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OP-Ed from Harold Miller Jr.

I am a senior currently attending Julia R. Masterman high school. Recently, I have begun to look into who represents me on a political level. This has lead me to discover Jason Dawkins, the State Representative for the 179th Legislative District of Philadelphia.

As a State Representative, Dawkins has the power to pass and vote on different pieces of legislation which directly impact my community.  While researching Dawkins, I have found that we share similar views on multiple different societal issues; for example, raising the minimum wage, limiting the availability of firearms, and increasing funding for certain Philadelphia public schools.

As a senior in high school currently applying for college, I wholeheartedly agree with Dawkins’ stance on these subjects, as I believe both of these ideas would be beneficial to me as I move into adulthood. Despite this, there are still areas within politics where I find myself disagreeing with some of Dawkins’ political decisions.

Over the past few years, there has been a rapid rise in gun violence within schools across the nation. This has lead to an increase in pressure towards public school administrations as they try to implement new systems in order to ensure the safety of their students during the school day. The frequency of these events has lead the public to become more vocal towards this subject, leading many to propose solutions on ways to prevent such tragedies from reoccurring. One idea which has recently rose to popularity is the idea of improving the overall quality of school security by requiring certain training credentials as well as arming school security guards.

Since his election, Dawkins has been a strong advocate against gun violence within Philadelphia. However, while researching Dawkins, it came to my attention that in regards to Senate Bill 621, which is a bill that would allow the arming of security guards and require school security to present certain credentials annually to hold their position, he was one of the many Democrats who voted against its passage.

Knowing Dawkins’ political track history, I find this act contradictory as I fail to see why he would argue against this bill. Dawkins, being a very vocal figure in the fight against gun violence, has made many actions in the past to improve security within schools. On October 24, 2018, he announced a school safety grant for Mastery Charter school, which would go towards security related equipment, such as metal detectors, identification systems, surveillance equipment, etc..

Within this same announcement, he stated that “children and parents should never have to fear whether or not they will return from school”, and that these grants will “help provide a safe and healthy environment for our children to learn, and teachers to teach”. I believe that the passing of Senate Bill 621 would have helped immensely in the achievement of the goals Dawkins set out in this announcement, which leads me to wonder what reasoning Dawkins has for his vote on this bill.

While I may disagree with Dawkins on this specific subject, I am very grateful for what he has done within my community. I will continue to follow and support Dawkins’ political movements as I believe he is truly working to improve our city.

 

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Frankford NAC Votes No to Car Repair Shop

The Frankford NAC zoning meeting was held on January 9th, the following cases were heard:

5343 Horrocks Street – legalization of a duplex. Non-opposition

5343 Horrocks Street

4260 Tackawanna Street – car repair shop-  highly opposed. Operating without a business license, illegal spray painting and cars dumped onto Cloud Street.

4260 Tackawanna Street

 

The next Frankford NAC zoning meeting will be held on February 13th at 7 PM at Second Baptist Church, 1801 Meadow Street.

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Stay Strong

Stay Strong

There comes a time in everyone’s life,
Whether you go left, or you go right,
You will still feel the pain.
STAY STRONG.

The loss of a loved one,
The loss of a child,
And airplanes falling out of the sky,
STAY STRONG.

Tornadoes walking over mountains high,
Wildfires blowing out of control,
Snow so high you can’t see the road,
And rain coming down with nowhere to go,
STAY STRONG.

Sometimes life is out of control,
But you must stand fast and get a hold,
STAY STRONG

Tomorrow could be a brighter day,
Whether you’re right,
or whether you’re wrong,
You will still feel the pain,
STAY STRONG

By Lenny Jaynes

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Frankford CDC Gets Funding for Paul Street

State Senator Christine Tartaglione visited the headquarters of the Frankford Community Development Corporation (CDC) on January 14th to deliver a $54,610 state grant that will help the CDC to stabilize and rehabilitate a fire-damaged mixed-use property in the heart of the local commercial district.

“The CDC has made great strides in recent years to revitalize the Frankford Avenue corridor, remove blight, and promote the growth of new businesses. This public investment will enable the CDC to continue its work, which has had a tremendous positive impact throughout the community,” Senator Tartaglione said.

The grant was awarded through the Department of Community and Economic Development’s Local Share Account program, which reallocates a portion of the funds generated by casinos that operate slot machines within Philadelphia.

“The Local Share Account grant will allow the Frankford CDC to stabilize what is now a hazardous and blighted site at 4663 Paul Street,” said Kimberly Washington, Esq., executive director of the Frankford CDC. “This vacant property is the last remaining site on the block in need of improvements, making it vital to the Frankford CDC’s goals to revitalize Frankford Avenue as set out in its Reimagining Margaret-Orthodox initiative.”

4663 Paul Street shown before the fire

On October 26, 2018, flames ravaged the three-story storefront, which is just two doors from the Frankford CDC office and less than a block from SEPTA’s bustling Market-Frankford El. The multi-alarm blaze largely gutted the property, which was being used as an unlicensed boarding house. It burned for several hours and spread to a neighboring building, causing severe damage to the second and third floors of both structures.

Frankford CDC bought the property last fall and will use the new grant funding for the first phase of its rehabilitation, including cleanout, demolition, framing, roof replacement, and floor stabilization. These measures will address any immediate safety issues and prevent structural damage to neighboring buildings.

The non-profit CDC will seek to raise additional funding to complete final renovations that will include commercial space on the ground floor, as well as four affordable housing units on the second and third floors.