UPDATE (6/6/2020): Aldi supermarket at 46th and Market Streets has reopened to shoppers. The store was broken into and looted on Sunday night, according to staff.

UPDATE (6/5/2020): The ShopRite located at ParkWest Town Center (52nd and Jefferson), which was ransacked by looters on Sunday, will reopen this coming Sunday (June 7) at 7 a.m. Read more here. There will also be a free produce giveaway at 52nd and Parkside this Sunday, June 7, beginning at 9 a.m. Please bring your own bag!

The citywide curfew will resume at 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 4.

UPDATE (6/3/2020): Neighbors are reporting that Rite Aid and Walgreens on the 300 and 100 block of North 63rd Street were looted and Rite Aid was set on fire Sunday night. Many people, especially senior citizens, are now unable to get their medication.  Continue Reading

Over the last several days, many local organizations have posted public statements or messages reflecting on the protests and civil unrest in the city and on the issue of systemic racism, and showing their solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. We’re posting some of them below. Some of these messages include information on how you can help the local Black community and businesses in the aftermath of the recent events and also educational resources for non-Black individuals and families.

People’s Emergency Center (PEC):

“As we surveyed the damage of the weekend’s unrest in our neighborhoods, we shared a deep sense of sadness for business owners, community residents, and others who have invested so much to ensure access to vibrant commercial corridors to meet the needs of residents. And though it will take time and money, we believe the damage done to businesses can and will be repaired somewhat easily.  Continue Reading

We won’t know the official results for more than a week, but it looks like a couple of upsets are brewing following Tuesday’s primary election.

It looks like Amen Brown will be the Democratic candidate in November for the State House of Representatives 190th District. Several news outlets have already projected Brown to win the seat. He had about 49 percent of the votes as of Wednesday. G. Roni Green, who won the seat in a special election earlier year, stood in second place with 29 percent.

The results won’t be final until mail-in ballots are counted, which could take several days, according to election officials.  Continue Reading

Philadelphia Parks & Recreation has extended the application deadline for their Playstreets program to Monday, June 15. Playstreets is the City’s free summer feeding program for children and Parks & Rec is accepting applications from residents who want to volunteer as block captains for this program.

Each summer, 300 to 350 city streets are closed temporarily to vehicular traffic to give children a safe place to gather, play, and eat a free, nutritious meal. The program has been running for more than 50 years and takes place in every neighborhood of the city.  Continue Reading

UPDATE: Tonight’s curfew will begin at 8:30 p.m. to allow residents time to vote and return home after voting.

It’s Election Day across Pennsylvania. In West Philly, voters will cast primary ballots for competitive races for state House of Representatives and Auditor General, select delegates to this year’s party conventions and respond to two ballot questions related to Philadelphia.

Polling places around the city have been consolidated, so find your polling place here if you aim to vote in person. Polls are open until 8 p.m. If you are in line by then, you will be able to vote.

There are a couple of things you can do if you still have your mail-in ballot. You can still mail it in following Gov. Tom Wolf’s emergency declaration extending the mail-in ballot deadline a week to June 9. Or, you can drop off your ballot at one of the several drop-off points around the city, including the Lucien E. Blackwell West Philadelphia Regional Library at 125 S. 52nd St. (52nd and Sansom).  Continue Reading

Andy Niedermeier Social Distancing Concert. May 3, 2020. (Photo credit: Helena Grace)

Many people are finding life under social distancing isolating. However, my block has made homebound life into an opportunity to come together as a community. My name is Andy Niedermeier, and while I should have been away at college, I have come to cherish this time bonding with my neighbors.

It began when some of the younger kids on my block had birthdays. Parents of the birthday children asked if some of the neighbors could come out to their porches and sing ‘Happy Birthday’ together at an appointed time. These birthday celebrations turned out bigger than planned. The sidewalks were covered with chalked birthday wishes and people from almost every house on block came out onto their porches to sing. I was moved by this sweet gesture, which brightened what could have been a disappointing birthday for these kids. This is now custom – bringing the block together to give birthday wishes to neighbors young and old.  Continue Reading