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Olney/Logan/Feltonville forum

LaSalle University
Saturday, Jan. 23, 1999
Report filed by Kevin Ferris ,Readers Editor of Inquirer Editorial Board

About 18 residents of Logan, Olney, Germantown and Mount Airy attended a Citizen Voices forum Jan. 23 at the La Salle Union building on the La Salle University campus. The moderators were Harris Sokoloff and Louise Guigliano.

There's a lot to like about Philadelphia. Just listen to what Citizen Voices participants at La Salle University said were the attractions of living in this city: there's a small-town and metropolitan flavor; diverse neighborhoods; historical attractions; higher education opportunities; the cultural aspects; convenience, which includes access to SEPTA; cheesesteaks; soft pretzels, and the strange weather patterns that usually keep Philadelphians from having too harsh a winter.

But there's room for improvement, the participants said, and there's work that needs to be done to maintain the good things that are already here.

The main issues they want addressed -- and not just by elected officials but by all members of the community -- should be no surprise to urban dwellers of the '90s: crime, housing, schools and education, employment, homelessness, community building. And while there was no overarching consensus about how to treat all wounds, their suggestions were to the point.

Crime:

  • Cops should stop killing people
  • Police need to be more involved with the people in their community.
  • Police should be more of a presence that the people know instead of a ``big brother'' that just watches over the community.

    Education:

  • Smaller classes and more teachers
  • After the school day is done, open up the buildings to the community, for children and adults to use for educational and recreational purposes.
  • Tell teachers to put more emphasis on modeling the behavior they want students to emulate -- and let this spirit carry over into public life. Let leaders stress working together for the good of the whole city instead of pitting ward against ward, race against race, low-income against higher income residents. ``The politics of inclusion,'' one CVer called it.
  • And take heed Washington, one Philadelphia resident said their should be national per student funding system and a more standardized educational system.
  • Open up a gift-building program that will help revive neighborhoods.
  • Provide more incentives to maintain, develop or restore the housing stock, and penalize those who let their properties deteriorate.

    Community building:
    There were two key phrases here: philosophical shift and community involvement. The former referred to the hope that Philadelphians -- whether taxpayer or public official -- will get out of the ``I'' mode and start thinking about ``we'' when it comes to what's best for the city. The latter is about everyone making a difference, recognizing that each person and each neighborhood is necessary if Philadelphia is to be America's most livable city. ``Stop letting the pieces die and dragging down the whole `body' of Philadelphia,'' one man said.

    One phrase summed it up nicely: ``We need to be proud of ourselves again.''



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