🌳 Hands off FDR Park | Morning Newsletter
And 900 Philly Police jobs that could be for civilians.
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The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
We’re in for another dreary and rainy day.
Personally, I’m thrilled with the dip in temperatures. I’m breaking out the scarves that have been hidden in the back of my closet since March. Grab that umbrella and expect a high of 55.
Today’s lead story is all about FDR park and what it means for community, particularly for folks of color and immigrants. It has me thinking, what is your favorite green space in the city and why? Bonus points if you also share a memory.
📧 Email us back and your answers could end up in the newsletter.
Let’s dive in.
If you see this 🔑 in today’s newsletter, that means we’re highlighting our exclusive journalism. You need to be a subscriber to read these stories.
— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
FDR Park has long been a place for building community and connecting with culture, whether that be listening to bachata, playing the Southeast Asian ballgame sepak takraw, or praying with community.
For South Philly’s Latino community, it’s a place for folks to celebrate everything from birthdays to baptisms.
The Indonesian-American organization Gapura hosts Eid prayer in FDR Park every year, which more than 600 Muslims across different communities attend.
The Southeast Asian Market, which sells everything from papayas to crickets, has become a staple in the park.
But this diverse community is worried about this potential loss of green space since the city pitched the park to be a training site in its World Cup hosting bid.
FDR is the largest swath of public land in South Philadelphia and some people’s only source of green space.
Keep reading as reporter Massarah Mikati details why they feel it’s their right to fight for it.
Nearly 900 positions in the Philadelphia Police Department could be performed by civilians.
The force also employs a smaller fraction of civilians compared to sworn police officers than many of its peers, according to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania.
The crux: Officers in Philadelphia in many cases perform duties that are done in other cities by civilians — who typically earn less, have no arrest power, and don’t carry firearms
About 11% of the Philadelphia Police Department’s 7,000 employees are civilians. But among agencies nationwide that serve jurisdictions with more than 1 million people, civilians make up nearly a quarter of total staff.
The study’s authors contend that “civilianizing” parts of the force could result in a more diverse department with improved efficiency and productivity. There could also be cost savings through payroll reductions.
Necessary context: The city partnered with Penn on the review amid broader pushes for police reform in 2020, but did not pay for the 75-page study.
The city also did not publish the study. It was obtained by The Inquirer through a Right-to-Know request.
Reporter Anna Orso explains how the review is guiding some potential changes within the department.
What you should know today
Take a minute for this one. The classmates of Nicolas Elizalde, the 14-year-old who was shot and killed outside of Roxborough High School, reacted to his death and Philadelphia’s gun violence in their own words.
A Philadelphia Commons Pleas Judge blocked the city from enforcing Mayor Jim Kenney’s ban on guns at recreation centers and playgrounds.
Former State. Sen Vincent J. Fumo and the IRS debated whether he was helping himself or his constituents as Fumo fights a $3 million tax bill tied to his corruption conviction. 🔑
Philly could have an openly LGBTQ City Council member after next year’s election.
Local coronavirus numbers: Here’s your daily look at the latest COVID-19 data.
There was a time public schools were showpieces of their neighborhoods, representing vast investments in education and hope for a better world.
A century later, many of the Philadelphia public schools still stand and remain beautiful but are underfunded and badly in need of repair.
Teacher and artist Michael Smaczylo’s work of 10 silk-screened posters named “Reimagining Monoliths” examines the educational and social landscapes of the city. It documents 10 schools and their surrounding communities through photography, digital collage, illustration, and printmaking.
It’s on display in the South Philadelphia art gallery, Da Vinci Art Alliance and runs through Oct. 12.
Reporter Kristen Graham shares how this project came to be.
What we’re ...
🏀 Reading: How some Chinatown leaders are weighing the prospect of the Sixers arena that could be coming next door.
🎧 Listening: To Renaissance. It is still on repeat since it came out (“Virgo’s Groove” in particular).
😍 Sharing: One thing to make you smile. Here’s Khumbie, the Philly Zoo’s red panda, on a swing.
🧩 Unscramble the Anagram 🧩
Hint: A former Philly mayor
NELLE REDD
Think you know? Send your guess our way at morningnewsletter@inquirer.com. We’ll give a shout-out to a reader at random who answers correctly. Today’s shout-out goes to Cindy Lavecchia from Horsham, who correctly guessed Edgar Allen Poe as Monday’s answer.
Photo of the Day
That’s all I have until next time. I’m starting the day with a hot apple cider. Thank you for starting yours with The Inquirer.