure the environment is safe and a good “fit” for you and the child. Once you are certified, each foster parent is given a Resource Support Specialist. As a foster parent, you are not alone. When a child is placed with you, Turning Points for Children has already evaluated the child determining their needs so that resources are readily available and provided. Ongoing support is there for you.
You are compensated monthly which varies with the age of the child. Infants, of course, need formula, diapers and teenagers receive an allowance to help teach them some independent skills. Clothing is provided as well. Each child is eligible for CCIS (child care if you’re working) and Medicaid.
Marcus and Latasha wanted you to also know that being a foster parent is very rewarding for you, too. You are helping to build community by giving these children a sense of a caring community. Of course, you are also giving back by supporting a family at a time they need it the most. The ultimate goal is to reunite children with their families but sometimes that isn’t possible. Some foster children are in foster care longer and might be able to be adopted by you or someone else. As Marcus said, you could be caring for the next President, leader, doctor, etc. But we all know its most important what kind of person you are.
Turning Points for Children are the first to volunteer with Frankford community projects, they are everywhere and they always have a little something to give out. They are all wonderful community partners and I have met quite a few over the past years. They are very supportive of this community. This is why they have focused on building partnerships with other organizations in the community and offering opportunities for parents to come together like their “Parent Cafe”.
If you would like to learn more about being a foster parent, please don’t hesitate to contact Latasha or Marcus. You can reach Latasha Myers at 215-287-4353 or email lmyers@turningpoints.phmc.org or Marcus Wing at 267-449-1558 or email mwing@turningpoints.phmc.org.
Their website is turningpointsforchildren.org or find them on Facebook at Turning Points CUA3 and on Twitter @tp4cCUA3.
Fred Prescott is a lifelong Frankford resident who grew up on the 2000 block of Margaret Street. He attended Sullivan Elementary, Harding Junior High and Frankford High Schools.
When he graduated from Frankford in 1960, he worked for a time and then decided to enlist in the Air Force. He took the oath in January of 1961 and went to Lackland Air Force Base for Basic Training. He then was shipped off to Fort Leonard Wood for training as a Water Treatment Specialist and finally was assigned to Forbes Air Force Base near Topeka, Kansas.
He spent the rest of his active duty time at Forbes, which was a SAC (Strategic Air Command) base. He was on duty during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 when our country was on the verge of nuclear war. He was separated from active duty in January of 1965 and after 2 years in the Inactive Reserves, was honorably discharged.
He married Veronica (Ronnie) Binkowski, also a life long resident of Frankford, in 1966 and they have a son, Matthew. He worked at Aero Services making maps for 5 years. That experience lead to his long time career at Ewing Cole Architectural firm as an Electrical Draftsman. He retired from Ewing Cole after 30 years in 2006.
Fred Prescott
Outside of work, he is known by hundreds of Frankford boys as the Scoutmaster of Troop 108 which was based at the Frankford American Legion Post 211 on Leiper Street. It later moved to the Hermon Presbyterian Church on Harrison Street and finally to St. James Lutheran Church on Pratt Street. Eagle Scout Prescott, followed his father into Scouting in 1949 when he became a Cub Scout and continued past the 50 year mark. Son Matthew also became an Eagle Scout.
Fred Prescott (top row second from right) with Troop 108 at Treasure Island in 1966. Front row, L-R Bill DesChamp, Richard Ennis, Richard Franck, Bill Harmon & Gary Rooney. Second row, not sure of the first guy either, myself, Tom Kornsey, Dave Beatrice, Joe Madara, Bob (Beetle) Bailey, & Dave Gibson. Back row, John Young, John Krause, Mr. Michaelizzi, Harvey Michaelizzi, Frank Rooney, Mr. Kornsey, Steve Steily, Fred Prescott, and Hank Thompkins. Missing from pic is Taj Rogalski, my brother Bob, Mike Walls, Dave Moore, Marty Gibson, & Jim Bygott. Picture courtesy of Dave Beatrice. Captions courtesy of Wayne Hunt.
Now that Fred is fully retired, he spends his time tending to their home at the corner of Harrison and Griscom Streets. It is well known for one of the best Christmas light displays in Frankford. When not walking Willow, the pet Rottweiler, Fred volunteers at the Historical Society of Frankford. He recently compiled a history of Troop 108 titled “A Scout in Frankford: The Troop 108 Story”. The book will be on display at the Historical Society.
