Philippe Holland

The Department of Justice and the Police Advisory Commission will hold a public forum tomorrow (Thursday, July 10) at City Hall to talk about officer-involved shootings. The forum comes three months after two undercover police fired 14 shots at pizza delivery driver Philippe Holland, striking him in the head, neck and leg.

Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey asked the Justice Department’s Community Oriented Police Services (COPS) office to look at the PPD’s training, policies and tactics related to officer-involved shootings. The COPS program is also examining the department’s transparency and investigative policies.

“Our goal is to use the review process as a framework for detailed public discussions around the use of deadly force by Philadelphia Police officers,” said Police Advisory Commission (PAC) Kelvyn Anderson.

We reported on the program in more detail following a public meeting with police last month related to the shooting of Holland.

Holland had finished his last delivery of the night on April 22 and was walking back to his car when the officers approached him during the investigation of a recent shooting in the area. Holland, who may have believed he was being robbed, ran to his car and drove toward the officers. They opened fire. Holland was in critical condition for several days.

Tomorrow’s meeting will run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the City Council chambers on the 4th floor of City Hall. The PAC will also accept public comment on police-involved shootings from the last 18 months.

Photo courtesy of Penn Museum.

There’s a cool free event tomorrow at the Penn Museum and also check out other museum offerings this summer.

Firstly, in July and August, the Penn Museum (3260 South St) is offering admission for a third off the regular price. Adults, seniors, and children get in for one cool price: $10. As always, Penn Museum members, children under 6, PennCard holders and active military enjoy free admission. And through Labor Day weekend, active military families also get in for free.

And here’s a reminder of special summer activities community members are invited to enjoy during the summer months.

• Summer Nights Wednesday evening concert series. A diverse line up of music, a laid back outdoor vibe, as the Museum stays open. Optional gallery tours between sets! 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., through September 3.
• Summer Wonder Family Programs. International, interactive, and fun. Wednesdays at 11:00 a.m. in July. (air-conditioned)
• Unearthed in the Archives. Fridays at 2 p.m. Join archivist Alessandro Pezzati and staff as they pull out a gem from the Museum’s archives—and bring Museum stories to life. (air-conditioned)
• Award-winning outdoor gardens. Penn Museum’s lush urban gardens feature sculptures and fountains by Alexander Stirling Calder, places to sit or eat, even a reflective koi pool.
• In the Artifact Lab: Conserving Egyptian Mummies. Conservators at work open their windows twice a day to chat with visitors. (air-conditioned gallery and workspace)
• Free bottled water at the admission desks, while supplies last.

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Photo via Greensgrow.org

On Thursday, July 10, Greensgrow Farms, one of Philadelphia’s most successful urban farms, is launching their second year of the SNAP Box Program, a low-cost weekly farm share. As many of you know, Greensgrow recently opened a West Philly location, Greensgrow West, at 4912 Baltimore Ave, so now West Philly residents participating in the program can pick up boxes filled with farm-fresh produce in or close to their neighborhood.

The SNAP Box program gives low-income families using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits access to top-quality fruits and vegetables from local farms. SNAP Box participants visit the farm weekly and use their SNAP benefits to pay $6.50 for an assortment of five to eight produce items. The Food Trust will be contributing Philly Food Bucks, giving families the opportunity to stretch their SNAP benefits by providing an extra $10 in coupons per session.

SNAP box pickups will begin July 10 and run in three four-week sessions throughout the summer. In addition, participants are provided nutritional information and are encouraged to attend free cooking classes after picking up their share. They also receive recipes corresponding to the contents of the week’s produce, and information about the farms who contributed to the share.

The SNAP Box is a product of Greensgrow’s Local Initiative for Food Education (LIFE) program, conceived as a remedy to the lack of fresh food available to low-income communities.

Greensgrow provides two farm share pickup locations in West Philadelphia. Here are the schedules:

Greensgrow Farms Mobile Market, 37th and Lancaster Avenue • Thursdays • 3:30–6:30 p.m.

Greensgrow West, 4912 Baltimore Avenue • Saturdays • 12:00–2:00 p.m.

Interested families can sign up here.

For more information or if you have questions, contact Deirdre Sheehy at SNAPbox@greensgrow.org or 215-430-0556 or visit the SNAP Box program website.

Henry IV cast members: Marla Burkholder, Brian Ratcliffe, Brian Anthony Wilson and Jennifer Kidwell. (Photo by Jen Cleary/Shakespeare in Clark Park Facebook page)

The awesome people who bring Shakespeare plays to Clark Park every summer have prepared something of epic proportions this year. Shakespeare in Clark Park (SCP) is teaming up with Team Sunshine Performance Corporation (TSPC) for an unprecedented collaboration featuring a five-night production of Shakespeare’s HENRY IV, intimate pre-show events at the Gojjo and a nightly conversation station in the park.

The play, titled HENRY IV: YOUR PRINCE AND MINE, combines aspects of both Henry IV: Parts 1 and 2, and features a community army of over 100 soldiers, selected during a multi-month open call. The army encompasses a diverse array of folks, ranging in age from 13-59, and representing 36 neighborhoods. The production also stars leading performers of stage and film including Brian Anthony Wilson, Charlie DelMarcelle, and Brian Ratcliffe, and is directed by TSPC’s Co-Founder and Resident Director, Alex Torra.

The shows are scheduled for July 30 – August 3, beginning at 7 p.m. Continue Reading

An altercation between two men at a local bar spilled out onto the sidewalk and ended in a shooting on Saturday night, according to police.

The fight started at Queen of Sheba and ended outside on 45th Street near Baltimore with one man shooting the other. The shooting was reported around 11:20 p.m., according to police. After the shooting both men fled the scene on foot through the driveway of the 500 block of South Melville Street, with one man chasing the other.

UPDATE: Police say the gunman fired 11 shots. The driveway and surrounding area was searched for a potential gunshot victim, but no one was found. Police say they also checked all area hospitals with no result. No other injuries were reported.

Police have identified the shooter and are currently searching for him (they won’t release his name). The victim is described as a black male who was speaking with an African accent. He was wearing a plaid shirt, tan pants, and had no shoes on.

Thanks to quick actions by a neighbor, three people were able to escape an early morning house fire. The fire broke out shortly before 1:30 a.m. in a three-story row home near 51st and Chestnut Streets, according to a 6ABC News report. West Philly Local readers reported seeing a big, “raging orange” fire in the area.

A neighbor, Jamara Lamont-Boyd, who was walking by when the fire broke out, reportedly kicked the front door in and helped the house occupants escape the flames before fire crews arrived.

“…I kicked the front door in. I pulled the second door and yanked it in and banged and got the people out. There were people on all three floors,” Lamont-Boyd told ABC.

The building sustained damage from smoke and water. Luckily, no injuries were reported.

There was another, tragic fire in Philadelphia early Saturday morning. Four children died, several homes were destroyed and about 40 residents were displaced as the result of a fire that broke out around 2:40 a.m. in Southwest Philadelphia, in the Mount Moriah section, according to various reports.