5 Broken Cameras flyer in Clark Park.

The 2014 Clark Park Summer Film Series, which brings documentary and other independent film screenings into the park’s bowl near 45th and Regent, concludes Friday, Aug. 29. 5 Broken Cameras, the winner of the World Documentary Directing Award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and Academy Award nominee for the best documentary feature, will be screened, starting at 7:30 p.m.

The film, shot almost entirely by Palestinian farmer Emad Burnat, portrays non-violent resistance in the West Bank (see trailer below).

This is an outdoor screening, free and open to the public. Bring your chairs, blankets and popcorn!

A few other great events are scheduled in the area this weekend. Clark Park will host Pagan Pride Day on Saturday and there will be a couple of live music concerts. More info is coming soon.

The rally in Clark Park on Saturday. (Photos by Mike Lyons/West Philly Local)

About 125 people gathered during a light rain in Clark Park last night to talk about recent events in Ferguson, Mo. and many pledged to work in Philadelphia toward racial justice.

“It’s time for action, not reaction,” said Jondhi Harrell, head of the The Center for Returning Citizens. “It’s not sexy, it’s not protest time. It’s organizing time.”

Jondhi Harrell of The Center for Returning Citizens speaks at Saturday’s rally.

Though organized days in advance, the rally had an impromptu feel as people emerged from the crowd to share their views on Ferguson and reiterate calls for volunteering.

Harrell and others urged people to participate in voter registration drives, attend meetings, even teach children to read.

“Be about this on a day-to-day basis,” he said.

About 20 police vehicles were parked near the park during the rally and a separate, unassociated “march” afterwards resulted in a skirmish with police and two arrests.

See our Civic Life page for a list of non-profits in West Philly, including the West Philadelphia Alliance for Children, Books Through Bars. Many are looking for volunteers.

A group of local activists are organizing a rally, including a vigil, march, and speak out for Mike Brown and the people of Ferguson, Mo. on Saturday, Aug 23, at Clark Park (44th and Baltimore).

The rally starts at 7 p.m. The vigil will be followed by a march around the park, followed by speeches from community leaders. Participants are asked to bring a candle. Originally, the vigil and march had been scheduled for tonight but were postponed until Saturday due to thunderstorms in forecast. The Unitarian Universalist Church of the Restoration (Facebook page) is also one of the organizers.

The following speakers have been announced so far:

– Michael Coard, Civil Rights Attorney and Activist
– Jondhi Harrell, Director, The Center for Returning Citizens
– Reverend Dr. Kathryn Ellis, Minister, UU Church of the Unitarian Universalist Church In Mt Airy-Restoration

The Kemi McCoy Drummers will also participate in the rally.

The same group of activists are behind Tuesday’s rally at 52nd and Market Streets to protest Ferguson shooting (The Daily Pennsylvanian has a report on it).

For more information and updates, visit the organizers’ Facebook page.
 

Illustrious jazz drummer and West Philly native Justin Faulkner will be a featured guest at tomorrow’s (Sunday, Aug 17) Community Unity Music Festival, which will take place at Clark Park (43rd and Chester), from 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. The free festival will feature a variety of local and nationally acclaimed musicians and spoken word artists (check the festival’s Facebook page for details).

Faulkner, who grew up in Cedar Park, has been a member of the Branford Marsalis Quartet since 2009. “The undertone of this festival is to give children and young people in the area other alternatives,” Faulkner told WXPN’s The Key.

In addition to live music, Sunday’s festival will feature games, food, drinks, vendors, information booths, face-painting, stilt-walkers, a theatrical drill exhibition by the Cadets of the Philadelphia Police Explorers and performances by the Kimmel Center Creative Youth Ensemble.

Elissa Sklaroff with the Clark Park photo collage.

West Philly residents Elissa Sklaroff and James Klasen, whose Clark Park photography project was featured in a June post, are inviting everyone to check out their photo collage in the park on Saturday, Aug 16. Elissa and Jim were documenting events in the park and capturing images of diverse Clark Park visitors of all ages – people who “bring the magical park to life.” Since the beginning of the summer, they have been sharing their photos with the park community and with their “models” by creating a “photo garden” – from nearly a thousand photos taken over the course of the summer, they selected and posted the most representative ones in clusters on the kiosks around the park.

“Feedback has been positive, including lovely comments posted by some who have stopped to look,” Elissa wrote us in an email.

Now, as Elissa and Jim are nearing the final stages of their Clark Park photo project, they have created a collage with an idea to capture the project and the park in a more complete way. All the decorative materials used in the collage were made from recycled materials: “green” shopping bags, soda cans, etc.

The collage will be displayed in the park on Saturday and from 2-4 p.m., Elissa and Jim will be giving prints out to anyone in the park whose picture they used. Additional copies or posters will be available to the public later by request, at either Elissa’s email address (elissa.sklaroff [at] gmail.com) or Jim’s (klasen.james [at] gmail.com).

It should be very festive, writes Elissa, as it is an Uhuru flea market day as well. Many of the vendors have agreed to display printed copies of the collage at their tables and even on food trucks! Elissa and Jim want those in the photos to be happily surprised to see themselves in many locations.

When a friend asked Elissa, “Why are the pictures so close together?” she replied, “Because as humans we are all close together and these photos show how the diversity in Clark Park emphasizes our commonality. This is what we hope we are saying to everyone.”

“We thank everyone with whom we connected during this project”.

(Photos by Elissa Sklaroff and James Klasen)

Here’s a reminder of what’s happening today around the hoods. And guess what? All of these events are free!

Night Market on Lancaster Ave @ 35th, 6 – 10 p.m. Update: West Philadelphia Orchestra will perform at the Night Market starting at 8 p.m.

Street Movies! at Malcolm X. Park (52nd and Pine), 7:45 p.m.

The Awesome Fest concludes at Clark Park (43rd and Baltimore) with the screening of Skanks. 9 p.m.

Also, the Clark Park Farmers’ Market is from 3 – 7 p.m.