UPDATE (10/29/14, 1:30 p.m.): The robbery suspect is in custody, according to police. He was caught thanks to a 911 call from a person who saw the stillshot from the video posted by police, showing a young man wearing a red and blue jacket.
(Tuesday, 10/28/14): A woman was mugged this morning on Windsor Ave between 48th and 49th Streets, according to various reports. The incident took place shortly before 10 a.m. An unknown man ran up behind the woman and knocked her down, according to a neighbor report. He was unarmed, according to police. The man, who was wearing a blue windbreaker with a red stripe on the hood, got away with a small amount of cash.
October 28th, 2014 at 6:59 pm
This photo is not helpful one bit. It is pretty obvious that the only reason for this photo is to advertise and justify the war on young black men. Ferguson, here we come.
October 28th, 2014 at 7:18 pm
@Realist. We are sensitive to your point and typically avoid the generic mugshots or obscure video stills that are unhelpful to police, victims or anyone else, particularly young black men. We used this one because it is an unusual jacket that is easily identifiable and worn by a young man who attacked a woman mid-morning.
– Mike Lyons
October 28th, 2014 at 7:27 pm
If black kids would not steal there than wouldn’t be any issues but they bring problems to themselves instead of making a good image for there race they just make a bad image.
October 28th, 2014 at 7:40 pm
Oh good grief, Ferguson is your first thought in a unarmed robbery? But yeah, don’t spare a care for the woman of unknown race that was attacked. Because women being safe? Meh. Not as much fun to protest about.
October 28th, 2014 at 8:11 pm
Realist, as the victim of a crime that was solved via a security camera, I would call this a fairly distinctive jacket, and therefore useful. Sorry if it might fit a broader pattern – in this case, I’m glad to have it.
October 28th, 2014 at 9:38 pm
It’s not always about race. A crime is a crime and a criminal is a criminal, and this person needs to be punished for what they’ve done. I’m sick and tired of the racial comments. This could be any race actually, it’s not even distinctive. Don’t be a jackass Realist. Get over yourself.
October 28th, 2014 at 10:43 pm
Who said the kid was black? Race and even gender are not discernable from this picture!
October 29th, 2014 at 10:06 am
I really need to tell myself that Realist was being sarcastic. There is just no way a person could seriously make that comment about a blurry security photo involving an unarmed thief. People are way too sensitive and quick to judge.
October 29th, 2014 at 11:49 am
Just saw that jacket and the person in it walking up 51st from Walton. Heads up
October 29th, 2014 at 12:41 pm
Dan S I think you need to be more sensitive to the fact that black people in this country have faced prosecution just for the color of their skin for far too long. You need to understand where this is coming from. For many of us, photos like this are just more of the same demonization that we face in every media outlet. West Philly Local — run by newcomers. It’s like “West Philly” didn’t exist before newcomers (yes, predominately white people) came here. They are making something that is not theirs, theirs. They act all like they are so open minded and about the neighborhood, but then have a Crime Watch section that is a picture gallery of young black bodies. The message is clear. And then when a black person makes it to this front page, it is for a crime that we don’t even know if this is the person who did it — we are not the judge and jury. I would suggest you learn some more about the history of black americans and the intersection of race and criminal prosecution. I think you would learn something.
October 29th, 2014 at 12:58 pm
Resident Too – this is an important discussion about history, but that doesn’t clear this guy of a crime (and innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, of course).
Of course, there is an issue in this country with race and prosecution. But that doesn’t invalidate the fact that a victim (of whatever color or class) says a crime was committed by this person. The broader trend in society matters, but we can’t ignore what actually happens to individual people if we focus only on society.
The fact that West Philly Local is “run by newcomers” doesn’t mean that West Philly Local pushed out another blog written by a “historic resident”. Everyone is welcome to write a blog. The more, the merrier. Do you prefer that WPL would not exist?
We all know that street crime in this neighborhood tends to be committed by a particular demographic: young, poor, uneducated males. Sorry, I don’t see old folks with PhD snatching purses.
Seeing that trend, maybe it would be helpful to be more passionate about providing opportunities to helping young, poor, uneducated men get an education, or learn more skills to get better jobs. Maybe someone can write a blog that features voices of ‘historic residents’. That’s one way to address historic problems without ignoring crime.
Thoughts?
October 29th, 2014 at 1:47 pm
It’s alarming that some people are more concerned about the fact that black males’ photos are shown than that the black males pictured committed serious crimes. They aren’t victims; their victims are victims.
October 29th, 2014 at 2:03 pm
RAW, always best not to assume that pictures of suspects represent pictures of criminals. Let the evidence determine fault, and be wary of prejudice in the system while seeking justice for victims.
Nonetheless, hard for me to find fault in West Philly Local posting a picture of an unidentified man in a distinctive jacket wanted in connection with a crime. And Realist appears to have been proven wrong about the usefulness of the photo, given the update to the story.
October 29th, 2014 at 2:15 pm
Not only did posting this photo work and help successfully put someone in custody based on his jacket, but there is nothing discernable in the photo that would say that person was black or male except your own preconceived notions.
October 29th, 2014 at 2:42 pm
First of all you all are acting like this is some great victory. So basically this paper is a place now where newcomers can come and pat themselves on the back that their prejudices and stereotypes are confirmed. Great neighborhood paper. It is clear who all this is for. Meanwhile, this young man is dragged through the mud. First off, this was an unarmed robbery. What I know from a life of experience is that young man may not have wanted to do what he did, but has been forced to by society. All of the young, yes, white kids that move here have all the jobs. All these new businesses up and down… hmmm…. you can’t tell me that a minority of the local population just happen to be the best applicants for the jobs a majority of the time in all these restaurants and coffee houses. I’m sorry. You can defend all you want. Hope another black body behind bars makes you feel good about yourselves and your social power.
October 29th, 2014 at 2:43 pm
I’m sure this will be deleted, but how dumb do you have to be to commit a crime, and then proceed to wear the identifying clothes the next day? You might as well call it your crime uniform. To paraphrase George Carlin’s advice to serial killers – “Patterns are your enemy!”
October 29th, 2014 at 2:55 pm
Old Head – So personal responsibility is a moot concept? The fact that your are blaming what this guy did on his perceived circumstances and “society” is actually more offensive than the reverse. What about the majority of young, predominantly low-income residents that DONT go around robbing people? Places and demographics shift all the time in EVERY place in the world and its no different here. Before a majority black population there was a majority white population and before that it was native americans. So according to that logic we are all oppressors to them.
October 29th, 2014 at 2:56 pm
Old Head – Troll? There is no identifying information with this photo. No one’s name is being slandered.
What do you do to help our community? I am an immigrant to this country, and I employ mostly people of color in my small business. I pay way above (50% above) market rate for unskilled labor in an office, since I want to give back and feel good about the jobs I offer. I bought a house that was lacking in maintenance and put thousands into repairs. How are you giving back and helping our community, other than defending street crime?
Unless you know the guy in the photo, I don’t think you can say any specifics about his life. We can all guess, but we know this: the victim alleges that this man committed a crime.
I’m tired of people thinking that the way to discuss gentrification is think that street crime should be ignored. Puh-lease.
Oh, by the way, the crime that happened to me a while ago was committed by a white Penn student, from a family of means in the suburbs. Do you think that I was any ‘easier’ on the criminal because of this? Heck, no. Crime is crime, and you bet that it resulted in consequences for that student.
Maybe you would feel differently if it was your partner or daughter or female friend who was the victim. I will be the first to defend that person when they are the victim – will you? Sounds like you think it’s all part of some kind of grand justice.
October 29th, 2014 at 3:06 pm
Very sad. That jacket goes to jail bright and whimsical. It will come out all dark leather and patched. Why isn’t there a decent program for rehabilitation of outerwear?
October 29th, 2014 at 4:00 pm
If people don’t want their picture plastered on this or any other website for committing a crime, well… then they should not go around breaking the law. I will not defend a person that is accused of committing a crime by blaming it on society. And spare me the history lesson, I have heard it enough in my 20+ years of education. As a productive member of the community, I look forward to the West Philly neighborhood continuing to get better and better. I’ve seen so much progress here over the years.
October 29th, 2014 at 4:20 pm
Realist Too–do you know who organizes/researches/writes WPL? I don’t. I want to address this line of yours: West Philly Local — run by newcomers. It’s like “West Philly” didn’t exist before newcomers (yes, predominately white people) came here.—Of course there was no WPL-type media 20 years ago. THere were no blogs 20 years ago. I understand some of your arguments, though I don’t necessarily agree, but I think these comments miss the mark.
October 29th, 2014 at 4:35 pm
Can we please just take the photo down? We get it. West Philly is dangerous because of black males. OK. You internet warriors caught him. Good for you. Can we remove this monument to the criminality of black males down now? Enough is enough. Let the police and jury do their job. This post is promoting stereotypes that endanger the very lives of people who have lived and worked in this neighborhood for generations.
October 29th, 2014 at 4:44 pm
“What I know from a life of experience is that young man may not have wanted to do what he did, but has been forced to by society.”
– aaaaaaand that’s where you lost it. Some of your observations are true for sure but “society” didn’t “force” him to do a thing. Maybe his circumstances are tough – so are mine! Yet somehow I haven’t robbed someone. Weird, what with all this societal pressure…
October 29th, 2014 at 4:48 pm
Could you post your address and any hours you might be walking around? A friend of mine says he might feel a sudden bout of “societal pressure” coming on.
October 29th, 2014 at 4:58 pm
I totally agree this photo is totally stereotyping totally unidentifiable young men in striped jackets, as the one in this article did white guys with scruffy beard stubble, a while back.
https://www.westphillylocal.com/2012/05/09/man-charged-in-green-line-chipotle-robberies/
October 29th, 2014 at 5:53 pm
I would like to thank whoever called 911 this morning to say they saw this guy at 50/Baltimore. He was arrested after being positively identified by the victim here.
The caller specifically mention WPL in the call to 911.
Briefly, I posted this pic because the jacket is so distinct. There are plenty of cases where a black hoody is the only description and I choose not to send the picture out because of the profiling aspect. If you read my twitter posts I refrain from putting a description out at all if it will not help the case.
Back to the point…thank you to WPL, the readers and the people who spend their own money and take time out of their day to help me out by providing surveillance video. The rest of the city should be envious of your neighborhood pride.
Joe Murray
October 29th, 2014 at 6:12 pm
I was so bothered by “Resident Too’s” accusations that West Philly Local is basically for white people and that “when a black person makes it to this front page, it is for a crime” that I clicked on the People section to count the number of photos/articles featuring black or brown neighbors as opposed to not. I went back several pages. Since March, there’ve been 17 articles in that section. 2 featured races equally (a white woman and black child in the park), or no races at all. 6 featured whites or Asians. 9 have been about black people or black-owned businesses, including articles about:
-students at St. Francis de Sales.
-Ethiopia Day Festival
-the Taney Dragons team
-a little black girl pictured in Clark Park
-a 107th birthday party
-artist James Dupree
-candidate James Roebuck
-candidate Algernong Allen
-Toviah Thrift Store
-Hip hop artist Sterling Duns
-artist Nile Livingston
Tell us again how West Philly Local is only for “newcomers”, aka “white people”?
October 29th, 2014 at 7:05 pm
We removed the photo since the suspect has been apprehended. Like Det. Murray we take the posting of photos and descriptions of suspects very seriously as they often lead to unwarranted suspicion and discrimination – as mentioned above.
– Mike Lyons
October 29th, 2014 at 10:37 pm
I’m curious to know what people think constitutes a “newcomer”? Is there a magical number of years that must elapse before voices are somehow legitimated? Or are you playing a version of the parlor games you decry?
Thanks to WPL, Detective Murray and a keen-eyed resident a crime has likely been solved and other crimes probably averted. The photo showed a distinctive jacket, not race or even gender. No one was slandered or stereotyped and people (of all stripes) were protected.
WTF? Seriously.
October 29th, 2014 at 11:30 pm
Hope the victim is ok. Glad the criminal was caught. Now what? Do we rehabilitate the young man like they do in Norway? Or, doom him for life?
October 30th, 2014 at 8:54 am
Two things: First, I would like to apologize to Realist’s original comment in questioning their sarcasm. I am sensitive to racial issues and think that the rift that exists between people based solely on skin pigmentation is ridiculous.
Second, West Philly is no more yours than it is mine- it is simply our community. We need to get rid of this “us vs them”, “newcomers vs longtime residents”, and especially “white vs black” mentality and come to terms to make West Philly the best community in the city.
Thank you to everyone who offered their opinion, input, and opinion on this topic.
October 30th, 2014 at 8:58 am
*opinion, input, and perspective
October 30th, 2014 at 10:59 am
The philly.com article:
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/dncrime/Police-W-Philly-neighbors-help-catch-robbery-suspect.html
October 30th, 2014 at 11:15 am
Why are you apologizing? it was Realist him/herself who dragged race into it, right from the start. There’s no way to tell from the now-missing photo what the perp’s race was, nor does it matter.
A mugger, no matter what his/her race, is a mugger. End of story.
October 30th, 2014 at 11:32 am
I agree. Good work by WPL, police, and community participation. We do not know the race of the alleged perp, nor for that matter that of posters here. I sense the same characters who pop onto the site to call everyone interlopers – probably white trust fund kids, posing as african american community members. That trlling gets far more respect, IMO, than it deserves. How dare “old head” threaten people, daring them to tell him where they live.
October 30th, 2014 at 11:57 am
Brendancalling, you are exactly right. I’m not agreeing with them or their views, just trying to extend the non-colored, non-cultural, non-denominational olive branch.
October 30th, 2014 at 2:12 pm
Thanks WPL for doing what you do and keeping me informed about my neighborhood. Thanks to our ever watchful neighbors who help minimize violent crime and curb profiling by offering concrete details (such as a jacket image) in order to help secure suspects with minimal effect on the rest of the community. and thanks to all of the people posting here today, who use this platform to pursue their own agendas by calling racism on an image with no discernable ethnicity. you guys are classy.
October 31st, 2014 at 11:46 am
I’ve lived here 15 years. Moved 3 times always in this neighborhood. My kid is born and raised in this neighborhood. Obviously, I amtherefore a “newcomer” and my opinions don’t count. And if I get mugged by kid who has only been alive as long as I have lived here, its obviously my fault. Makes perfect sense.
October 31st, 2014 at 1:35 pm
First off Newcomer that’s like saying if your kid was born and raised in China it would make him Chinese. Obviously that would not be the case. You might be living here, but my feeling is, you can never really be of this place, you are just creating a new place by driving us people out who have lived here for generations and made it what it is. I don’t see anyone integrating into my community, people come here and then demand we integrate into theirs. The attitude is, don’t let the doorknob hit you on the way out.
October 31st, 2014 at 2:18 pm
Well then, will you be the first off?
There really is no need talking to some people. No one needs to justify the fact that they live here. It is excessively kind to dignify that demand which comes up so frequently here. Get over it and move or don’t. Happy Halloween.
October 31st, 2014 at 4:11 pm
Well, First Off, now you know how, generations ago, other people felt when your family moved into West Philly. The history of West Philadelphia didn’t begin with the arrival of your family. You were newcomers too once. The short memory, lack of self-awareness, desire to freeze the present, and practice of defining one’s group as authentic in contrast to newcomers ironically makes the whole thing so American. Viewed in a certain light, I suppose that’s even progress.
For better or worse, housing in this country is determined by the market, with regulation at the edges by government and community/zoning groups (if demand exceeds supply, prices/rents go up; if supply exceeds demand, prices/rents go down). If you don’t like that arrangement, fine, go yell at capitalism (but keep in mind that if housing was 100% planned, you might not like that either because people would presumably plan communities that are substantially more diverse, racially and economically, than West Philly, which is still something like 95% black).
In a larger sense though, do you even know what you want? You blame us when we take our kids and our taxes and leave the city. You blame us when we take our kids and our taxes and bring ’em back to the city. If what you want is all of our taxes and none of our input, well, shit doesn’t work that way, sorry. We live here, and we get to have a say too.
Let me ask you another question though: why you so mad?
Neighborhoods change. Life isn’t all nostalgia for the past. If that’s what you want, go live in a Steven Speilberg movie. If you rent, fine, it sucks to pay higher rent. And it sucks to pay higher taxes too, but if you’re a property owner, the reason you’re paying higher taxes is because your property is worth more. And if you’re able to draw a line of credit based on your property value, you don’t even have to sell the property to benefit from its increased value. So go on, buy yourself an ice cream cone. It’s on us: white people.
I don’t expect a thank you note, but maybe don’t attack me for ruining the good old days of the crack epidemic. And if you’re wondering why it’s easier to get loans to start businesses now than it was in the past (which, frankly, is debatable, given credit markets), in the past, the answer definitely would have been structural racism, no question (loan restrictions, home ownership restrictions, redlining, etc.). But unfortunately, now it’s because the more white people move into a neighborhood, the safer it becomes. That’s sad and embarrassing, and we progressive white people will tie ourselves into knots to avoid admitting it or to explain it away, but it’s true, and we’re not to blame. There’s no reason more white people should equal safer, but these days it does. And banks like safe.
We support the city services with our taxes, we support the public schools with our taxes (whether or not we have kids, and whether or not we’d send our kids to Philly’s dysfunctional schools), we support public spaces with our taxes (and if we’re women we might not be able to fully or safely take advantage of those public spaces that we’re paying for), we make the neighborhoods we move into safer. We bend over backwards to appreciate diversity and multiculturalism. If there is a park cleanup, sadly, it’s mostly us. We fix up our properties, we volunteer. If you’re a property owner in West Philly (black, white, or otherwise), we’re actually making you money just by breathing in proximity to you. So how about at least a fucking golf clap in gratitude? White people living in West Philly deserve at least a golf clap.
November 1st, 2014 at 10:44 am
I’m going to ahead and assume First off is not speaking for the Irish, Italian and Jewish West Philadelphians who made up the majority of residents of this side of the river 3 and 4 generations ago, a few of which are still around. Do you think St. Francis de Sales was dropped off by a spaceship driven by interstellar Penstrifiers in 1998? What about the former synagogue that is currently the mosque at 45th and Walnut? Were the people that built those buildings “newcomers”? For someone who likes to preach indignantly about how “newcomers” who have been here for decades don’t count as real West Philadelphians, you seem to have a profound lack of understanding of the actual time frame when “white flight” happened on this side of the Schuylkill. In large swaths of today’s West and Southwest Philadelphia, that demographic shift only happened in the early 1970’s. In other areas that was shift was more arrived in earnest in the mid 1960’s. What that means is that while there were African Americans in West Philadelphia dating from before this side of the schuylkill was incorporated into Philadelphia, the idea that there is one “real” read black West Philly and one “fake” one read white does not reflect the reality of this neighborhood’s history. There some African American West Philadelphians whose roots in this neighborhood go back 3 and sometimes 4 generations but there are also some white West Philadelphians whose roots here go back 5 generations. Thats the reality of this neighborhood. All of us, including the immigrants from Pakistan and Liberia and Ivory Coast who arrived in say the last decade count part of “real” West Philadelphia. If you don’t acknowledge that, you are just wrong.
November 1st, 2014 at 2:15 pm
One correction Newcomer, the building at 45th and Walnut that you refer to as a former synagogue was constructed in 1907-08 as St Andrew Methodist Church. Later it became Mount Ephraim Tabernacle Baptist Church before being purchased by the Association of Islamic Charitable Projects Headquarters. Designed by Clarence Eaton Schermerhorn, the building is finished in stucco, with Baroque style trim in glazed terra cotta around the windows. It considered a highly unusual local example of architecture inspired by Spanish missions of the American southwest. You’re not wrong to think it might have been a synagogue though, since many early 20th century jewish houses of worship were built in a baroque or Moorish style.
As far as the racial makeup or West Philadelphia, you need only look at the 1900 census for example to see that the majority of the row houses and twins were single family homes occupied by white families with Irish or African American live in domestics, usually one or two per household. My own apartment on 44th street was once part of single family home converted in the mid 1930’s. The original occupants interestingly were also listed in the Social Register, “Boyds Philadelphia Blue Book”.
November 1st, 2014 at 5:19 pm
One of my favorite historic sites in W Philly is the Community Church of God, a Black congregation at 42nd & Parrish. It is housed in a magnificent 19th-century church over whose arched doors is graven, in German & Latin, “Ev. Lutherische St. Petri Kirche.”
W Philly radicals have mythologized the “Black Bottom” that was supposedly demolished to make way for the UC Science Ctr back in the ’60s. I had the pleasure of interviewing the president of the Black Bottom Reunion Committee a few years back. She was emphatic – & census records confirm – that her old neighborhood was really no more than half Black. (As for “displacement”: she was born at 38th & Market; 60 years later, she was a retired schoolteacher who lived – gasp! – 12 blocks away, in a middle-class apt. in Garden Court. That’s right, *she* is gentry.)
Such was the traditional pattern of urban racial – & ethnic – segregation for most of America’s history. Blacks, Italians, Irish, Jews, Poles, etc. tended to cluster in certain neighborhoods; but their pockets were small & not monolithic, so citizens of different backgrounds regularly interacted with each other on the street.
The vast, almost all-Black “ghettoes” that emerged in the postwar era as a result of Southern migration & white flight are an aberration in American history. They are unnatural in city life: a sign that something is broken.
There are signs that era is drawing to a close. For decades to come there will still be working-class Black neighborhoods in W Philly; but many will not remain 100% Black, or 100% bluecollar either. A distinctively Black social world will continue, but it will exist alongside neighbors from different backgrounds – & increasingly its members will cross-socialize with non-Blacks.
November 3rd, 2014 at 4:36 pm
Great writing Tony. Thank you.