1. Cafe Veracruzana – South Philly
2. Pura Vida – Northern Liberties
3. La Lupe – South Philly

This post dedicated to Dave, who thinks ‘The Joint’ was actually a high-value, well-run establishment.

I participated in my first Critical Mass in Philadelphia this past Friday. I happened to get out of work early and saw the ride while hanging in Rittenhouse Square. I rushed to join the ride, which began peacefully but ended so negatively that it caused me to question the purpose (or better yet, effectiveness) of the ride.

I have participated in a handful of rides in NYC, including the infamous RNC ride that led to the criminalization of Critical Mass in New York. New York had similar problems, but the good folks generally outweighed the bad. There seemed to be so many trouble makers on this ride, and considering it’s relatively small size — about 125 bicyclists, slimming to about 50 as the ride progressed — the trouble making really put bicyclists and pedestrians at great risk.

I realize without good organization, these rides tend to be run by the loudest subgroup. I had heard of problems with the Philly ride before, but now I can say the ride is quite problematic for urban-cycling culture. Some observations:

• The ride is fiercely anti pedestrian – watching babies in strollers, dogs and old folks almost thrown to the ground because they’re crossing on a pedestrian green signal is pathetic.
• Antagonizing cars goes nowhere – drivers who are stuck in the middle of a ride should be corked/stopped and peacefully spoken with if they become agitated.  Cursing, screaming, hitting the car, hanging onto it, etc. is dangerous and stupid.  It inspires the driver to develop a negative impression of Philly cyclists.
• Corking is important – New York rides were well corked and organized.  Only a handful riders seemed interested in corking streets.  For the unfamiliar, corking refers to blocking traffic so the ride can go through on a red light.  Riding around Franklin Circle without the appropriate entrances corked is extremely dangerous.
• Know when to quit – Clogging children’s hospital, not letting police through (who are not the least bit concerned with the ride) and scraping cars with your pedals on purpose will criminalize the ride.

Of course, there were plenty of positives.  Props to those who had boom boxes and art-bikes, they add to the positive nature of the ride.  I made every attempt to thank pedestrians and drivers who were blocked, it’s important to maintain this type of peaceful approach so folks don’t get heated, cyclists stay safe and the ride is respected by all.

There is a divide among bicycle advocates: those who say this type of action is creative and beneficial to the movement, and those who consider the antagonistic nature of the ride harmful to safer streets and a better world for cyclists.  I’m leading towards the latter now.

Ms. Clinton, who has cast herself as the stronger candidate on national security, raised eyebrows earlier Tuesday by warning in a television interview she would not hesitate to “totally obliterate” Iran if it launched an attack against Israel. – The Daily Post

More of the same, more of the same. Pennsylvania swings towards Clinton, as expected.

One thing that always amazes me in the amount of political cheer leading permitted at our polling stations. I remember in New York, polling stations were fiercely regulated. Police were called when political advocates came too close to a polling station.

In Philadelphia, my voting experiences have been different. I’ve not only been sold a candidate at the door of my polling station, but even the poll workers seemed to be wearing pins, handing out flyers and talking up their candidates. Tonight, there was a woman stopping everyone at the door to help voters with the process, by pointing out which delegates to vote for. She was wearing a campaign shirt, but she certainly seemed like she was the gatekeeper for the polling place.

Philly, I love you, but we’ve got to get our act together!

Cost of 5 pot plants: Jobs, not house – Philadelphia Inquirer

What got him interested in indoor growing, he said, “was an interest in gardening, not an interest in drugs. … The true irony of this whole situation is that I really hadn’t been a regular user for about 15 years.”

On Feb. 29, Haver, now 47, pleaded guilty “to put an end to this thing,” he said yesterday. The same day, his wife, 38, began a 30-day probationary period in a program under which charges have already been dismissed.

The consequences, however, haven’t ended.

“I anticipate losing my employment, losing my health insurance, losing my educational benefits, nine credits away from getting an MBA,” Steve Haver said.

What an awful headline, and how great an example of mass media just touching the surface of an issue and walk away. It also shows the the implicit classism of such cases. What makes this case any much touching than a grower or distributor in Strawberry Mansion receiving the same consequences? The same criminalization and control of drugs ripping apart our inner cities is doing the same to our suburbs, everyone should be concerned.

It’s worth understanding where our law enforcement and especially our incarceration priorities are at, and how poorly they are treating the real terror of drug addiction and poverty in our country. In Philadelphia, there is extreme concern for gun violence, but abatement programs are centered around heavy police work, which generally means more incarceration into already overcrowded prisons. Advocacy work for the poor in Philadelphia is a good start, but it’s like bailing water with holes in the sides of your buckets. The type of systemic change needed to correct the momentum of this system is daunting, decriminalization is not a popular rally call for many activists, let alone NGO’s or the general public. The 3rd season of The Wire does a remarkable job of demonstrating what controlled decriminalization could do in a city like Baltimore. What was particularly interesting was how non-profit organizations were elated to have a concentrated population of drug users to offer services to. Would probably make for a beautiful end-of-the-year report with great “numbers-served” for their next run of grant applications.

Some statistics to ponder:

Priorities?

Impassioned momentum.

Unbelievable!

If you live in the North East, you should be awfully concerned.

Source:

Poor Prescription: The Costs of Imprisoning Drug Offenders in the United States from the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice

 

 

 

The construction of the South Street Bridge has been contentious, rebuilding of the bridge has been delayed since 2001. The process infamously precluded community involvement, and now city officials are hearing community leaders as if it were the first time.

As plans neared completion, residents became activated and have been pushing the city to redesign the plans to be urban scale rather than an interstate overpass (such as the Walnut & Market Street bridge).

If you bike or walk in this city, the existing design totally sucks. Sound in or deal with another ugly Philly-mistake for another century.

The South Street Bridge Coalition is asking that people concerned about the South Street Bridge write letters to make the reconstructed South Street Bridge safer and more equitable for pedestrians and bicyclist who will use the bridge. You can send an email or hardcopy letter by going to this webpage: http://tinyurl.com/2zwtuw (Be sure to add in your own personal message)!

You can download (8MB pdf) the Design Recommendation for the South Street Bridge report from this page:
http://media.philly.com/documents/southstreetbridgedraft.pdf

From the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia

Powerful independent media! This is exactly why the internet must remain open.