Safety concerns shared among residents, officials in South Philly: 'No one is going to save us but us'
SOUTH PHILADELPHIA - Residents in South Philadelphia came together Thursday night to share concerns about safe spaces for kids, crime and public safety.
The area of 32nd and Reed in South Philly boasts homes, a park for kids to play, a Salvation Army site and a PAL Center. All on one block. Longtime residents say they love living here but, like many areas of the city, they have concerns about crime, keeping youth on the right track and quality of life issues.
"We need to know everything that’s going on and find out how we can work together," said Sylvia Bennett, a committee person who has lived here 50 years.
"People are really afraid to go out alone in the community. Period. I’m really hoping something can be done about it," she said. Bennett joined others during a community meeting Thursday night at the PAL Center in Grays Ferry.
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"Some of the issues are just really having a safe place for our children to play, summertime activities and just making sure that the crime in this area stays down," said Tyrique Glasgow. He’s the Executive Director of the Young Chances Foundation. He organized the listening session with the community, police and elected officials.
"No one is going to save us but us at the end of the day. So, it’s a call of action for individuals to get involved when it comes to public safety," said Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson.
Glasgow also invited community leaders to talk about what they’re doing to preserve the neighborhood.
"We want the community to know that their efforts, from being block captains and just running those small pantries out of the block, are helping," he said.
Captain Kenneth McKinney is the new commanding officer of the 17th Police District.
"We are out. Out to help people understand what we do, let them know that we’re human, we care what they go through and engage in conversations," said Captain McKinney.
State Representative Jordan Harris brought some encouraging news about funding for community organizations and new spaces for youth on the way, including Vare Rec Center.
"I cannot wait for that to open. It is going to be an amazing rec center. We have almost a million dollars from the state in that project," he announced.