Our top stories of 2022 show a Philadelphia fired up for change

The Things We Cared Virtually in 2019

2019 was an ballsy twelvemonth in a decade of epic years for Philadelphia. Can we up our game in 2020?

December. 25, 2019

The tragedy in S Philadelphia last week—in which a rowhome exploded, killing ii people, destroying iii houses and damaging several others—was a stark end to a twelvemonth that, like Philly itself, was full of stark contrasts. For the families, the effects of that fire volition never fully become abroad. And the same may be true for the larger community—simply not in means that are necessarily all bad.

In the days since the explosion, Philly has done what Philly and then often does: Rallied around. The diverse neighborhood of immigrants and lifelong residents, also as others touched by the tragedy and so close to Christmas, accept raised tens of thousands of dollars to assist the families, more often than not in increments nether $50; vesture and houseware donation boxes have popped up in cafes, bakeries and rec centers; restaurants take offered gratuitous nutrient. There is trauma, but there is as well hope.

Yes, my neighbor downward the street votes a unlike way from me. But you know what we share? A love for our cake, our neighborhood, our city. And that matters way more.

That capped a year in which violence was up, poverty was notwithstanding high, jobs were scarce, litter was a scourge. But it besides reflected another, more hopeful, reality of Philadelphia that'southward clear from The Citizen's most read stories of the yr: We intendance. Nosotros argue, we agitate, we run for office, we gloat pocket-size victories—more than, perhaps, than nosotros have in contempo retention.

In 2019, we cared about voting.

As it is every yr, 2022 was a local election year—and a pretty ballsy one, at that. Over 40 people ran for City Council in the Democratic primary solitary this yr, from those with the machine solidly behind them to those from far exterior Philly politics every bit usual. Nosotros saw change: Kendra Brooks, the first third party candidate to agree a Council seat; Rochelle Bilal, the beginning woman elected to sheriff. And we witnessed, equally usual, the Philly shrug: The uncontested reelection of indicted City Councilman Bobby Henon. Information technology was a dizzying bear witness of republic, Philly-style.

To exist clear: Voter turnout, in May (23 percentage) and November (29 pct), was still solidly meh. But November'southward turnout was upward from 2022 (26 percent), the final time we had a mayoral and City Council race—and solidly higher than in 2022 (20 pct), the concluding time an incumbent mayor was on the ballot. That was thanks to teachers like Central Loftier's Thomas Quinn, leading the charge to get young people registered; to the candidacies that got people talking near the election; to a fired upwardly denizens that seems (hopefully) increasingly to understand the ability of local politics. And to all of usa, who cast a vote.

In 2020?

Yous know what side by side twelvemonth is virtually: Perhaps the most of import presidential election in a generation. And Philadelphia—the biggest metropolis, in a swing land that went to Pres. Trump past merely fifty,000 votes, in part because of low local turnout—is among the most important cities in America right now. Permit's show the world we know that. After all, this is the city where American democracy was invented—we got this.

In 2019, we cared near offense. And criminal justice.

It was a bad year for Philly in at least one way: Violence was up again, with 346 homicides—one percentage college than last year'due south worst in a decade charge per unit of killings in the metropolis—including several children. That doesn't count the thousands of non-fatal shootings, like the half-dozen police officers shot during a standoff in Nicetown over the summer. Information technology is a travesty. And our elected, and appointed, leaders take failed to address information technology.

We are besides a City at the forefront of efforts to reform criminal justice in America. That effort can be messy, as evidenced by the decidedly mixed views of District Chaser Larry Krasner, who has alienated police, victims and other prosecutors—but whose supporters continue to win elections.

In 2020?

The August resignation of Law Commissioner Richard Ross amidst sexual harassment allegations, as well equally the negotiations over the new police spousal relationship contract, offering Mayor Kenney an opportunity: Can he bring in a chief who can shepherd in a new culture that eschews the department's history of harassment and actually solves crimes in a metropolis with a forty pct homicide clearance charge per unit? Will he push the police union to make concessions that volition go far easier for the next commissioner to fire bad cops?

In 2019, we cared about traffic. Too parking.

Heed, information technology'southward hard to go places. The roads are clogged, and pockmarked; the parking is expensive and, depending on whom you enquire, either also plentiful or besides scarce. So we spent a lot of time talking most congestion, and its cousins, parking, pollution and public transit. And it's probably going to stay that style, equally long as the jobs are far away—30 pct of us leave the city for work—SEPTA struggles to go along upwardly with the need, and Philly fails to maintain the roads like a world class city.

In 2020?

The new year volition bring a new chief to SEPTA, former PennDOT Secretary Leslie Richards, with a background in urban and regional planning who fabricated her mark in the state with efforts to engage the public in planning around majuscule projects. That could bring a more city-focused lens to the transportation agency, which has spent far more money over the last decade on suburban rail than the city services, which most of its ridership uses.

In 2019, nosotros cared about the Earth.

Did you know Philly used to have citywide curb composting, until the 1990s? That's something we learned late in the year, when the metropolis announced a community composting pilot, another footstep towards the goal of zero waste by 2035. Youth rallied, while adults debated: What do we practise with the old Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery, how to argue with the fact that poor neighborhoods are more polluted, what can we practice about the litter (which just ends upwardly in the river)?

In 2020?

Peradventure—is it possible?—the metropolis will finally begin mechanized street cleaning again, something Mayor Kenney promised fashion back in 2015. And perchance we adults will offset listening to the children: Now is the time to salvage their planet.

In 2019, we cared about helping out.

The problems are huge in this city. But we are also a city of problem-solvers. And that was axiomatic this year, too. People looked for ways to help the homeless and hungry, to rails down a gay couple depicted in 60-year-sometime photos, to bring more diversity into schoolhouse leadership, to hear about ideas from outside the city to solve issues. We had businesses diving in to do good and well: Like, Shift Majuscule, the B Corps Kensington developer offering discounted rents to residents who volunteer in the neighborhood, and FS Investments, the Navy M company democratizing investing.

In 2020?

There is no getting around the fact that 2022 is likely to be a year of bitterness and bile on the national scale. We are broken, politically-speaking. So allow's make 2022 a year of local empathy, kindness and neighborliness. Yes, my neighbour downwards the street votes a different mode from me. But y'all know what we share? A honey for our block, our neighborhood, our city. And that matters manner more.

Header photo courtesy Mobilus In Mobili / Flickr

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Source: https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/top-stories-2019-philadelphia/

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