Spring Break
UCD, Drexel face racial discrimination charge
Jason Gomes
Issue date: 4/29/05 Section: News
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The Mantua Community Improvement Committee is in the process of filing a $10 million lawsuit against University City District and its principal financiers, Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania of charging them with racial discrimination within the next 30 days.
MCIC, a local group whose objective is to revitalize the Mantua community, claims that UCD fails to provide street cleaning, maintenance, security services and other resources in their community because of the large concentration of African Americans in the area. MCIC is also suing Drexel and Penn because they are the UCD's principal financial supporters.
"UCD, UPenn and Drexel have chosen Spring Garden Street as the boundary for caretaking," MCIC Executive Director Rick Young said.
"This action clearly resembles modern day Jim Crow laws. There are no services of any sort north of Spring Garden street and I find this to be very degrading especially in 2005."
Young also makes the claim that Mantua is predominately African American while Powelton Village is predominately Caucasian.
Young asserts that there is a growing number of University students who are moving to Mantua. He attributes this to the increased enrollment at the University and the subsequent need for more students who are in need of housing but can not find it on campus or in Powelton Village.
"Many Drexel students currently live in Mantua or are planning to move here; the community has no problem with that," Young added.
"We know that the students are not racist; the racist problems are coming from the administration. These kinds of problems should not be happening in 2005."
Young further added that the University should entertain the idea of community relations with Mantua because their students, who are the investment, live there.
It would therefore be logical for the University to provide services and other resources in the community. When asked if Young would consider dropping the lawsuit, he claimed that he would take it into consideration only if the University and the UCD adhered to the MCIC's requests and begin engaging in logical conversations over community developments in Mantua as well as putting forth monetary support.
"The lawsuit was the last alternative for us to pursue," Young said.
"We did not want to pursue it but we had no choice. The lawsuit has been on the table ever since Councilwoman [Jannie] Blackwell got involved in the problem."
Young was originally going to proceed with the lawsuit May 1 but held back after Blackwell requested 30 days to resolve this issue with all three parties.
Young also asserts that the MCIC has the full support of Blackwell, Sharis Street, the son of Philadelphia Mayor John Street and State Senator Vincent Hughes. He claims that they also agree that this situation is based on racial discrimination.
Young and his associates have met with Vice President of Government and Community Relations Brian Keech several times to discuss the issue of the University investing in Mantua and claimed that the meetings did not go too well and adds that the lawsuit was not taken seriously.
"Mantua is not a bad community that people claim it to be," Young told The Triangle. This is not a low income community or the ghetto. There are no murders; violence and crime are very low in this area."
"The University is fortunate and grateful to have great neighbors and good friends in the surrounding communities," Vice President of University Relations Philip Terranova responded to the potential lawsuit.
"We are proud of our record of service. Our students, faculty and staff are strongly committed to maintaining and enhancing our good relations with the immediate neighborhoods we serve."
University of Pennsylvania General Counsel Wendy White claimed that Penn had not received official notification of a lawsuit and could therefore not respond on how officials would respond to such allegations.
"I have not seen a copy of the complaint," White said clearly.
The Triangle attempted to contact University City District, which refused to comment on the issue. The Triangle also approached Senior Vice President and General Counsel Carl Oxholm who also declined to comment.
"The lawsuit is completely frivolous and it is not Drexel's responsibility to focus its attention in Mantua," Undergraduate Student Government Association President John Dougherty said in response to the lawsuit.
"There are only a few students who live in Mantua and it is therefore not Drexel's responsibility to focus its attention up there. Drexel should focus its attention on its own campus and Powelton Village where the majority of its students reside in. The lawsuit's claim on racial motivation is completely irrational and has no basis whatsoever."
MCIC, a local group whose objective is to revitalize the Mantua community, claims that UCD fails to provide street cleaning, maintenance, security services and other resources in their community because of the large concentration of African Americans in the area. MCIC is also suing Drexel and Penn because they are the UCD's principal financial supporters.
"UCD, UPenn and Drexel have chosen Spring Garden Street as the boundary for caretaking," MCIC Executive Director Rick Young said.
"This action clearly resembles modern day Jim Crow laws. There are no services of any sort north of Spring Garden street and I find this to be very degrading especially in 2005."
Young also makes the claim that Mantua is predominately African American while Powelton Village is predominately Caucasian.
Young asserts that there is a growing number of University students who are moving to Mantua. He attributes this to the increased enrollment at the University and the subsequent need for more students who are in need of housing but can not find it on campus or in Powelton Village.
"Many Drexel students currently live in Mantua or are planning to move here; the community has no problem with that," Young added.
"We know that the students are not racist; the racist problems are coming from the administration. These kinds of problems should not be happening in 2005."
Young further added that the University should entertain the idea of community relations with Mantua because their students, who are the investment, live there.
It would therefore be logical for the University to provide services and other resources in the community. When asked if Young would consider dropping the lawsuit, he claimed that he would take it into consideration only if the University and the UCD adhered to the MCIC's requests and begin engaging in logical conversations over community developments in Mantua as well as putting forth monetary support.
"The lawsuit was the last alternative for us to pursue," Young said.
"We did not want to pursue it but we had no choice. The lawsuit has been on the table ever since Councilwoman [Jannie] Blackwell got involved in the problem."
Young was originally going to proceed with the lawsuit May 1 but held back after Blackwell requested 30 days to resolve this issue with all three parties.
Young also asserts that the MCIC has the full support of Blackwell, Sharis Street, the son of Philadelphia Mayor John Street and State Senator Vincent Hughes. He claims that they also agree that this situation is based on racial discrimination.
Young and his associates have met with Vice President of Government and Community Relations Brian Keech several times to discuss the issue of the University investing in Mantua and claimed that the meetings did not go too well and adds that the lawsuit was not taken seriously.
"Mantua is not a bad community that people claim it to be," Young told The Triangle. This is not a low income community or the ghetto. There are no murders; violence and crime are very low in this area."
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"The University is fortunate and grateful to have great neighbors and good friends in the surrounding communities," Vice President of University Relations Philip Terranova responded to the potential lawsuit.
"We are proud of our record of service. Our students, faculty and staff are strongly committed to maintaining and enhancing our good relations with the immediate neighborhoods we serve."
University of Pennsylvania General Counsel Wendy White claimed that Penn had not received official notification of a lawsuit and could therefore not respond on how officials would respond to such allegations.
"I have not seen a copy of the complaint," White said clearly.
The Triangle attempted to contact University City District, which refused to comment on the issue. The Triangle also approached Senior Vice President and General Counsel Carl Oxholm who also declined to comment.
"The lawsuit is completely frivolous and it is not Drexel's responsibility to focus its attention in Mantua," Undergraduate Student Government Association President John Dougherty said in response to the lawsuit.
"There are only a few students who live in Mantua and it is therefore not Drexel's responsibility to focus its attention up there. Drexel should focus its attention on its own campus and Powelton Village where the majority of its students reside in. The lawsuit's claim on racial motivation is completely irrational and has no basis whatsoever."
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