Spring Break
City Briefs
Jordan Osecki
Issue date: 10/26/07 Section: News
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10,000 Called to Action to Fight Violence
Nearly 10,000 men in Philadelphia participated in "A Call to Action" event to help fight crime and violence in the city that was held at Temple University's Liacouras Center. According to event officials, between people who attended and people who registered online, over 12,000 total are set to participate. The Liacouras Center was filled almost to its capacity with volunteers set to patrol crime-ridden communities in a massive town-watch effort.
Beginning last Sunday, smaller events are being held in specific communities to brief the volunteers on how the program will work. The focus of these is to train the men in town-watch procedures to prepare them to be "peacemakers." They want the volunteers to walk their own neighborhoods, and patrol for three hours a day, three days a week. The volunteers will not be allowed to have weapons or under the influence of anything during their patrols, as they want to promote a violence and drug free Philadelphia.
Police Cameras Set for West Philly
The city is going to begin installing 250 new police surveillance cameras next month, with the first one to go up at a violence-plagued intersection in West Philadelphia. Mayor John Street announced an $8.9 million contract with Unisys Corp. to install digital cameras over the next 12 months, with another 250 expected by 2009. The first will be at 5200 Market Street.
The cameras will be wireless, highly visible, and monitored by civilian police workers. Data from the original cameras that was compiled by the Philadelphia Inquirer showed that cameras with a flashing blue light caused crime in those areas to go down 37 percent, and crime in areas with a non-flashing camera actually went up, but police cited it was because they were making additional arrests as a result.
Waterfront Development Dream
Penn Praxis is set to officially unveil the results of their findings about the waterfront at a public forum at the Convention Center. At over 13 sessions in the past year, a team from the University of Pennsylvania worked with residents and commercial and government interests to decide the future of seven miles along the central Delaware River waterfront, between South Philadelphia to Port Richmond.
Nearly 10,000 men in Philadelphia participated in "A Call to Action" event to help fight crime and violence in the city that was held at Temple University's Liacouras Center. According to event officials, between people who attended and people who registered online, over 12,000 total are set to participate. The Liacouras Center was filled almost to its capacity with volunteers set to patrol crime-ridden communities in a massive town-watch effort.
Beginning last Sunday, smaller events are being held in specific communities to brief the volunteers on how the program will work. The focus of these is to train the men in town-watch procedures to prepare them to be "peacemakers." They want the volunteers to walk their own neighborhoods, and patrol for three hours a day, three days a week. The volunteers will not be allowed to have weapons or under the influence of anything during their patrols, as they want to promote a violence and drug free Philadelphia.
Police Cameras Set for West Philly
The city is going to begin installing 250 new police surveillance cameras next month, with the first one to go up at a violence-plagued intersection in West Philadelphia. Mayor John Street announced an $8.9 million contract with Unisys Corp. to install digital cameras over the next 12 months, with another 250 expected by 2009. The first will be at 5200 Market Street.
The cameras will be wireless, highly visible, and monitored by civilian police workers. Data from the original cameras that was compiled by the Philadelphia Inquirer showed that cameras with a flashing blue light caused crime in those areas to go down 37 percent, and crime in areas with a non-flashing camera actually went up, but police cited it was because they were making additional arrests as a result.
Waterfront Development Dream
Penn Praxis is set to officially unveil the results of their findings about the waterfront at a public forum at the Convention Center. At over 13 sessions in the past year, a team from the University of Pennsylvania worked with residents and commercial and government interests to decide the future of seven miles along the central Delaware River waterfront, between South Philadelphia to Port Richmond.
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