My gripe with the News Gleaner is that they have a poor online edition. But this week’s print edition features the Great Neighborhoods of Northeast Philadelphia as a separate section. It has short histories of Frankford, Mayfair, Tacony, Holmsburg, Torresdale, Byberry, Bustleton, Oxford Circle and Rhawnhurst. For the price you can’t beat it. The downside is that those of us who are older may actually remember seeing some of the ancient history of the northeast. I guess if you live long enough you become history.
Number 236 is ours
Philly.com reports that the 236th murder this year occurred in the 2100 block of Wakeling street this morning.
“An unidentified 25-year-old male was found shot multiple times in the chest and arms, a police spokesman said.” (Other reports say he was 18 years old.)
I’m not sure how they determined his age was 25 but don’t know his name but that does not matter in the end. Another life is wasted on the streets on Philadelphia.
The CBS Evening News chose Philadelphia to top its week-long series on crime last night. It is not a distinction that we need but it is the reality. We are not alone in this. Violence is an escalating problem throughout the country. Talk is cheap and the solution is illusive.
Handguns are an easy target. They make it entirely too easy to kill on the spur of the moment. Making them illegal is not a practical solution though unless it is done universally and that is not going to happen.
Controlling them may be a step in the right direction though and that should happen. Should the city be allowed to make its own gun laws? Seems like a reasonable request but its not legal for us to do that in Pennsylvania.
Maybe the real question in the mind of many people is why should I care that these guys are killing each other. He was out at night in a park he must have been up to no good and that is the way it goes.
But the violence can and does reach out to others who are not involved in their foolishness. That danger can touch you unexpectedly. If we do nothing, we give our consent to these crimes and give the OK to the criminals. It’s just not the right thing to do.
New look today
The New look today is courtesy of our web wizard. Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions.
The old Third Federal building on Frankford Avenue
There is an ongoing discussion about the future of the old Third Federal building on the avenue. Take a look here and put in your two cents. http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/showthread.php?t=40658
Community Calendar
We had a comment on one of the stories about the East Frankford Civic Association asking if there might be more notice about their upcoming meetings. This is an open invitation to any community group to send me your meeting notices for inclusion on our community calender. Email me for information and I will tell you what we can do. Greater participation will lead to greater effectiveness. Civics, churches, blocks all are welcome.
