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  • 22 Jul 2020 1:54 PM | Travis Oliver (Administrator)

    VoteSafe Pennsylvania has launched a statewide bipartisan campaign that aims to ensure every Pennsylvania voter has access to safe voting options for the November election.

    As covid-19 threatens to disrupt traditional voting procedures, VoteSafe Pennsylvania is advocating for secure mail-in ballots and safe in-person voting sites. The group is also educating voters about what voting options are available to them, as this year marks the first time all Pennsylvania voters can vote via mail-in ballot.

  • 22 Jul 2020 10:19 AM | Travis Oliver (Administrator)

    These actions requiring officers to undergo pre-employment background checks and mental health evaluations are just a start toward a fairer and better system for everyone.


  • 21 Jul 2020 2:05 PM | Travis Oliver (Administrator)

    As the City Reopens with Care, organizations and sites across the city still need volunteers to do things like:

    If you are able to volunteer, please take a look at the opportunities available through the Mayor's Volunteer Corps portal and sign up!

    If you aren't able to volunteer at this time, please help us spread the word!
     
    Visit e Mayor's Volunteer Corps portal to search and sign up for volunteer opportunities

    If you are interested in volunteering and feel safer at home, there are virtual volunteer opportunities like:

    Search virtual volunteer opportunities


  • 20 Jul 2020 2:55 PM | Travis Oliver (Administrator)

     There is a scheduled protest for tomorrow, Tuesday, July 21 from 8pm-10pm in the Square.  The number of participants is very low as of now, but that could change.  A police presence will be there regardless.  Please be safe.

  • 20 Jul 2020 2:26 PM | Travis Oliver (Administrator)


    Mayor Jim Kenney and other City officials today provided an update on the City’s Pathways to Reform, Transformation and Reconciliation. The effort is supported by a Steering Committee of diverse civic, business, and faith leaders. The committee was created last month to help the City enact a meaningful agenda for reform, reimagine public safety, and advance racial justice. 

    The Steering Committee’s role is to advise, inform, connect, and work to eliminate race-based disparities in Philadelphia communities and promote racial and social justice across institutions.

    The committee is staffed by senior City staff, who support the planning and implementation of reform, transformation and reconciliation strategies developed by the Steering Committee. The City’s internal work group that supports the committee is co-chaired by Deputy Mayor Cynthia Figueroa, City Solicitor Marcel Pratt, and Acting Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer Nefertiri Sickout. 

    The Steering Committee’s short- and long-term objectives will be released next month. Members of the public can sign up to receive updates from the Steering Committee. For more information about the City’s reform, transformation, and reconciliation work, visit the webpage below!

    Pathways to Reform


  • 20 Jul 2020 2:24 PM | Travis Oliver (Administrator)


    Due to an expected high heat index, the Health Department had declared a Heat Health Emergency today, Monday, July 20th. 

    Residents should take special care to avoid the heat and get into air conditioning. The City has also activated the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging's Heatline, a free service that can connect residents to Health Department nurses who can help assess situations and offer recommendations on the best way to stay safe.
     
    Because some folks will have difficulty with reaching air conditioning, the City will be opening sites where Philadelphians can cool off safely. They include libraries, schools, SEPTA buses, and spraygrounds throughout this city. 

    Learn more below and please check on your neighbors and loved ones!

    Heat Emergency Guidance


  • 20 Jul 2020 12:03 PM | Travis Oliver (Administrator)

    There has been so much happening in our neighborhood and our city lately, it's getting harder to keep track.  I am happy to report that more restaurants and retail establishments are opening daily, giving a real semblance of activity to our previously bare sidewalks.  However, COVID and protests continue, there are changes in the city government, fireworks exploding at all hours, and an abundance of motorcycles revving up their engines in the early morning. We want you to know that we are repeatedly bringing these quality of life matters to our government representatives and will report back to you.  But there are some things you can do to help.

    COVID - cases are rising. Yesterday, Gov. Wolf imposed new restrictions on the state. We can still play our part to flatten the curve by wearing a mask or facial covering and practice social distancing. Like Gov. Wolf stated, "we will not become Florida."

    Outdoor dining - restaurants are supposed to ensure all patrons are seated at tables. No loitering is allowed. If you see someone loitering, call 3-1-1.

    Noise complaints - the fireworks continue to be a nuisance. There have been over 8500 calls reported to 9-1-1 since Memorial Day. Keep reporting them to the police. Also, CCRA received a few reports on motorcycle noises in the early morning hours. We have contacted the 9th District Police Dept. and we advise you to do the same. We will let you know of any updates on our website, enewsletter, and social media outlets.

    Let's face it, 2020 has been terrible, but we need to stay strong. We have weathered many storms, and although this year seems like a never-ending Category 5 hurricane, we'll get thought it. We are here for you.


  • 19 Jul 2020 7:28 PM | Travis Oliver (Administrator)

    Philadelphians are doing a better job of wearing masks than residents of many other U.S. cities. At least, they say they are.

    https://billypenn.com/2020/07/19/philly-mask-compliance-high-coronavirus-cdc-director-mandatatory/


  • 16 Jul 2020 12:35 PM | Travis Oliver (Administrator)

    The City of Philadelphia announced today that it will postpone plans to close the protest camp on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Last week, after weeks of providing oral direction to remove the encampment, formal written notice was issued to residents of the camp that they must vacate the area no later than Friday, July 17 due to mounting public health and safety concerns that affect both the residents of the encampment and the surrounding community.

    “We’re postponing the closure because conversations with the group are ongoing and I plan to meet with several camp representatives next week,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “A mutual resolution has always been our preferred outcome. We appreciate their willingness to engage in productive dialogue, and I’m hopeful that we will reach a peaceful resolution soon.”

    The additional time also affords City outreach teams and service providers more opportunities to engage individuals experiencing homelessness in order to offer housing and other social services.

    For the last week, outreach teams representing Merakey, Northeast Treatment Centers, veterans’ services, the Department of Human Services, Office of Homeless Services, and the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services have been part of an outreach effort called “Homeless Connect,” which brings appropriate supports to those in need.

    “We’re pleased that over the past few days, seventeen placements, including two couples, to safe havens, recovery housing and shelter, have occurred, on top of the seventeen placements of older adults and people with disabilities into the COVID Prevention Space,” said Liz Hersh, Director of the City’s Office of Homeless Services. “The City and our partners will continue outreach so everyone in the camp has a housing plan and a place to go.”

    Outreach has been in the area for the past month engaging those who are willing and offering housing and services. This work has been done from outside the camp and the perimeter so as to honor the boundaries of the camp and requests of organizers. However, the City believes its outreach efforts, which connect individuals with the very services and help they need, would be even more effective if the outreach workers could enter the camp and directly speak with its homeless members. Even with this limited access, the City and outreach partners have been able to place over 30 individuals in either shelter space or COVID Prevention hotel space.

    City officials previously met with camp representatives and neutral observers on June 26 to hear the group’s asks.

    Mayor Kenney added, “This demonstration activity casts an important light on the racial inequities in our society that impact homelessness and frankly have informed inadequate solutions. Our Administration shares the belief that policy failures for generations have brought us to this point, and we are committed to enacting meaningful reforms that help keep people in their homes, expand affordable housing, and improve pathways to home ownership in the City of Philadelphia – especially for communities of color.”

    As the City continues to reimagine and reform public safety, Mayor Kenney acknowledges that using police officers to remove people from the camp is a last resort and something he hopes does not come to fruition.




Center City Quarterly

CCRA publishes the Center City Quarterly to provide information on Center City people and events from the point of local residents.  You'll be guaranteed to learn something interesting about your neighborhood in every issue!

Archived issues of the Quarterly are provided in Adobe Acrobat format. If you do not have the free Adobe Acrobat reader, you can download it directly from Adobe.

Advertisers:  To advertise in the Center City Quarterly, download our AdvertiserForm and email the completed form to centercity@centercityresidents.org or return to us by mail with your payment.  Upon receipt of your completed form, a member of the Newsletter Committee will contact you regarding any specific requirements.

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We reserved the right to scrub any images we consider offensive. All copyrights are reserved to the contributor, who grants CCRA the rights to display images uploaded in this web site. No commercial information, please!



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