Southwest Philadelphia: Fixing Cars and the Community
Ever since October 2, 2006, Cecil Snead’s wardrobe has turned to black. It was the day his son was killed. Just a few blocks away from Snead’s business, Joshua Snead was gunned down on 55th Street between Greenway and Woodland Avenue. However, despite his son’s tragic ending, Snead continues to try to rebuild the neighborhood […]
Southwest Philadelphia: Giving Bars a Good Name
It was a muggy, rainy afternoon, but inside Carlette’s Backyard the beers were ice cold and the company was warm and welcoming. Carlette Brooks, the owner of the bar, was greeted by a customer with a hug and a kiss. “When you walk in the door you shake every man’s hand and you hug every […]
Southwest Philadelphia: There’s No Place Like Home
Fannie Wilson can remember a time when Upland Street thrived. When the block was filled with row after row of houses, and the streets were regularly tended to. She can remember when a family occupied each house on the block. Thirty-nine years later, the 7000 block of Upland Street has made a significant transformation. “As […]
Southwest Philadelphia: An Officer Who Wins Awards and Hearts
It is not every day that a police officer can boast that he garners the respect and trust of a community. For Southwest Philadelphia Officer Richard “Butch” Riddick, this is the reputation he has earned in a community he has served for 18 years. Recently, Riddick was notified that he was the winner of the […]
Door to Door: How Southwest is Attacking its Housing Crisis
Every Thursday there is a reconciliation hearing at City Hall for people who are in danger of losing their homes due to foreclosure. At these reconciliation hearings, a housing counselor is available. This is the place where homeowners and lenders negotiate a financial plan that can save a family from losing its home. Al Stewart […]
Southwest Philadelphia: Neighborhood Heroes
Many blocks in Southwest Philadelphia are lined with ethnic grocery stores, fast food chains, shopping complexes, beauty and hair supply stores and homes. What the average person sometimes overlooks when exploring this neighborhood is the small, plain white building on the residential block of 63rd and Paschall Avenue that helps many of these businesses and […]
West Philly: Community Radio Projects Community Voice
A loudspeaker on the sidewalk blares a heavy bass line outside a building that blends with various shops and markets on South 52nd Street in West Philadelphia. A hand-written welcome on a sheet of white paper is taped to the door, and faulty-looking windows house cheap-looking curtains. The entrance does not seem like a likely […]
Southwest Philadelphia: The Watermelon Man
Elijah Carter, or “The Watermelon Man” as locals know him, presents a memorable display around an old van loaded with whole melons ready for sale on the corner of 84th Street and Lindbergh Boulevard. Passing through you would likely notice the scene. Carter sometimes dons a large sombrero to escape the summer sun and his […]