Why a nonprofit wants to seize a family home | Morning Newsletter
And meet Cherelle Parker’s high school teacher
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The Morning Newsletter
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Happy Wednesday.
Expect patchy fog to start your morning and then rain throughout the day. Temperatures should reach a high of 53 degrees.
Our lead story explores why a Fishtown community development nonprofit is trying to seize a family home.
— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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The Pomroys never had a lot of money and their rowhouse on Frankford Avenue was never in pristine condition.
But for granddaughter, Linsey Franklin, it was a safe place during Fishtown’s rough years, even if the wooden siding on a rear addition was rotting and there was a tree growing through a rusted car in the yard.
As Fishtown underwent dramatic gentrification over the years, the house stayed the same.
Now, the Fishtown Kensington Area Business Improvement District, a community development nonprofit, has deemed it an eyesore and is trying to use a state law that enables nonprofits to take control of abandoned, blighted properties and sell them off.
To Franklin, this feels more like class warfare.
In her own words: “We’ve never abandoned this property,” Franklin said. “I’m 40, almost, and the house looks exactly like it did when I was younger.”
Read on to learn more about the ongoing fight and other times the nonprofit has filed conservatorships in the neighborhood.
When Cherelle Parker, now Philadelphia’s mayor-elect, stood outside her Mount Airy polling place on Election Day, she emotionally spoke about the village that got her there.
She mentioned her mother, her political godmothers, and her high school English teacher, Jeanette Jimenez.
Notable quote: “She was the one who told me that my life was a real live textbook case study on how you turn pain into power, and she told me to write about it,” Parker said.
That encouragement from her teacher helped Parker — who endured poverty and trauma during her childhood in West Oak Lane — win a citywide oratorical competition and start down a path that would culminate in her being elected the city’s first female mayor.
Continue reading to meet the high school English teacher who made a difference in Parker’s life.
What you should know today
Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker named Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Adam K. Thiel as her administration’s managing director.
We took a look back at what Philly’s departing medical examiner Constance DiAngelo accomplished during her time in office.
Philadelphia’s sheriff hasn’t held a tax sale in years and the city says it’s costing them millions.
Our restaurant critic Craig LaBan shared the best dishes he ate in 2023.
University City’s beloved Koch’s Deli will move to Independence Mall after having served West Philly for 57 years.
Allen Iverson wants to rejoin the Sixers organization.
Eagle Jordan Mailata sang “This Christmas” as part of a surprise gift for Birds fan and first lady Jill Biden at the White House holiday party.
🧠 Trivia time
Which television show did Philly residents Google search the most in 2023?
A) The Last Of Us
B) It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
C) Abbott Elementary
D) None of the above
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🍽️ Anticipating: More than 75 new restaurants are looking to open in the Philly region in 2024.
🏙️ Watching: Philadelphia lit its first official Kwanzaa kinara at City Hall.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Notable Germantown Academy alum
BROODY REPLACE
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Rich Camuso, who correctly guessed Sunday’s answer: Frosty the Snowman.
Photo of the day
And that’s all I have for you today. Thanks for starting your morning with The Inquirer.