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Bob Krawtchuk looks out at his block after checking on the grapevines in his backyard. He points to the various houses stating which ones used to be owned by Polish, Jewish or German owners. He has lived on the 100 block of East Loudon Street for 25 years and has seen the changes in the neighborhood throughout the years.
“The block has changed a lot,” Krawtchuk said.
Krawtchuk exemplifies the current diversity that reigns on his block. He is a white Brazilian with a strong Ukrainian accent. His neighbors include African Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cambodians and other Southeast Asians, whites, Jordanians and other Middle Easterners.
“It’s a huge mix of just about everything you find in the city and what’s cool is that it’s all right here on this one block,” said Walter Rice, a six-year-resident of the block. “It’s one big mosaic of people.”
Despite having different backgrounds, there are few problems between the neighbors.
“It’s a mixed block, but everybody seems to get along,” said Richard Johnson, a resident and sanitation supervisor.
People talk to each other in the streets and help each other when they can. With the recent snow storms, many of the neighbors pitched in to help each other.
“We’re all friendly. We all help each other out with snow and things like that,” said Johnny Pril, another resident.
Since Johnson is a sanitation supervisor with the Department of Streets, the block has few problems with trash pick-up and other municipal duties. He makes sure that the garbage is always picked up and people understand the different policies for recycling and block parties.
“When it comes to us making plans for this block, he’s usually the person we go to see if we can do it,” said Soryes Perez, another resident. “He gives us ideas and stuff like that. He’s a really helpful person.”
The block prides itself on the block parties that the residents hold during the summer. They hold them sometimes twice a week and everybody on the block participates. The food ranges from Italian, Spanish, Cambodian and Middle Eastern. Sometimes people hold yard sales or play basketball while everyone eats and visits.
“We’re like a huge family. When it comes to cook outs and block parties, we’re like a huge family,” Perez said.
The crime rate in Feltonville is fairly high. Rice said although it is easy to find drug deals on corners and unsafe areas to walk through at night, crime on the block is minimal. Rice explained that he has never had any problems with the petty theft that plagues most neighborhoods in Philadelphia. He said that he can leave rakes, tools and chairs outside and no one takes anything.
“It might just be the closeness of the neighborhood that keeps stuff from walking away,” Rice said.
When crime does occur, Rice said that the police response time has gotten much better in the past few years. Recently when a group of teenagers tried to break into his neighbor’s truck across the street, he called the police and they came in less than two minutes.
“It was nice, because in Philly, you are used to waiting,” Rice said.
The only problem that the block seems to have is something that affects all Philadelphians: parking.
“Parking is an issue. It seems like everybody owns two or three vehicles for one reason or another,” Johnson said.
Krawtchuk, Rice and Abdullah Toliver all echoed the same sentiments about parking while pointing out their multiple cars. Although four of the houses have their own driveways, every available parking space on the street is filled.
One of the residents is a car dealer so he often has multiple cars in the street, which can cause some problems.
The parking issue increases in the summer when the Felton Theatre, located at the end of the block, holds concerts and shows.
“Parking gets crazy when there’s a concert,” Rice said.
The street fills up from the valet parking and often residents have a hard time finding spots. Illegal parking in front of hydrants and driveways is frequent. Many people put cones in front of their houses to save their spots, while others are forced to park farther away from their homes. Rice allows his one neighbor to park in his driveway, but sometimes that even gets hectic when the neighbor’s entire family tries to park there.
Despite the constant parking trouble, the residents all seem happy with the block and their neighbors.
“The goodness of the block outweighs the parking situation,” Johnson said.
Another problem is a consequence of the block’s vast diversity.
“The language barrier is a problem,” Johnson said.
Many of the residents do not speak much English. There are many different languages spoken on the block, so sometimes people cannot communicate with each other. This is an issue in most of Feltonville because many of the neighborhood’s members do not speak English as their first language. According to City-data.com, 14.4 percent of Feltonville’s residents speak little English or none at all.
These minor issues do not seem to deter the residents from staying in the area. Most of the residents enjoy the block’s diversity and neighborly attitude.
“We all look out for each other,” Toliver said.
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