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Date:                   Feb. 20, 2007

Location:             The Inquirer building 

Participants:       10

Moderators:       Chris Satullo and Jacob Fisher 

 

Participants were first asked to describe one hope or one fear as the city enters its election year.  Then, participants were asked to imagine they were giving a good friend’s family advice on whether to move to Philadelphia.

  • What would be the pros and cons of that move?
  • What forces and factors underlie those pros and cons?
  • What steps could the city and region take to strengthen those pros or weaken those cons?

For a full description of the exercise, see http://go.philly.com/friendsdilemma

Moderator's Report:

By Jacob Fisher

 

What were the group's most striking hopes/fears?

     The student participants were very concerned about crime, education and limited opportunities. One young woman expressed horror at the number of young bystanders caught in the crossfire. And a young man shared that he leaves his house in South Philly not knowing whether he will return safely or fall victim to crime.

     One student expressed his belief that people miss opportunities to make their voices heard. Everyone focuses on elections and not on the four years between elections. He talked about volunteering on a campaign and then watching with dismay as they shut down the campaign office two days after his candidate won.

     A nursing student expressed concern about the future of healthcare insurance for young people – will there be money there to take care of us when we get older?

     The students hoped that the schools would improve and that the community would work together to end hunger.

 What "pros" emerged as most important?

1. Public transportation  

2. Tourist attractions  

 

What "cons" emerged as most important?

1. Unreliable public transportation  

2. Underutilized tourist attractions  

3. Crime and violence 

4. Education

 

1. Pro: Public transportation    

Why is this pro important?

  • Allows you to go anywhere in the city without a car. "It might take a little while, but it can be done."
  • Great and essential public service.

Why forces or factors support it?

     Safe – "SEPTA Police don’t play."

 

2. Pro: Tourist attractions    

Why is this pro important?

     They are what make the city unique. They distinguish us from other places like New York or California.

 

Why forces or factors support it?

  • Historic attractions; city hall
  • Museums
  • Restaurants – different cuisines can be found in different neighborhoods
  • Universities, cobblestone streets, "these things make you realize how beautiful the city is."
  • Parks
  • Zoo

Now, the cons ...

1. Con: Unreliable public transportation      

Why is this con important?

    Late at night you want to be able to rely on transit.

 

What forces or factors underlie it?

  • System is sensitive to temperature – why? In the winter the tracks freeze and in the summer things get thrown off by the heat. "You always have to dress appropriately for SEPTA (for cold temps or hot temps) because you are going to wait."

  • SEPTA is always in debt despite state aid. Threat of fare hikes and service cuts.

  • Never enough information on detours or service changes. One student described waiting for 45 minutes at a bus stop on one street only to find out that the bus had been detoured to the next block. There was no sign.

2. Con: Underutilized tourist attractions      

Why is this con important?

    Sometimes residents of the city don’t visit these places because they don’t see them as important.

 

What forces or factors underlie it?

     "How can you have a zoo without elephants?"

 

3. Con: Crime and violence     

Why is this con important?

    Victims are you, and many are innocent.

 

What forces or factors underlie it?

  • Too much access to guns.

  • Drugs are the root of the crime problem.

  • Crime is bad, but not as bad as portrayed in the media. "We’re not Detroit, D.C., or Chicago."

  • News reports focus on the crime and the victim, but rarely report on whether the perpetrator was arrested, tried, or convicted. You never now whether or not justice was served.

  • Cops don’t always come when you call. They choose where to go based on the severity of the call. They only show up for fire or murder.

  • Society has negative stigma against poverty. We have a culture of instant gratification. Crime is the only way that people believe they can get the things they want.

What action steps could weaken it? What actors should do them?

  • No guns should be allowed in the city. City should be able to make its own gun laws.

  • Keep records of who owns guns.

  • City should have more gun exchange programs – tickets or money for guns.

  • People should travel in groups to avoid being caught alone. At CCP, guards will walk students to transit or elsewhere at night – not sure if this can be taken citywide.

  • Crime happens at night. There should be curfews for kids under 18 years old.

  • Parents should be held accountable for the actions of their minor children.

  • Catch drug dealers while they’re still small. More cops on the street, like at the beginning of Mayor Street’s term – Safe Streets helped get drug dealers off the streets.

  • Fix up run down houses; they can be a magnet for crime.

  • People (youth) need things to do off the streets. People should have to do more community service. People need to help each other. The city has a wealth of colleges and universities. Students should be in the schools volunteering as tutors, etc.

  • More security phones and lighting – like Temple’s campus.

  • Have to address issues of poverty to avoid vicious cycle of poverty, drugs, and crime.

  • Provide more jobs with better wages.   

4. Con: Education     

What forces or factors underlie it?

  • Not enough after school help/tutoring available.

  • Overcrowded classrooms w/o enough chairs, desks, books, and supplies.

  • Apathetic teachers who don’t seem to like children or teaching.

  • Funding for schools is unfairly distributed between city and suburbs. It cost more to educate kids in the inner city but the suburbs have all the resources. It is a flawed system.

  • Promotion problems. Seniors are able to graduate without the necessary credits or the requisite skills.

  • School bureaucracy is inefficient and disorganized. One student who was supposed to transfer to a better school had his paperwork lost by the school administrators.

  • Charter schools not the answer. They’re the same as public schools, "you just wear uniforms."

  • Also expressed concern about tuition hikes at Community College of Philadelphia.