World

MOVE anniversary memorial; Spanish signs grow; Ticketing increase

ADMIN 05/15/2024

Philadelphia police dropped a bomb on the home of the Black liberation group MOVE 39 years ago. The fire that followed was left to burn by the fire department, resulting in the deaths of five children and the destruction of 61 homes in the predominantly Black neighborhood.

Monday night, multiple speakers, including family member Mike Africa Jr., read the names of the victims in the middle of Cobbs Creek Parkway, down the block from where the bombing happened. Africa Jr. said he didn’t want those who perished to be “faceless victims.” Continue reading…

Paintings depicting the 11 victims of the MOVE bombing were set up on Cobbs Creek Parkway, where people gathered to mark the 39th anniversary of the deadly event. (Cory Sharber/WHYY News)

Nearly 20 years after Geno’s ‘Speak English’ fracas, a study of more than 3,000 signs shows how immigrants are transforming three Philly neighborhoods.

A study of more than 3,000 signs shows how immigrants are transforming three Philly neighborhoods, particularly in the Italian Market where signs in English decreased from 72% to 51% and Spanish signs doubled from 18% to 36%. Continue reading…

The 47 line passes through Philadelphia’s iconic Ninth Street Market. | La línea 47 pasa por el icónico Ninth Street Market de Filadelfia. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)

RECAP: What else happened?

$ = paywalled

• The Philadelphia Parking Authority started ticketing cars that block sidewalks or ADA-accessible curbs as part of an enhanced enforcement campaign. [6ABC/WHYY]

• Philadelphia consumers could soon get more protections from the city via legislation that would provide a means to hold repeat offenders of fraud accountable on the local level. [WHYY]

• Local Methodists respond to new policies eliminating language and stances regarding LGBTQ+ people that exist in the Book of Discipline. [PGN]

• What improvements are needed in Philly? Rising leaders list education reform, student services, green space, accessibility, housing, and community space as among priorities. [BizJournal$]

• Punxsutawney Phil’s new baby groundhogs with partner Phyllis have been named Sunny and Shadow. [NBC10]

• Philadelphia artist Glossblack joined Dunkin’ to unveil a tribute mural to Eagles legend Jason Kelce in Delco, at the Dunkin’ on West Chester Pike in Havertown. [6ABC]

MAYOR WATCH

Mayor Parker will speak at 11 a.m. at City Hall about plans for the Wawa Welcome America 2024 festivities ahead of the Fourth of July.

At 11:30 a.m., Parker will join U.S. Representative Jane Harman and former New Jersey governor Christine Todd Whitman in a discussion as part of the during a panel discussion at the Eisenhower Fellowships’s Igniting Future Women Leaders Panel at City Hall.

ON THE CALENDAR

✊🏽 Wednesday, May 15: Screening of “American Revolution: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs”
Learn about the pioneering civil rights activist at this Asian Pacific American Heritage Month event. Free with RSVP. (6 to 8 p.m.)

🚲 Wednesday, May 15: Ride of Silence
This ride to honor the cyclists killed or injured by motorists in and around Philadelphia will meet at City Hall and be held rain or shine. Free. (6:30 to 8 p.m.)

📚 Thursday, May 16: Philadelphia Reads James Baldwin
Celebrate the life, work, and legacy of James Baldwin as the Free Library commemorates his 100th year and join us to delve into some of James Baldwin’s essays and discuss the material as a group. Free. (5:30 p.m.)