So how did this all come about? A while ago the Frankford CDC and the Frankford Business and Professional Association both decided to work on the litter issue in Frankford. The time had come to take a shot at improving the situation here. By a stroke of serendipity, the city of Philadelphia awoke from its slumber and decided it was time to do the same thing citywide. So UnLitter Us Frankford is the first in a citywide effort to work on this problem.
It took a lot to drag me out of the house and down to Frankford and Pratt today for the UnLitter Us rally. I support the idea but the rain was still dripping and the sun wasn’t out and I didn’t feel like taking the video equipment down there etc. But I decided to go because I knew I would live to regret it if I didn’t. I was pleasantly surprised by a congenial crowd milling about chowing down on Mark Gilbert’s Thriftway hot dogs. It was a stroke of genius to schedule this event on the first of the month thereby ensuring a large crowd of happy shoppers passing by.
The mural arts people had a decorated trash truck down there and I can relate to that. Its beauty rivaled the trucks I saw traveling through the Khyber pass back in 1968 during the vacation that Lyndon Johnson sent me on. No surface is left undecorated as if it would be an insult to the gods of art to see a patch of plain unadorned paint. It was a site to behold.
SEPTA had a big green bus which was a big green diesel electric hybrid bus. Neat idea combining the two technologies.
The speechifying commenced with introductions by Tracy O’Drain of the CDC. Tony Payton spoke and Jason Dawkins spoke on behalf of Councilwoman Sanchez who was downtown on official business. Denise McVeigh of the recycle bank, Diane Richardson and Mark Gilbert of the Frankford Business and Professional Association also addressed the crowd.
Now I admit that I am ignorant of this spoken word art idea. My experience with it has been those idiots who are always riding around in their little cars playing their radios so loud that it shakes your bones a car length away. I was expecting that experience today and much to my delight it turned out otherwise.
Greg Corbin performed “The City Has a Heartbeat“. Carlo Campbell did his “Reconsider” and Whitney Peyton presented “Broken Bottles“. I get it now. Thanks.
The event is to be followed up by a Frankford wide cleanup on Saturday October 2nd.
