“Vandalism,” from the French vandalisme — coined in 1794 by the bishop Henri Grégoire to condemn the revolutionary mobs in France who were smashing statues and desecrating priceless artworks. For inspiration, he reached back in history to the 5th-century Vandals — the Germanic tribe that sacked Rome in 455 A.D. — to give the destruction an appropriately barbaric name.1

Over two centuries later, and the same term has far less dramatic connotations. These days, it’s broadly used to describe drawing over or interfering with property that doesn’t belong to you, or, really, any behavior your Boomer™ neighbor might not like. But what truly, exactly, qualifies as “vandalism” and what is “art” depends on who you ask, where you ask it, and when. The line between crime and culture, artist and vandal, has arguably never been thinner.

“Unlike traditional and institutionalized art forms, graffiti is rebellious and defiant, presenting a new form of art and creativity,” said Henry Zhou, a Los Angeles-based artist, in an interview with the Yale News.2

“At the same time, graffiti is vandalism, a crime, as it is an act of defacing public property without permission.”

“People express themselves in so many different ways artistically that I just consider [graffiti] another form of that,” said another artist, Shayla Waldron, also of Los Angeles.

“I’ve seen some amazing works of art done by graffiti artists.”

Yet, in a poll taken in 2014 by CBS, approximately 51% of Americans — a slim majority — do not consider graffiti a legitimate form of art.3

“No institution that has celebrated graffiti in recent years — like the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles or the Museum of the City of New York — would allow its own premises to be defaced for even one minute,” wrote Heather Mac Donald, a Thomas W. Smith Fellow at the Manhattan Institute and best-selling author, in one New York Times article.

“Graffiti is something that one celebrates, if one is juvenile enough to do so, when it shows up on someone else’s property but never on one’s own.”

Well, everyone’s got an opinion. But, irrespective of opinions, there is no disputing that graffiti has become fully cemented in American culture.

And, in fact, the City of Brotherly Love is partly responsible for that — though various types of graffiti have been around since ancient times, the colorful, dripping kind you recognize when you walk by the corner store or in some special news report about urban blight — modern graffiti is largely believed to have originated in Philadelphia, as well as New York, in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s.4 Eventually, it spread to the rest of the country and then the rest of the world.

And who said Americans had no culture?

From the Ancient Roman penis carvings pointing you to brothels, to the Great-Depression era “Hobo-codes,” the “Kilroy” etchings of World War Two, to gang tags, to the modern-day street artist, and everything in-between, graffiti has endured. And while this is not meant to be an exhaustive list of that enduring phenomenon, we have made our best attempt to capture some noteworthy art where we could find it.

Without any further ado, here is a snapshot of the art — or vandalism — of Northwest Philadelphia in 2026, before it gets painted over. Oh, and no tattling.

WALNUT LANE BRIDGE

Sequestered away from the hustle and bustle of civilization, the wide and looming beige underbellies of the city’s network of bridges prove an attractive canvas for many an aspiring graffiti artist, where they can work in peace, quiet, and away from the watchful eye of the law. The Walnut Lane Bridge, connecting the Germantown and Roxborough neighborhoods and spanning the gap across the Wissahickon creek, is no exception. The Walnut Lane bridge may also hold the title as the most misidentified bridge in Philadelphia; it’s frequently confused for the Walnut Street bridge located in University City, the Henry Avenue bridge located just a few miles away above Lincoln Drive (also on this list), or the Walnut Lane Memorial bridge, located at the other end of Walnut lane and bearing a much more modern edifice, having been built circa 1951. The view, having inspired literary minds like Christopher Morley for decades, now serves a different type of writer.

THE CLIFFS

“The Cliffs” has become (have become?) so established in its role as a graffiti mecca that it even has its own location and reviews on Google Maps (five stars). Tucked away in the woodlands just off Kelly Drive, the Cliffs was the former Georgian-style country home of Joshua Fisher, a 18th century Philadelphia merchant and great-great grandfather of Joseph Wharton (of Wharton School infamy). During the Revolutionary War, it was used as a site to produce clothing and bandages for Continental soldiers. The home eventually came into the possession of the Fairmount Park Commission, who maintained it as a place for park officials to rent until the late 1960s. After 1970, the home was left vacant and unattended, quickly becoming a target of vandalism and mischief. In 1986, an act of arson left the structure heavily damaged and without a roof. Since then, it’s become something else entirely — a shrine to the unorthodox creativity of the city’s inhabitants.

COLUMBIA BRIDGE (ROWER’S GRAFFITI)

The Columbia bridge, upstream from Boat House Row on the Schuylkill river, speaks to the distinct pedestal the sport of rowing occupies in Philadelphia’s culture. Perpendicular to Kelly Drive (named after the Olympic Gold medalist rower John Kelly, and member of the famous Kelly family), you can often see the various collegiate rowers practicing, or on regatta days, racing, underneath its arches.

In their downtime, it seems like they also enjoy using their boating skills to graffiti in hard-to-reach areas of the Columbia bridge and the adjacent areas.

WISSAHICKON PARK

Located just off Lincoln Drive, and in one of the most historic sections of the city, it’s perhaps fitting that the Germantown area also has its fair share of graffiti artists striking out to leave their mark on the world.

Wissahickon Park offers hikers, bicyclists, and naturalists a beautiful respite from the chaos and smog of the concrete jungle. It also offers graffiti artists numerous opportunities to leave their calling card — of which they take full advantage.

HENRY AVENUE BRIDGE

Though still technically a part of Wissahickon Park, the vast treasure trove of work under the Henry Ave Bridge merited its own section.

Like in the halls of a medieval castle, the pillars that hold up the Henry Avenue bridge tower above your head and converge to form massive arches; the graffiti acts like the tapestries that drape its walls.

You can find almost any type of graffiti you can think of at Henry Ave — your standard tags, throw-ups, and full color pieces, to wildstyle, calligraphy, insane ramblings that happen to be made in spray paint — it all has a home here.

It is a true, blue cathedral to the city’s passion for street art.

ALLEGHENY WEST

Once upon a time, the Allegheny West neighborhood was dotted by bustling factories, creating a populous and prosperous community sustained by a burgeoning industrial revolution. Most of the people are long gone, but the factories are still there, rusty graves to American industrial might during the 19th and 20th centuries. Though in recent years the city has accelerated its efforts to tear down abandoned industrial buildings in places like Allegheny West, there are still a number of them left — and with them, a happy breeding ground for graffiti.

EPILOGUE

We hope you’ve enjoyed the small selection of graffiti we’ve been able to document here. By the time you read this, a decent amount of these works very well may already be gone.

The city’s CLIP team (City Life Improvement Program) works fast. Credit where credit is due; they’re a part of city government that actually works. A new coat of battleship gray and it’s like it was never there. And that’s if the building it’s on is still standing there the next time you visit.

Philadelphia has spent decades trying to scrub its name off the graffiti map, mural programs and all, but it seemingly just can’t quit the artform. PennDOT recorded nearly $130,000 spent removing graffiti from state highways in and around Philadelphia in 2023 alone — not that you could likely tell the difference.

At this stage of the game, we can call it; the writers have surely won. Again, no tattling, please. Go see it before the buff comes!

QUICK LINKS

• LABOR PAINS: UNION RANKS DIP IN PA, NJ

• HAVERFORD VOWS CHANGE AFTER ISRAELI TALK SPARKS CLASHES

• TOW-TAL RECALL: PHILLY AGREES TO STOP LOSING YOUR CAR

• 19 CHARGED IN GANG BLOOD FEUD THAT LED TO OVER 35 VICTIMS

• FUTURE OF CHINATOWN INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT IN JEOPARDY

• PAYING RESPECTS

• CITY OPENS NEW GAY PRIDE VISTOR’S CENTER

• SPRAY IT AIN’T SO

• DEBATE SWIRLS OVER LOCATION OF NEW CITY BUS TERMINAL

• FARE WARNING: NEW SEPTA AI PROGRAM TO FINE PARKING VIOLATIONS

• LOCAL CONCERTS, MARCH 2ND - MARCH 7TH

LABOR PAINS: UNION RANKS DIP IN PA, NJ

Union membership in Pennsylvania and New Jersey declined in 2025, even as national rates held relatively steady, according to new data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nationwide, 10% of workers were union members last year, a slight increase from 9.9% in 2024. In New Jersey, 14.7% of workers were unionized, while Pennsylvania’s rate fell to 10.9% — each down about one percentage point from the year prior. Federal officials cautioned that comparisons to past years are more difficult because a government shutdown left October data incomplete.

The figures come amid what labor experts have described as an anti-union push by President Donald Trump’s administration, including efforts to end some federal union contracts and actions that left the National Labor Relations Board without a quorum for part of the year. Despite high-profile organizing drives and strike threats across the Philadelphia region, analysts say organizing momentum has slowed, with fewer union elections and concerns about how federal rulings could affect future efforts.

HAVERFORD VOWS CHANGE AFTER ISRAELI TALK SPARKS CLASHES

Haverford College says it will revise its events policy following a disruption during a talk earlier this month by Israeli journalist Haviv Rettig Gur. About a dozen masked protesters interrupted the event, at one point shouting through a bullhorn and drawing a physical confrontation with an audience member before campus safety removed both individuals. Neither person was affiliated with the college, officials said. The incident renewed allegations of antisemitism on campus, which is already under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education and facing scrutiny from a Republican-led congressional committee.

College President Wendy Raymond told the campus community that shouting down speakers violates school values and acknowledged gaps in how events are managed. Administrators said updated policies will aim to clarify expectations and provide additional oversight for events deemed “higher risk” due to safety or disruption concerns.

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TOW-TAL RECALL: PHILLY AGREES TO STOP LOSING YOUR RIDE

The City of Philadelphia has agreed to overhaul its long-criticized “courtesy tow” system and pay $750,000 to 36 drivers as part of a proposed federal court settlement. The deal, which still requires approval from a U.S. district judge, would require tow truck operators participating in the city’s vehicle relocation program to electronically log where cars are dropped off. The city is also expected to partner with the Philadelphia Parking Authority to create a searchable database so drivers can locate relocated vehicles more easily.

The settlement follows years of complaints and a five-year federal lawsuit alleging that the city’s system routinely lost legally parked cars, leading to tickets, impoundments, wrongful stolen vehicle reports, and even armed police stops of unsuspecting owners in other states. Under the proposed changes, vehicles would be marked before relocation to prevent improper ticketing, and new tracking technology would aim to prevent cars from disappearing into what plaintiffs described as a “bureaucratic black hole.”

19 CHARGED IN GANG BLOOD FEUD THAT LED TO OVER 35 VICTIMS

Nineteen people connected to a violent feud between the Young Bag Chasers (YBC) and rival crews are expected to be charged in a sweeping indictment tied to nearly two dozen shootings across the city, including at least five homicides. Prosecutors say the yearslong retaliation cycle, spanning 2022 to 2024, left 35 victims ranging in age from 5 to 42. Five suspects were taken into custody Wednesday as part of an investigation by the Philadelphia Police Department.

Authorities said the probe linked members of YBC and affiliated groups — along with rivals including CCK and the Parkside Killers — to shootings fueled by social media taunts and drill rap videos. Investigators used ballistics, phone records, and online posts to connect suspects to multiple crimes, including the killings of Zyir Stafford and several alleged gang members. Officials said more arrests are expected as the long-running investigation continues.

FUTURE OF CHINATOWN INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT IN JEOPARDY

The future of the Chinatown Stitch project, a long-planned effort to cap the Vine Street Expressway and reconnect the neighborhood divided by the highway, is uncertain after the Trump administration rescinded a $159 million federal grant. The funding had been awarded through a Biden-era transportation equity program, but was clawed back as part of a broader rollback of unspent federal infrastructure dollars. City officials are now scrambling to identify alternative funding sources to keep the project alive.

Planners are seeking up to $12.5 million in alternative federal funds to complete final design work, a key step before environmental approval and construction can begin. The proposal is under review by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, where some members have expressed concern about advancing the project without secured construction financing. City leaders say they are exploring options including tax-increment financing and remain committed to a project supporters say has been decades in the making.

PAYING RESPECTS

The City of Philadelphia will provide up to $2,000 to help cover funeral costs for homicide victims under a new initiative launching March 1st, becoming the first municipality in the US to do so. The Homicide Victim Funeral Assistance (HVFA) Program will pay funds directly to funeral homes, with applications reviewed within 48 hours, according to city officials. The effort will be administered by the Office of the Victim Advocate, part of the city’s Office of Public Safety.

Officials said the program is designed to ease the financial burden on grieving families, as the average funeral in Philadelphia costs about $9,100. The city’s contribution is intended to supplement Pennsylvania’s Victims Compensation Assistance Program, which offers up to $6,500 in reimbursement. The announcement comes as homicides have declined significantly since their 2021 peak, with city leaders describing the fund as a tangible way to support families facing sudden loss.

CITY OPENS NEW GAY PRIDE VISTOR’S CENTER

City leaders on Wednesday cut the ribbon on the new Philly Pride Visitor Center, an LGBTQ+ tourism hub located at 12th and Locust Streets in the heart of the Gayborhood. The center was launched by the Philadelphia Visitor Center Corporation and Visit Philadelphia in partnership with Visit PA and the Philadelphia Gay News. Officials say the space will promote LGBTQ+-owned and allied businesses, highlight queer-friendly destinations, and serve as a welcoming resource for visitors.

Tourism leaders opened the center ahead of what they anticipate will be a record-breaking year for travel, noting that LGBTQ+ travelers contribute an estimated $65 billion annually nationwide. The opening also coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Philadelphia Gay News, underscoring the city’s historic role in the LGBTQ+ rights movement. Governor Josh Shapiro joined local officials at the ceremony.

SPRAY IT AIN’T SO

Philadelphia has once again been named the “Best City for Street Art” in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. The honor highlights the city’s reputation as the “mural capital of the world,” with thousands of public artworks transforming streets, buildings, and public spaces into an open-air gallery.

Home to more than 4,000 murals, sculptures, and installations, Philadelphia boasts one of the largest and most accessible public art collections globally. City officials and arts advocates say the recognition reflects decades of investment in public art programs that have made street art a defining feature of the city’s cultural identity.

DEBATE SWIRLS OVER LOCATION OF NEW CITY BUS TERMINAL

Residents weighed in this week on where to relocate the city’s Greyhound bus terminal during an open house hosted by the Philadelphia City Planning Commission at the Independence Visitor Center. Planners are considering three potential sites: 29th and Arch Streets near 30th Street Station, the 1500 block of Vine Street, and the 700 block of Arch Street.

City officials say public input will help shape the final decision, and residents can also complete an online survey about the proposed locations. Meanwhile, the current Greyhound station on Filbert Street is scheduled to temporarily reopen in May as longer-term plans for a permanent bus terminal move forward.

FARE WARNING: NEW SEPTA AI PROGRAM TO FINE PARKING VIOLATIONS

SEPTA will begin installing AI-powered enforcement cameras on trolleys across the region starting March 2, expanding a similar program already in use on city buses. Officials said the cameras, developed in partnership with the Philadelphia Parking Authority, will identify vehicles illegally blocking trolley lanes and stops on Lines T1 through T5 and the G1 route. After a 60-day warning period, $51 citations will begin April 1.

The initiative follows the rollout of AI cameras on more than 150 buses last year, which have since issued more than 112,000 tickets. SEPTA officials say illegally parked vehicles cause major service delays and safety hazards, and the PPA noted each violation will be manually reviewed by enforcement officers before fines are issued. The agencies say the effort supports the city’s broader Vision Zero traffic safety goals.

LOCAL CONCERTS, MARCH 2ND - MARCH 7TH

MONDAY, MARCH 2ND

• Conan Gray (Wishbone World Tour, with Esha Tewari)

  • Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA

• I See Stars

  • Brooklyn Bowl, Philadelphia, PA

• Until I Wake

  • Brooklyn Bowl, Philadelphia, PA

TUESDAY, MARCH 3RD

• Ratboys (w. Florry)

  • First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA

• Beauty School Dropout (w. NIGHTBREAKERS)

  • The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4TH

• Bryce Vine

  • The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA

THURSDAY, MARCH 5TH

• prison Affair and D Sablu (w. Snõõper and F.i.b.)

  • First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA

• Chrissy Chlapecka

  • Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA

FRIDAY, MARCH 6TH

• Subtronics

  • The Met, Philadelphia, PA

SATURDAY, MARCH 7TH

• MANA

  • Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA

• Subtronics

  • The Met, Philadelphia, PA

• Eric Hutchinson

  • City Winery, Philadelphia, PA

QUICK LINKS

• SLAVERY EXHIBIT MUST STAY, JUDGE RULES

• AIRPORT MEASLES CASE RAISES ALARM

• NOT SO FAST: NEW SCHOOL SPEED CAMERAS PRIMED AND READY TO TICKET

• BREATHING FREELY

• GRAD WORKERS INK DEAL, STRIKE AVERTED

• 40+ PHILLY NARCOTICS CONVICTIONS UP IN SMOKE

• MAGIC GARDENS FOUNDER PASSES AT 86

• STUDENT WALKOUT ENDS IN ARRESTS

• PAW & ORDER

• LOCAL CONCERTS, FEBRUARY 23RD - FEBRUARY 28TH

SLAVERY EXHIBIT MUST STAY, JUDGE RULES

A federal judge has ordered the restoration of interpretive panels at Philadelphia’s President’s House that detail the lives of nine enslaved people held there by George Washington. The ruling, issued by U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe, grants a preliminary injunction requiring the site to be returned to its condition prior to January 22nd, when the displays were removed following an executive order from the Trump administration. The decision sided with the City of Philadelphia and advocacy group Avenging the Ancestors Coalition, which argued that taking down the panels caused irreparable harm and erased a critical part of the nation’s founding history.

In a 40-page opinion, Rufe found that a survival clause in a cooperative agreement between the city and federal government keeps key provisions in effect, rejecting arguments that the agreement had expired. She also barred further federal action that could alter or damage the site. Supporters celebrated the decision as historic, saying it ensures visitors receive a complete and accurate account of the realities of slavery at the President’s House. The federal government has said it will appeal the ruling.

AIRPORT MEASLES CASE RAISES ALARM

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health is alerting travelers to a potential measles exposure at Philadelphia International Airport. Officials say a person infected with measles was in Terminal E on Thursday, February 12, between 1:35 P.M. and 4:30 P.M. Anyone present during that window is advised to review their vaccination status and monitor for symptoms.

Measles is a highly contagious airborne virus that can linger in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves an area. Early symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes, followed by a rash. Health officials said there is no broad threat to the general public but urged those who are not fully vaccinated to contact their healthcare provider about the MMR vaccine. Anyone who develops symptoms through March 5th should seek medical care immediately and inform providers of the possible exposure.

NOT SO FAST: NEW SCHOOL SPEED CAMERAS PRIMED AND READY TO TICKET

The Philadelphia Parking Authority is launching a pilot program that will issue warnings — and eventually, fines — to drivers caught speeding in five designated school zones across the city. Beginning Tuesday, motorists who exceed posted limits while school-zone flashers are active will receive warnings during a 60-day grace period. Starting April 20, 2026, those warnings will convert into monetary penalties, though officials have not yet announced the fine amount. Violations will not result in points on a driver’s license.

The targeted zones, selected based on crash data from 2019 to 2023, include areas near John B. Stetson Middle School, KIPP North Philadelphia Charter School, Widener Memorial School, High School of the Future, and William L. Sayre High School. Officials cited multiple serious-injury and pedestrian crashes, including a fatal incident near Broad and Olney in 2023. PPA Executive Director Rich Lazer said the program aims to curb dangerous driving and improve safety for students, pointing to similar recent enforcement along Roosevelt Boulevard and Broad Street that significantly reduced speeding and pedestrian collisions.

BREATHING FREELY

Philadelphia officials on Wednesday launched “Breathe Philly,” a new citywide air monitoring initiative featuring 76 sensors designed to track particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide levels in neighborhoods across the city. The monitors feed real-time data to an interactive online map that allows residents to check local air quality conditions. According to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, every address in the city is now within one and a half miles of a monitor, providing more localized and accessible environmental data.

Community advocates welcomed the program but said monitoring alone will not solve long-standing pollution concerns, particularly in historically-impacted neighborhoods. Mayor Cherelle Parker said the city plans to use the data to guide policy decisions and improve public health outcomes. The Breathe Philly website is now live, enabling residents to review current air quality readings and determine whether conditions may pose risks, especially for people with underlying health issues.

GRAD WORKERS INK DEAL, STRIKE AVERTED

Graduate student workers at the University of Pennsylvania have reached a tentative agreement on their first union contract, narrowly averting a strike that had been set to begin Feb. 17. The two-year deal, announced early Tuesday, follows months of negotiations between the university and Graduate Employees Together-University of Pennsylvania (GET-UP), which represents roughly 3,400 research and teaching assistants and is affiliated with the United Auto Workers. Union members had authorized a strike in November and set a deadline after key issues — including wages, healthcare, and transit benefits — remained unresolved.

If ratified, the agreement would raise the annual minimum stipend to $49,000, a 22% increase, and set a $25 hourly minimum, with additional raises scheduled in 2027. The deal also includes paid medical and parental leave, a $200,000 annual dependent healthcare reimbursement fund and a $50,000 annual fund to assist international students with visa-related costs. University officials said academic operations would have continued in the event of a strike, though striking workers would not have been paid. A ratification vote has not yet been scheduled.

40+ PHILLY NARCOTICS CONVICTIONS UP IN SMOKE

More than 40 additional drug and gun convictions tied to three narcotics officers have been thrown out in Philadelphia, as prosecutors continue reviewing nearly 1,000 cases that relied on their testimony. On Wednesday, Common Pleas Court Judge Rose Marie DeFino-Nastasi vacated 47 convictions after the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office said it could no longer stand behind the credibility of Officers Ricardo Rosa, Eugene Roher and Jeffrey Holden. The cases stem from investigations by the Philadelphia Police Department’s Narcotics Strike Force, and many of the affected defendants had been serving years in prison.

Attorneys with the Defender Association of Philadelphia uncovered surveillance video they say contradicts the officers’ sworn testimony, alleging the trio failed to disclose their use of city cameras and described drug transactions they could not have seen — or that never occurred. Prosecutors have cited a pattern of inconsistencies but stopped short of accusing the officers of lying, while defense lawyers contend the misconduct was deliberate. The officers remain on active duty in reassigned roles as an internal affairs investigation continues. More dismissals are expected in the coming months.

MAGIC GARDENS FOUNDER PASSES AT 86

Isaiah Zagar, the visionary mosaic artist whose glittering glass murals transformed South Philadelphia into a kaleidoscope of color, has died at 86. Zagar, founder of Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, died at his home from complications of heart failure and Parkinson’s disease, the organization confirmed Thursday. Over decades, the self-taught artist covered an estimated 50,000 square feet of walls with broken mirrors, tiles, bottles, and found objects, creating more than 200 mosaics that reshaped the city’s visual identity and became synonymous with Philadelphia’s public art scene.

Born in Brooklyn in 1939 and educated at the Pratt Institute, Zagar moved to Philadelphia in the late 1960s with his wife, Julia, and helped spark the South Street Renaissance while fighting plans for a Crosstown Expressway. His immersive Magic Gardens installation, once threatened by demolition, was preserved after supporters raised funds to purchase the property, cementing its status as a cultural landmark that now draws roughly 150,000 visitors annually. Zagar’s work appears in major museum collections and across city blocks, leaving behind a legacy etched in tile and mirror. He is survived by his wife and two sons.

STUDENT WALKOUT ENDS IN ARRESTS

A student-led walkout protesting immigration enforcement turned chaotic this Friday in Quakertown, ending in multiple arrests after a confrontation with police. About 35 students from Quakertown Community High School left campus around 11:30 A.M. despite warnings from administrators. Authorities said some students became disruptive, allegedly throwing snowballs, blocking traffic and damaging property, prompting police to respond. By the end of the incident, five to six students and one adult were taken into custody, and the school was briefly placed on lockdown.

Video from the scene shows a man identified by sources as the Quakertown police chief — dressed in plain clothes — placing a female student in what appears to be a chokehold before falling to the ground as other students gathered around. Witnesses disputed police claims that students escalated the situation, saying officers intensified what began as a peaceful protest against ICE. Police have issued only a written statement, and school officials say they are reviewing the actions of students who left campus without permission.

PAW & ORDER

Philadelphia City Council has approved a temporary ban on unlicensed puppy breeding in an effort to reduce overcrowding at the city’s primary animal shelter. The measure places a three-year moratorium on the unlicensed breeding, sale and transfer of puppies within the city. The Animal Care and Control Team of Philadelphia will begin enforcing the law in three months.

Under the new rules, prospective sellers who advertise puppies without including a valid kennel license number and the ZIP code where the dog is located could face daily fines. Supporters say the crackdown is designed to curb irresponsible breeding practices and ease the strain on Philadelphia’s shelter system.

LOCAL CONCERTS, FEBRUARY 23RD - FEBRUARY 28TH

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23RD

• RUEL

  • Theatre of Living Arts, Philadelphia, PA

• Valgur, Andy Loebs, and ZOM6ii

  • Nikki Lopez Philly, Philadelphia, PA

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24TH

• TWICE

  • Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA

• Mariah the Scientist

  • The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA

• Rich Brian

  • The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA

• Lynch Mob

  • Nikki Lopez Philly, Philadelphia, PA

• Rio Kosta,

  • Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25TH

• JJ Grey & Mofro

  • Keswick Theatre, Glenside, PA

• Aries (with Zack Villere)

  • Theatre of Living Arts, Philadelphia, PA

• Clinton Kane

  • The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA

• Briscoe

  • MilkBoy, Philadelphia, PA

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26TH

• Brass Against

  • Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA

• blackwater holylight

  • Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27TH

• Chad Taylor

  • Solar Myth, Philadelphia, PA

• Everyone Orchestra

  • Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28TH

• Brett Young Xcite Center,

  • Parx Casino, Bensalem, PA

• Peter McPoland (w. DUG)

  • Theatre of Living Arts, Philadelphia, PA

• Lost Frequencies

  • NOTO Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA

QUICK LINKS

• BEN THERE, FORGED THAT: CENTER CITY BAR BANS UNDER-25s

• NO HEAT, NO SEAT

• GOV. SHAPIRO VOWS TO FIGHT DHS DETENTION CENTERS

• CITATION NATION

• ONLY TWO OUT OF 140 SPEED CUSHIONS UP TO CODE, CITY CONTROLLER CLAIMS

• SHAPIRO MAKES $1 BILLION HOUSE CALL

• PHILADELPHIA KILLER ARRESTED AFTER 25 YEARS ON THE MOST WANTED LIST

• CITY SHELLS OUT FOR OFFICIAL MISCONDUCT — AGAIN

• TRASH FIRE IN GRAY’S FERRY MAY POSE HEALTH RISK

• LOCAL CONCERTS, FEBRUARY 15TH - FEBRUARY 21ST

BEN THERE, FORGED THAT: CENTER CITY BAR BANS UNDER-25s

A popular Center City dive bar has raised its entry age to 25 in response to a flood of high-quality fake IDs and growing rowdiness. Dirty Frank’s, at 13th and Pine streets, lifted its minimum from 21 to 25 after owner Jody Sweitzer said younger, underage patrons were using increasingly sophisticated fakes, smuggling in outside liquor, vaping indoors, and ignoring house rules. The breaking point came when staff seized a nearly undetectable counterfeit ID bearing Benjamin Franklin’s face and a fake Market Street address; the document reportedly scans and passes UV-light inspection.

Since the change took effect, some regulars have seen it as an improvement. One 25-year-old patron described the previous scene as chaotic, with aisles packed and people “bumping into each other,” calling the new cutoff necessary despite its bluntness.

Sweitzer, who has spotted the same fakes selling online for about $100, is acquiring advanced scanning equipment but says the “25-and-over” house rule will remain in place until better detection tools arrive.

NO HEAT, NO SEAT

Heating failures linked to the prolonged cold snap have disrupted operations at multiple Philadelphia schools, forcing relocations and leaving some classrooms dangerously cold. At Strawberry Mansion High School, staff reported temperatures in the 40s across parts of the building, while Greenberg Elementary students shifted to virtual learning for nearly a week before being relocated to the former Meehan Middle School, a district “swing space.” Officials said repairs are ongoing but did not provide a clear timeline, acknowledging that the move may continue for an extended period as heating issues are assessed and resolved.

Parents say the disruptions have strained families and raised concerns about safety, overcrowding, and the district’s aging infrastructure, which faces billions of dollars in unmet needs.

Some criticized the relocation logistics and said repeated building problems could drive families away from the city’s schools. District leaders pointed to a proposed $2.8 billion facilities master plan — including school closures and widespread modernization — as a long-term solution, while emphasizing that student safety remains a priority and that transportation and support services are being provided during the transition.

GOV. SHAPIRO VOWS TO FIGHT DHS DETENTION CENTERS

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is threatening legal action against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security over plans to convert warehouses in Berks and Schuylkill counties into large-scale immigration detention centers. In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Shapiro warned his administration would “aggressively pursue every option” to block the facilities, which could hold up to 9,000 people. The proposed sites are part of a broader federal push tied to President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda, with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement expanding detention capacity nationwide.

Federal officials say the projects will undergo community impact reviews and could bring jobs and economic activity, but Shapiro and several state leaders argue the facilities would strain local infrastructure, harm public health, and pose safety risks. The governor also criticized what he described as a lack of local consultation and raised concerns about aggressive enforcement tactics. Despite his opposition, Pennsylvania continues limited cooperation with federal immigration authorities, while immigrant rights advocates push for the state to end all collaboration with ICE.

CITATION NATION

Philadelphia’s First Judicial District has issued a fraud alert warning residents about a text message scam impersonating the city’s municipal courts. Officials say the messages falsely claim recipients owe unpaid parking tickets and threaten court appearances unless payments are made through links included in the texts. Court leaders stressed that the municipal court system does not demand payments or send citation notices through unsolicited text messages.

Authorities are urging residents not to click suspicious links or share personal or financial information with unknown senders. Anyone who receives the messages or believes they may have been targeted is encouraged to contact local police, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, or the Federal Trade Commission. Officials say the warning is part of ongoing efforts to protect the public from increasingly sophisticated impersonation scams.

ONLY 2 OUT OF 140 SPEED CUSHIONS UP TO CODE, CITY CONTROLLER CLAIMS

There are widespread problems with speed cushions installed near Philadelphia schools, according to findings from the Philadelphia City Controller’s Office. Inspectors examined 140 traffic-calming devices at 44 schools and found only two met required blueprint specifications. Controller Christy Brady said 95% of the cushions were too steep, with many exceeding recommended heights and grades set by state and federal safety standards, potentially increasing the risk of vehicle damage and unsafe driving conditions.

The report follows numerous 311 complaints from residents about noise, swerving traffic, and damaged cars, including one driver who reported costly repairs after hitting an oversized cushion near a school. Officials say the city has installed cushions at 135 schools since 2023 at a cost of roughly $51,000 per location, but it remains unclear how many citywide are out of compliance or who will pay for repairs. The Philadelphia Streets Department, which oversees the project, said it could not comment until reviewing the full report, while watchdog officials suggested the city may need to seek restitution if installations are found to be substandard.

SHAPIRO MAKES $1 BILLION HOUSE CALL

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro unveiled a new affordable housing proposal during an appearance in the East Falls section of Philadelphia, outlining a long-term strategy to expand access to housing across the state. The “Housing Action Plan” aims to build new homes, preserve existing units, reduce barriers to homeownership, and strengthen renter protections over the next decade. The proposal also seeks to streamline development regulations and improve coordination between state and local governments to accelerate construction.

As part of his latest budget proposal, Shapiro included $1 billion in a critical infrastructure fund intended to support housing development projects statewide. The plan and funding package must be approved by the Pennsylvania General Assembly before moving forward, with supporters arguing the initiative could ease housing shortages while critics and lawmakers weigh costs and implementation details.

PHILADELPHIA KILLER ARRESTED AFTER 25 YEARS ON THE MOST WANTED LIST

An arrest in Honduras has brought a breakthrough in a decades-old Philadelphia child murder case. Authorities confirmed that Alexis Flores was taken into custody more than 25 years after he was accused of raping and killing 5-year-old Iriana DeJesus in North Philadelphia in 2000. Iriana’s body was discovered wrapped in wallpaper weeks after she was reported missing. Flores was identified as a suspect in 2007 and later placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. Director Kash Patel announced the arrest on Friday, stating that “time and distance do not shield violent offenders from justice.”

Honduran authorities have reportedly approved Flores’ extradition to the United States, though a timeline for his return to Pennsylvania and prosecution remains unclear.

CITY SHELLS OUT FOR OFFICIAL MISCONDUCT — AGAIN

Philadelphia taxpayers will be paying $250,000 to settle a federal lawsuit filed by a former employee of the city’s Register of Wills office who alleged he was fired for refusing to contribute to then-Register of Wills Tracey Gordon’s reelection campaign. Nicholas Barone claimed Gordon pressured staff for donations in 2021 and terminated him in early 2022 after he declined to give, despite receiving a positive performance review days earlier. The settlement comes after four similar lawsuits were previously resolved for a combined $400,000, bringing total payouts tied to alleged misconduct in the office to more than $650,000 during Gordon’s tenure.

The controversy has continued under Gordon’s successor, John Sabatina Sr., who defeated her in the 2023 Democratic primary. The city has since paid an additional $256,000 to settle lawsuits from former employees who allege they were fired to make room for political hires, with several cases still pending. Good-government advocates have criticized the mounting legal costs and renewed calls to reform or abolish some of Philadelphia’s row offices, including the Register of Wills, arguing that entrenched “patronage” practices continue to burden taxpayers.

TRASH FIRE IN GRAY’S FERRY MAY POSE HEALTH RISK

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health issued an advisory Thursday evening urging residents in the city’s Grays Ferry neighborhood to avoid unnecessary exposure to smoke from a trash fire near the Philadelphia Transfer Station on Grays Ferry Avenue. The blaze, reported around 5:30 p.m. at a facility operated by Waste Management, appeared contained to a large open building, and no injuries were reported. Health officials said inspectors were dispatched to collect air samples and that no specific hazardous substances had been identified, but cautioned that smoke could pose risks to sensitive groups.

Officials advised residents to remain indoors as much as possible, close windows and doors, and limit physical activity outdoors. Those who must go outside were encouraged to wear masks if available. The health department and the city’s Office of Emergency Management said they will continue monitoring air quality and provide updates as more information becomes available.

LOCAL CONCERTS, FEBRUARY 16TH - FEBRUARY 21ST

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16TH

• Sound & Shape

  • Nikki Lopez Philly, Philadelphia, PA

• Jade

  • The Fillmore, Philadelphia, PA

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17TH

• Blessing Offor and Laura Cheadle

  • The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA

• Drew Nugent

  • The Lounge at World Café Live, Philadelphia, PA

• James Day

  • Sellersville Theater 1894, Sellersville, PA

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18TH

• Lauren Spencer-Smith, Henry Moodie, and Maisy Kay

  • The Fillmore, Philadelphia, PA

• The Final Draft

  • City Winery, Philadelphia, PA

• TWEN

  • Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA,

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19TH

• The Barr Brothers

  • Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA

• Sword II

  • Warehouse on Watts (WoW), Philadelphia, PA

• YOUTHYEAR

  • Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20TH

• Margo Price and Pearl Charles

  • Theatre of Living Arts, Philadelphia, PA

• Dead Boys

  • Nikki Lopez Philly, Philadelphia, PA

• BARELY ALIVE

  • The Ave Live, Philadelphia, PA

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21TH

• Miguel and Jean Dawson

  • The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA

• redveil

  • Theatre of Living Arts, Philadelphia, Pa

• Noah Rinker

  • The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA

• Remember Sports (w. Eraser)

  • Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA

CONTACT US:

X: @phillyfreepress

Email: inbox@phillyfreepress.org

Dr. David Asch, Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania and professor at both the Perelman School of Medicine and the Wharton School of Business, has come under renewed scrutiny due to his connection to Jeffrey Epstein, his former high school physics teacher at the Dalton School. Recent releases of Epstein-related documents have revealed email exchanges that appear to contradict Asch’s prior public statements about the extent of his contact with the convicted sex offender.

Asch was previously the subject of scrutiny for his relationship to Jeffrey Epstein when his name appeared in a batch of 20,000 documents made public by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform this past November in connection with its investigation into Epstein’s business dealings.

In one email from Jamie Rosenwald, an NYU adjunct professor and investment advisor, Rosenwald tells Epstein: “David Asch and I toasted to you during our Thanksgiving weekend in Amagansett in November.”

Rosenwald also states: “Unless your PR advisor is Donald Trump, I am not sure that current press provides you with much benefit.”

The email, dated January 5th, 2015, was sent just days after Epstein was named in a lawsuit alleging he forced a teenage girl to have sexual relations with several men.

Epstein replied the next day: “thanks, what is david doing?”

Rosenwald and Asch are both former students of the Dalton School, the Manhattan private institution where Epstein served as a mathematics and physics teacher from 1974 to 1976.

After the email surfaced, Asch said in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian in December 2025:

“Epstein was my high school physics teacher. The last time I had contact with him was nearly 50 years ago … I would not have toasted him because he turned out to be a contemptible man. I am heartbroken for all of his many victims.”

But in early 2026, the Department of Justice released over 3,000,000 documents, many of them email exchanges, related to the government’s investigation into the disgraced financier. One newly disclosed correspondence between Epstein and Asch appears to contradict his earlier statement about having last communicated with Epstein nearly 50 years ago. It also suggests the two continued some level of contact after Asch left the Dalton School, and after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for procuring a person under 18 for prostitution.

In an email titled, “Hello from your Dalton Years!” and dated September 23rd, 2012, apparently sent from David Asch’s email account, Asch writes to Epstein with nostalgia and expressing a desire to "catch up.”

In one portion, Asch says: “You may also recall that I worked with you at Bear Sterns one [redacted]. It’s been more than 35 years since I’ve seen you.”

Jeffrey Epstein began working at Bear Stearns in 1976, shortly after he was dismissed from his teaching position at the Dalton School. He remained there until 1981.

Asch continues: “It looks like you’ve done extremely well (and a lot better than Bear Stearns as a whole)… If you get this message, I’d be happy to buy you a cup of coffee in NY (or the same if you’re ever in Philadelphia).”

In a later exchange dated September 28th, 2012, what appears to be an assistant to Epstein replies to the email, indicating Epstein’s desire to talk with Asch over the phone. Asch responds: “Sounds great! I will find a time to call.”

Dr. Asch did not reply to a request for comment.

There have been no accusations against Asch for any participation in Epstein’s illegal activities or wrongdoing.

CONTACT US:

X: @phillyfreepress

Email: inbox@phillyfreepress.org

QUICK LINKS

• TODAY’S SUBJECT? NOT SLAVERY

• HAVE PATIENCE, WILL TRAVEL

• ICE’D OUT

• 20 LOCAL SCHOOLS ON CHOPPING BLOCK

• HISTORICAL PRESERVATION LEGISLATION SPARKS HEATED DEBATE

• NO BAKE SALE REQUIRED

• POLICE INVESTIGATE TOWING MURDERS

• FEDS PROBE POTENTIAL MISCONDUCT IN GREENBERG CASE

• PA. LEADERS CONDEMN TRUMP ELECTION LAW PROPOSAL

• LOCAL CONCERTS, FEBRUARY 9TH - FEBRUARY 14TH

TODAY’S SUBJECT? NOT SLAVERY

The city of Philadelphia has filed a lawsuit against the federal government following the removal of signs and exhibits at the President’s House site on Independence Mall. These displays detailed the lives of the nine enslaved people held by George Washington during his presidency at the residence, which is now part of Independence National Historical Park. The National Park Service took down the panels in late January, leaving only outlines behind, under a directive from the Trump administration.

This action stems from an executive order and related policy aimed at reviewing and removing interpretive materials deemed “disparaging” to America’s history or not aligned with shared national values. Philadelphia officials, including Mayor Cherelle Parker, argue the federal government lacked authority for the unilateral change, pointing to a 2006 agreement requiring collaboration and consultation for any modifications to the exhibit, which opened in 2010 after archaeological discoveries of slave quarters. The Department of the Interior has dismissed the lawsuit as “frivolous” while the city seeks restoration of the displays.

HAVE PATIENCE, WILL TRAVEL

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker acknowledged residents’ frustrations with ongoing snow removal efforts, now in their 12th day following a major winter storm that dumped significant snowfall followed by prolonged sub-freezing temperatures.

Speaking at a news conference, Parker stated, “They have a right to be frustrated,” as crews with front loaders, plows, bobcats, and 1,000 workers plus 800 pieces of equipment continue clearing streets. Most have been treated, but pedestrian access and sidewalks remain restricted in many areas due to rock-solid snow and ice.

To accelerate progress, the city has deployed the “Clean and Green Team” alongside paid laborers through the “Same Day Work and Pay” program, paying $25 per hour to shovel key spots like ADA ramps near schools, recreation centers, and commercial corridors.

Challenges to snow removal in the city were exacerbated by a delayed shipment of 21,000 tons of road salt, stuck due to iced-in conditions at Fairless Hills, with Coast Guard assistance underway. Parker vowed the city will not stop until every neighborhood is cleared.

ICE’D OUT

Philadelphia is experiencing heightened tensions over U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations amid President Donald Trump’s highly controversial crackdown on illegal immigration, with protests erupting across the city in past weeks.

Immigration activists remain on high alert, citing increased ICE presence targeting individuals with criminal histories, while city officials and state lawmakers like Sen. Art Haywood have voiced opposition, emphasizing civic responsibility to protect vulnerable communities.

As a sanctuary city, Philadelphia’s City Council addressed the issue in its first 2026 meeting, highlighting conflicts with federal immigration enforcement alongside local priorities. Mayor Cherelle Parker has notably maintained a low profile on the issue, mostly refraining from public criticism of the Trump administration’s immigration policies. Sources close to City Hall suggest this silence stems from a deliberate strategy to avoid drawing unwanted federal scrutiny or retaliation, such as potential funding cuts or intensified audits, especially as the city navigates budget challenges and other priorities like housing and education.

Authorities urge calm as investigations into related incidents continue, with no major arrests reported from the Philly protests yet.

20 LOCAL SCHOOLS ON CHOPPING BLOCK

The School District of Philadelphia announced a proposed $2.8 billion Facilities Master Plan on Thursday, January 22, 2026, aimed at modernizing 159 school facilities, maintaining 122 others, and addressing long-standing issues with building conditions over a 10-year period. A key and controversial component involves closing or repurposing 20 schools to consolidate resources, reduce the number of facilities rated “poor” or “unsatisfactory” from 85 to zero, and enable more efficient allocation of funds toward high-quality academic programming.

The proposed closures include six PreK-8 schools, six middle schools, and six high schools. Students from closing schools would be reassigned to other campuses, with middle schools phased out gradually. Of the 20 affected buildings, 12 would be repurposed for district use, while eight would transfer to the city for potential redevelopment into affordable housing or job creation initiatives.

Superintendent Tony Watlington emphasized that the plan stems from over two and a half years of community feedback, enrollment trends, and facility assessments, with changes set to take effect starting in the 2027-28 school year.

A transition team will support families with transportation, social-emotional needs, and other concerns. The plan requires School Board approval, with a presentation scheduled for February 26, 2026, and ongoing opportunities for public feedback via community meetings and the district’s Facilities Planning page at PhilaSD.org.

HISTORICAL PRESERVATION LEGISLATION SPARKS HEATED DEBATE

A controversial bill introduced by Philadelphia Councilmember Mark Squilla to overhaul the city’s historic preservation rules has sparked sharp backlash from preservation advocates, who warn it would gut protections and trigger a “demolition derby” for historic buildings.

Critics say the legislation, backed by local industry, would give developers a 30-day window to raze structures once a nomination is filed and would allow pre-existing demolition plans to override new protections. Supporters, including zoning attorneys and some former preservation task force members, call it a modest “good government” fix that simply gives property owners advance notice and basic fairness in a process currently driven by outside nominators. Even some preservation critics — including homeowner groups hit hard by recent historic districting — oppose the bill, arguing it helps big developers while doing little for ordinary residents.

Squilla says compromise talks will continue, with hearings expected in 2026.

NO BAKE SALE REQUIRED

“Abbott Elementary” creator and West Philly native Quinta Brunson has launched the “Quinta Brunson Field Trip Fund” to provide thousands of Philadelphia public school students with fully funded field trips.

The new initiative will award grants twice a year to teachers and administrators who apply through the Fund for the School District of Philadelphia. Brunson, who seeded the fund with her own donation, said the trips she took as a district student — including ones her class fundraised for by selling hoagies — “opened my world” and inspired her dreams. Superintendent Tony Watlington called the fund a key step in giving every child access to real-world learning experiences that help “accelerate student achievement.”

Applications are now open for the first round of awards.

POLICE INVESTIGATE TOWING MURDERS

Philadelphia police are investigating potential links between the shootings of three men connected to the city’s towing industry. The most recent victim, 25-year-old Aaron Whitfield Jr., was shot and killed while in a tow truck with his girlfriend outside a smoke shop near Bustleton Avenue and Knorr Street in Northeast Philadelphia.

Two suspects in another vehicle fired at least a dozen shots, killing Whitfield at the scene and wounding the woman in the leg. Whitfield worked as a truck operator for 448 Towing and Recovery, a Jenkintown-based company.

At least two other individuals employed by towing companies have been shot and killed in the past month and a half.

Lt. Thomas Walsh of the homicide unit noted an apparent “connection” on the surface, though different vehicles were used (including a recovered silver Honda Accord), and it’s unclear if the same perpetrator or multiple are involved.

Authorities caution against unsubstantiated conspiracy theories circulating online, despite the industry’s competitive “Wild West” nature, and a prior 2017 case involving contract killings at another towing firm.

FEDS PROBE POTENTIAL MISCONDUCT IN GREENBERG CASE

Federal prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania have issued subpoenas seeking documents and information related to the contentious 2011 death of Ellen Greenberg, a 27-year-old Philadelphia teacher found stabbed 20 times in her Manayunk apartment. The death was initially ruled a homicide by the assistant medical examiner due to the extent of the wounds, including 10 to the back of the neck, but was later controversially changed to suicide, though no suicide note or clear intent by Greenberg to take her own life was found.

The family has long challenged the ruling and pursued lawsuits against city agencies for what they allege was a botched investigation and cover-up. The federal inquiry does not appear focused on reexamining the manner of death itself but rather on how various Philadelphia and Pennsylvania agencies — including the Police Department, Medical Examiner’s Office, District Attorney’s Office, Law Department, and Attorney General’s Office — handled the case over the subsequent 15 years, and whether any potential mishandling or missteps may rise to criminal corruption.

Spokespeople for the involved offices and the U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to confirm or deny the investigation or subpoenas.

Greenberg’s parents, Joshua and Sandra, and their attorney Joseph Podraza Jr. expressed excitement and gratitude, describing it as the long-sought federal scrutiny after years of local resistance, including a 2024 court decision acknowledging flaws in the original case (while upholding the city’s position) and a recent $650,000 settlement with the city that prompted a new medical examiner review reaffirming suicide.

PA. LEADERS CONDEMN TRUMP ELECTION LAW PROPOSAL

Pennsylvania officials, including Gov. Josh Shapiro and Philadelphia elections commissioner Omar Sabir, have firmly rejected President Donald Trump’s call to nationalize U.S. elections. In remarks on the Dan Bongino Show, Trump urged Republicans to “take over” and “nationalize” voting in at least 15 locations, citing concerns over election integrity.

Officials emphasized that the U.S. Constitution assigns election administration to the states, with Shapiro declaring no interference from the White House would be tolerated. Sabir assured voters that access to the ballot would be protected “at all costs.”

The White House clarified that Trump’s comments supported passage of the SAVE America Act, a House-passed bill requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration and photo ID at polls. Critics, including the Committee of Seventy, warn the measure could limit access for over 21 million Americans lacking easy access to such documents. As of now, there is no confirmed plan to deploy federal agents like ICE at polling places, and Pennsylvania law requires police to stay at least 100 feet from entrances.

LOCAL CONCERTS, FEBRUARY 9TH - FEBRUARY 14TH

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9TH

• Shallow Alcove

  • The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA

• Slaat (with machéte, Giant, and The Red King)

  • Nikki Lopez Philly, Philadelphia, PA

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10TH

• The Head and the Heart and Brandi Carlile

  • Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA

• Nicotine Dolls

  • City Winery, Philadelphia, PA

• Bobby Rush

  • Sellersville Theater 1894, Sellersville, PA

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11TH

• The Black Heart Procession

  • Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, US

• Mohini Dey and Marco Cirigliano

  • City Winery, Philadelphia, PA, US

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12TH

• Lazyacres Dante Robinson

  Nikki Lopez Philly, Philadelphia, PA

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13TH

• Umphrey’s McGee

  • The Fillmore, Philadelphia, PA

• Artifakts (w. crawdad sniper)

  • Otherworld Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14TH

• Tommy James And the Shondells

  • Penn’s Peak, Jim Thorpe, PA

QUICK LINKS

• SEPTA UP AND RUNNING

• ILLEGAL DUMPING? THINK TWICE

• MAN ARRESTED IN SERIES OF BOMBINGS

• THIEF IMPERSONATES POLICE OFFICER

• CHARGES LESSENED IN CENTER CITY SHOOTING

• NEW GUN ORDINANCE IN EFFECT WITHIN CITY LIMITS

• SHAPIRO CRITICIZES NATIONAL RESPONSE TO KIRK ASSASINATION

• PA MAN BANNED FOR BRINGING ALLIGATOR INTO WALMART

• INVASIVE FISH CONTINUE SPREAD ACROSS NORTHEAST

• DOCTOR V. DOCTOR

• LOCAL CONCERTS, SEPTEMBER 16TH - SEPTEMBER 22TH

SEPTA UP AND RUNNING

SEPTA will fully restore its services this Sunday, September 14, after a Philadelphia judge ordered the agency to halt planned service cuts, including bus and rail eliminations, curfews, and station closures. The court injunction comes as Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro approved nearly $400 million in emergency funding to keep transit running.

While service will return to normal, fares are set to rise 21.5%. The new base fare for bus and metro trips will be $2.90. SEPTA says the combination of fare revenue and temporary state funds will prevent cuts for about two years but stresses that a long-term funding solution is still needed.

State Senator Vincent Hughes is urging SEPTA to cancel the fare hike, arguing that recent state aid should shield riders from what amounts to a more than 30% increase since 2024.

Riders can view updated schedules and fare details at septa.org/news/restored-service-schedules.

ILLEGAL DUMPING? THINK TWICE

Philadelphia is stepping up its fight against illegal dumping with a new task force that combines surveillance cameras, patrols, and steep fines. The initiative is led by the city’s “Clean and Green” cabinet, created under Mayor Cherelle Parker.

Roughly 470 cameras are now monitored by staff trained to catch offenders, who can face fines of up to $5,000 per item dumped. Since the program began last year, officials say they’ve closed 49 cases and collected about $3 million in fines.

The crackdown is expanding: 15 newly trained recruits will soon patrol dumping hotspots in person, issuing violations on the spot. City leaders say the goal is to clean up streets and hold violators accountable.

MAN ARRESTED IN SERIES OF BOMBINGS

A man dubbed the “Gruver Bomber” has been arrested in connection with a series of explosions in Palmer Township, Northampton County. Police identified the suspect as Ronald Erney of Fogelsville, who was taken into custody after investigators executed a search warrant at his Upper Macungie Township home.

During the search, officers found explosive materials, including chemicals, fuses, PVC tubing, and projectiles, along with tools used to build devices. Authorities also recovered ten firearms and parts to assemble ghost guns. Because Erney is a convicted felon, he is barred from possessing weapons.

In Northampton County, Erney faces seven counts of possessing explosive or incendiary devices and seven counts of disorderly conduct. In Lehigh County, prosecutors charged him with weapons of mass destruction, possession of explosive materials, and ten counts of illegally possessing firearms.

He has been arraigned and is being held at Northampton County Prison on $50,000 bail.

THIEF IMPERSONATES POLICE OFFICER

A man in Philadelphia’s Tacony neighborhood says he was the victim of a terrifying home invasion after a suspect posing as a police officer forced his way into his house. According to the 63-year-old homeowner, this impersonator handcuffed him at gunpoint, taped his mouth shut, and demanded information about money and bank accounts – some of which the victim said he didn’t even recognize.

The intruder also stole the man’s keys and wallet before making his escape through the back door. Neighbors called for help, and Philadelphia police arrested a 24-year-old suspect nearby, recovering a weapon and towing a white Jeep Cherokee used in the incident.

Though the victim was unharmed physically, he was predictably shaken. Authorities have not yet released the suspect’s name or formally announced the charges.

CHARGES LESSENED IN CENTER CITY SHOOTING

Charges have been downgraded in the fatal Center City Philadelphia shooting of 33-year-old Lauren Jardine, after new surveillance and cellphone videos painted a more complex picture of how the confrontation unfolded. Initially charged with murder, the accused, 45-year-old John Kelly, now faces voluntary manslaughter charges.

The incident occurred just before 6 p.m. at the busy intersection of 12th and Chestnut Streets. The video shows Jardine drawing a gun, then Kelly pulling what is described as a screwdriver. After a struggle over the firearm, Kelly gains control and fires multiple shots at Jardine, resulting in her death.

Witnesses described the scene as chaotic, and neighbors stated Kelly has been known for past disturbances in the area. Jardine’s family highlighted her recent efforts toward self-improvement, noting she was earning her GED and talking about starting her own business.

Police believe Jardine may have intervened in a dispute between Kelly and the woman believed to be his girlfriend, who is also visible in the video.

NEW GUN ORDINANCE IN EFFECT WITHIN CITY LIMITS

Philadelphia has enacted a new law targeting “straw purchases” of firearms. The ordinance, signed by Mayor Cherelle Parker, requires all licensed gun dealers in the city to post bright orange warning signs. These signs will inform customers of the penalties for buying a gun for someone who is legally barred from purchasing one themselves—a federal crime known as a straw purchase.

Violators of the law face up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000. Dealers who fail to display the required warning signs could be fined $2,000 per day.

SHAPIRO CRITICIZES NATIONAL RESPONSE TO KIRK ASSASINATION

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is urging elected officials to take a universal stand against political violence, criticizing President Donald Trump for what he described as “selective outrage.” In an interview with ABC News, Shapiro said Trump “cherry-picks which political violence he’s going to condemn,” noting that while the president denounced the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, he failed to mention recent attacks against Democrats, including the firebombing at the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion and the murder of two Minnesota lawmakers.

Shapiro stressed that “no political violence can be viewed as acceptable,” warning that rising threats make Americans less safe and stall national political progress. He condemned rhetoric surrounding Kirk’s death, saying no one should celebrate the killing or call for revenge, emphasizing that Kirk “left behind a wife and two children.”

Shapiro ordered Pennsylvania flags flown at half-staff through Sunday to honor Kirk, aligning with Trump’s national proclamation. He called the shooting “yet another example of the sad reality of rising political violence in our country,” citing multiple attacks in recent months as evidence of a growing crisis that “needs to end.”

PA MAN BANNED FOR BRINGING ALLIGATOR INTO WALMART

A Pennsylvania man and his five-foot emotional-support alligator, named Jinseioshi, have drawn attention after being banned from entering a Walmart in West Brownsville. The alligator, which weighs about 32 pounds and is sometimes dressed up, had accompanied its owner, Wesley Silva, on shopping trips there for years without incident.

Silva says Jinseioshi has received a warm reception at many public places, including restaurants, and that she has become something of a local celebrity. However, Walmart has officially prohibited the pair from its premises, citing safety concerns. The store noted that while service animals are allowed, alligators are not permitted due to potential danger to customers and staff.

Jinseioshi’s status as an “emotional support” animal does not give legal protection equivalent to that of a service animal. Animal welfare experts warned that reptiles can act unpredictably in crowded or stressful environments like stores. Silva, for his part, expressed disappointment over the ban but said he plans to continue bringing the alligator out in public despite the restriction.

INVASIVE FISH CONTINUE SPREAD ACROSS NORTHEAST

Scientists in Pennsylvania are intensifying efforts to study and contain Northern snakeheads, an invasive fish species that has rapidly spread through the Delaware River Basin since first being documented in Philadelphia’s FDR Park in 2004. Biologists with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission recently collected specimens at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, where drained wetlands exposed the air-breathing fish in the mud.

Native to Asia, snakeheads are prized as food but are considered a major environmental threat because of their ability to survive out of water and their voracious appetite. Researchers found that they consume at least 21 species of local fish, including killifish, sunfish, and eels, raising concerns for endangered species such as the Ironcolor Shiner.

The current study is examining snakeheads for contaminants like PFAS and other biomarkers, while also assessing their ecological impact. Wildlife officials report declines in frogs and other sensitive species at Heinz due to predation.

With snakeheads now found across the region — from Philadelphia’s waterways to creeks in South Jersey and even the upper Delaware in New York — scientists warn the “top predator” poses a long-term threat to the balance of local ecosystems.

DOCTOR V. DOCTOR

A Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) pediatrician is highlighting how teens increasingly turn to social media influencers, rather than their own doctors, for health advice. Writing in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Dr. Katie Lockwood noted that even her son prefers following “Dr. Mike,” a YouTube-famous physician, over listening to her expertise.

Lockwood said a major challenge for pediatricians today is competing with flashy online content that often spreads misinformation about vaccines, supplements, or health trends. To meet patients where they are, she shares advice on Instagram and through CHOP’s Primary Care Perspectives podcast, while also pointing families toward Pediatric Health Chat—a new CHOP website designed to counter myths with expert guidance.

She encourages parents to model critical thinking when consuming media, teaching children to evaluate sources, credentials, and motives behind online posts. Just as families teach kitchen safety, Lockwood argues, they must also teach digital safety.

Her message: credible health information may come from popular influencers, but it also comes from the doctors sitting across the exam room—or even across the dinner table.

LOCAL CONCERTS, SEPTEMBER 16TH - SEPTEMBER 22ND

Tuesday, September 16

• Garbage with Starcrawler — Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia

• KALEO, Quarters of Change, and Júníus Meyvant — Archer Music Hall, Allentown

• Wolf Alice — Union Transfer, Philadelphia

• Bayside and The Sleeping — Brooklyn Bowl, Philadelphia

• múm — Underground Arts, Philadelphia

• He Is Legend, Eyes Set to Kill, Downswing, and The Teeth — Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia

• Sister Wife, Sex Strike, Apes of the State — Nikki Lopez Philly, Philadelphia

• Celtic Thunder — F.M. Kirby Center, Wilkes-Barre

• Radio Free Alice, Zastava — Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia

• Mint Field — Silk City, Philadelphia

• Texas Headhunters — The Music Hall at World Cafe Live, Philadelphia

• Matt Heckler — MilkBoy Philly, Philadelphia

Wednesday, September 17

• PUP with Jeff Rosenstock & Ekko Astral — The Fillmore Philadelphia

• Bayside and The Sleeping — Brooklyn Bowl, Philadelphia

• Russian Circles, Blackwater, Holylight — Archer Music Hall, Allentown

• Fu Manchu — Underground Arts, Philadelphia

• Michael Schenker — Keswick Theatre, Glenside

• Michael Minelli, The Color 8 — MilkBoy, Philadelphia

• Hook — The Hook at Caesars Atlantic City, NJ

• House of Waters — Sellersville Theater 1894, Sellersville, PA

• Small Town Titans — Musikfest Café, Bethlehem

• Lavender Llama — Funhouse, Bethlehem

Thursday, September 18

• Alabama Shakes with The Budos Band — TD Pavilion at the Mann, Philadelphia

• Eric Church and Elle King — Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia

• YUNGBLUD with Sawyer Hill — The Fillmore Philadelphia

• Charlie Sexton, Elvis Costello & The Imposters — Wind Creek Event Center, Bethlehem

• Deafheaven with I Promised the World — Arrow, Allentown

• John Mulaney — The Met Philadelphia

• CoComelon — Keswick Theatre, Glenside

• Bambara — Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia

• Tara Clerkin Trio — Solar Myth, Philadelphia

• Sebastian Maniscalco — Ovation Hall at Ocean Casino Resort, Atlantic City

• Shallow Alcove, Sarah Gross & Kennedy Shaw — Spruce Street Harbor, Philadelphia

Friday, September 19

• The Lumineers, Chance Peña, Dr. Dog — Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia

• Papa Roach, Rise Against, Underoath — PPL Center, Allentown

• Turnstile, Mannequin Pussy, Jane Remover, Speed (AUS) — Highmark Skyline Stage at Mann Center, Philadelphia

• The Growlers — Union Transfer, Philadelphia

Saturday, September 20

• Kali Uchis, Thee Sacred Souls — Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia

• Freddie Gibbs, Alchemist, Jalen Ngonda, Sven Wunder — The Fillmore Philadelphia

• Soccer Mommy — XPoNential Music Festival, Camden, NJ

• Russian Circles, Blackwater, Holylight — Union Transfer, Philadelphia

• CAFUNÉ, Crushed (LA) — The Foundry at The Fillmore, Philadelphia

Sunday, September 21

• Peter McPoland — Theatre of Living Arts, Philadelphia

• The High Kings — Keswick Theatre, Glenside

• KennyHoopla — Arrow, Philadelphia

• Gurriers — MilkBoy, Philadelphia

• Author & Punisher — Ukie Club, Philadelphia

• Steve Gunn — Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia

• Agnostic Front — Arrow, Philadelphia

• SPRINTS — Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia

• Zao — Nikki Lopez Philly, Philadelphia

• 200 Stab Wounds — Anchor Rock Club, Philadelphia

Quick Links

• BROAD STREET IS WATCHING

• DROPOUT PREVENTION PROGRAM EXPANDED IN PHILADELPHIA SCHOOLS

• CYCLISTS PROTEST LANE PROTECTION PLANS

• CITY GOVERNMENT UNVEILS “NEIGHBORHOOD INITIATIVE” FOR 2026

• CLOSE CALL AT CHESTER COUNTY PRISON

• 2-YEAR-OLD CHESTER BOY MISSING

• SEPTA SERVICE TO BE TEMPORARILY RESTORED, JUDGE RULES

• SWEEPING ARRESTS MADE AGAINST AUTOTHEFT GROUP THAT KILLED POLICE OFFICER

• PHILADELPHIA MOST SLEEP-DEPRIVED CITY IN THE NATION, SAYS STUDY

• PHILADELPHIA-AREA COCAINE RING BUSTED

• LOCAL CONCERTS, SEPTEMBER 8TH - SEPTEMBER 15TH

BROAD STREET IS WATCHING

Speed cameras are set to debut along Broad Street in Philadelphia on September 15, 2025, the Philadelphia Parking Authority confirmed. For the first 60 days, drivers will receive warnings only, with fines beginning afterward.

Broad Street was named the city’s most dangerous road in a 2024 Vision Zero report, with 14 fatalities recorded so far this year. By contrast, Roosevelt Boulevard — once the deadliest corridor — has seen sharp declines in speeding and crashes since speed cameras were installed in 2020, including a 93% drop in speeding tickets and a 50% reduction in pedestrian crashes, according to the city.

Officials hope Broad Street’s new enforcement program will mirror the safety improvements seen on Roosevelt Boulevard.

DROPOUT PREVENTION PROGRAM EXPANDED IN PHILADELPHIA SCHOOLS

A program aimed at reducing Philadelphia’s student “dropout crisis” is expanding into four more schools this year.

Philadelphia Academies Inc. announced that its 9th Grade Success Network will now serve students at Building 21, Franklin Learning Center, Philadelphia Military Academy, and Hill-Freedman World Academy for the 2025-26 school year.

The initiative focuses on supporting ninth graders—particularly students from marginalized backgrounds—through staff training, leadership coaching, and early interventions to keep them “on track” toward graduation.

With the expansion, the program will operate in 28 district schools, with a goal of reaching 32 schools by next year. It is funded through 2027 with $10.6 million from the School District of Philadelphia and the Neubauer Family Foundation.

Officials say the program is showing results, with “on-track” rates improved by several percentage points over last year, although some schools reported dramatic increases in graduation readiness. District data indicates the approach has contributed to a 10-point rise in graduation rates over seven years.

School leaders say the network provides a much-needed “roadmap for success,” offering tools and resources to help educators meet student needs before they fall behind.

CYCLISTS PROTEST LANE PROTECTION PLANS

Cyclists staged a mass ride to Philadelphia City Hall Friday night, demanding full concrete protections on the bike lanes along Spruce and Pine Streets in Center City.

An internal city memo recently revealed plans to install barriers on only half of the bike lanes, a move advocates say puts all road users at risk. The protest was organized by Philly Bike Action, which argues partial protections fall short of ensuring safety.

The debate follows a lawsuit filed in June by a neighborhood group opposing the barriers altogether, citing lost parking spaces and questioning the mayor’s authority. Calls for stronger protections intensified after the 2023 death of Dr. Barbara Friedes, a physician killed when a driver struck her near 18th & Spruce.

Friday’s ride also honored Harry Fenton, a Philly Bike Action member killed Tuesday while cycling in Fairmount Park.

In response, the city said its Vision Zero program remains committed to preventing traffic deaths around the clock.

CITY GOVERNMENT UNVEILS “NEIGHBORHOOD INITIATIVE” FOR 2026

With the nation’s 250th birthday just a year away, Mayor Cherelle Parker unveiled a “neighborhood-focused” vision for the Semiquincentennial celebrations in 2026.

The initiative, titled “Ring It On! One Philly, A United Celebration,” will invest more than $100 million into block parties, public art, business corridor beautification, and festivals throughout the city. Over 60 community and cultural organizations are partnering in the effort.

Mayor Parker said the goal is to ensure residents and visitors alike can “see, touch, and feel” the vibrancy of America’s 250th anniversary through art and unforgettable events.

City leaders emphasized that the investment also supports local businesses, with corridor improvements like benches and clean-up crews aimed at making neighborhoods both more inviting and economically sustainable.

Community groups, including the Lancaster Ave 21st Century Business Association, praised the resources, calling the initiative a boost for small business success and neighborhood pride.

CLOSE CALL AT CHESTER COUNTY PRISON

Law enforcement stopped an escape attempt at Chester County Prison Wednesday afternoon, September 3, 2025.

Officials say Thomas Hackett, 35, of Phoenixville, jailed since June on indecent exposure and open lewdness charges, tried to scale a fence around 2:30 p.m. He reportedly climbed into layers of razor wire on the roof after inmates alerted guards by pointing toward the area.

Hackett managed to push through the wire and jump off the roof, but a corrections officer stopped him before he reached another fence lined with barbed wire.

He suffered multiple cuts during the attempt, received medical treatment, and was returned to prison the same evening, authorities confirmed.

2-YEAR-OLD CHESTER BOY MISSING

The City of Chester Police Department is asking for the public’s help in locating a missing 2-year-old boy, Jeremiah Cottman, also known as Jarimah Cottman or Jeremiah Jamar Ferguson.

Jeremiah, born May 30, 2023, is described as 3 feet tall, with a medium build, dark complexion, brown eyes, and short black hair.

Police said they learned Jeremiah was missing after responding to his mother’s home on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, for a reported argument. Relatives told officers they had not seen him since his birthday party in May. His mother later confirmed he has been missing since early June.

Authorities believe Jeremiah may be with his grandparents, Ashley Ferguson or Roger “Yousef” Montgomery, who are known to frequent areas in Philadelphia. Despite ongoing efforts, police say the child and his grandparents have not yet been located.

Anyone with information regarding their whereabouts is advised to contact police immediately.

SEPTA SERVICE TO BE TEMPORARILY RESTORED, JUDGE RULES

A Philadelphia judge has ordered SEPTA to halt all service cuts, while allowing a planned 21.5% fare increase to move forward amid the agency’s budget crisis.

The ruling, issued Thursday, requires SEPTA to restore bus routes, Regional Rail service, special trains, paratransit, and station operations that had been cut or scheduled for elimination. The order came in response to a lawsuit filed by attorney George Bochetto, who called the decision “full relief,” requiring every rollback to be reinstated.

Following the ruling, SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer announced the agency will aim to restore full service on Sunday, Sept. 14, while also implementing the fare hike that same day. Sauer said he has asked state officials for $394 million in capital assistance funds to cover the shortfall, warning the agency faces a $213 million budget deficit. He described the move as a “Band-Aid” that could keep SEPTA afloat through 2026, but at the expense of long-term infrastructure repairs.

The lawsuit alleged SEPTA used service cuts as leverage to secure more funding, disproportionately affecting low-income and minority riders. SEPTA countered that cuts were based on low ridership and alternative route availability.

Unless further court action intervenes, riders can expect full service restored and higher fares beginning Sept. 14, 2025.

SWEEPING ARRESTS MADE AGAINST AUTOTHEFT GROUP THAT KILLED POLICE OFFICER

Thirteen people have been indicted in connection with a violent multi-state car theft ring tied to the killing of Philadelphia Police Officer Richard Mendez, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced Friday.

The group, led by brothers Alex and Alexi Vargas, is accused of stealing more than 40 vehicles across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and Delaware between July 2021 and January 2024. The ring allegedly targeted high-value cars such as Jeep Grand Cherokees, Dodge Chargers, Dodge Durangos, and Ram trucks.

Three defendants — Yobranny Martinez-Fernandez, Alexander Batista-Polanco, and Hendrick Pena-Fernandez — were already charged in Philadelphia with the October 2023 killing of Officer Mendez and the wounding of Officer Raúl Ortíz. They now face additional conspiracy charges in the auto theft case.

According to investigators, the ring operated like an organized business, with members assigned roles ranging from scouting vehicles and reprogramming keys to creating fake registrations and selling stolen cars with fraudulent documents. Over 20 vehicles were stolen in Pennsylvania alone.

Officer Mendez was fatally shot at Philadelphia International Airport in October 2023 while attempting to stop a car theft. Officer Ortíz survived after being shot in the arm.

Officials say Friday’s indictment marks a major step in dismantling a criminal enterprise that spanned multiple states and was directly linked to a deadly attack on Philadelphia police.

PHILADELPHIA MOST SLEEP-DEPRIVED CITY IN THE NATION, SAYS STUDY

A new study has found that Philadelphia is the most sleep-deprived city in America.

The research, published by Amerisleep, analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the 2025 County Health Rankings, and surveys of more than 1,200 people.

Findings show that 43% of adults in Philadelphia get fewer than seven hours of sleep per night, while the city also has relatively low access to wellness support — just 10 practitioners per 100,000 residents. The average workweek for Philadelphians was reported at 39 hours.

By contrast, Portland, Oregon, was ranked the most well-rested city, offering better wellness support, cleaner air, and more rest-friendly environments.

Experts recommend improving sleep quality by creating a cool, dark environment and minimizing light disturbances at night.

PHILADELPHIA-AREA COCAINE RING BUSTED

Nearly two dozen people are facing charges in connection with a large-scale drug trafficking operation in North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced.

Investigators say the network, operating near 5th and Cornwall Streets, distributed cocaine, crack cocaine, and marijuana.

A total of 21 individuals were charged, with 16 arrested on Thursday. Among those indicted are Jimme Torres, identified as the group’s leader, and his son Matthew Torres, who allegedly managed operations while his father was in Puerto Rico.

Authorities also seized 19 firearms, large quantities of narcotics, and $275,000 in cash during the investigation.

LOCAL CONCERTS, SEPTEMBER 8TH - SEPTEMBER 15TH

Monday, September 8

• The Pogues with Ted Leo — Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia

• Sparks — Keswick Theatre, Glenside

Tuesday, September 9

• Pulp — The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia

• The Waterboys with Anna Tivel — Keswick Theatre, Glenside

• Dorothy and Eddie & the Getaway — Musikfest Café, Bethlehem

• Grant-Lee Phillips — City Winery, Philadelphia

Wednesday, September 10

• The Who — Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia

• The Brian Jonestown Massacre — Union Transfer, Philadelphia

• 10cc — Keswick Theatre, Glenside

Thursday, September 11

• Phantogram — Archer Music Hall, Allentown

• A Day to Remember, Yellowcard, State Champs, and Boundaries — Freedom Mortgage Pavilion, Camden, NJ

• Our Last Night with Grayscale and Wind Walkers — Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia

• The Buttertones — Nikki Lopez Philly, Philadelphia

Friday, September 12

• The Who - Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ

• Car Seat Headrest with The Lemon Twigs — Highmark Skyline Stage at Mann Center, Philadelphia

• La Dispute with Tummyache and Glitterer — Union Transfer, Philadelphia

• Black Moth Super Rainbow, Huron, and Ricky Eat Acid — Underground Arts, Philadelphia

Saturday, September 13

• Eric Clapton with The Wallflowers — Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia

• The Feelies — The Music Hall at World Cafe Live, Philadelphia

• David Cook — New Hope Winery, New Hope, PA

Monday, September 15

• Wolf Alice — Union Transfer, Philadelphia

• Wand — Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia

Quick Links

• KENYATTA’S LONG MARCH

• WEST NILE VIRUS DETECTED IN PHILADELPHIA

• FRANKFORD HIGH SCHOOL REOPENS AFTER ASBESTOS REMOVAL

• HURRICANE ERIN DEPARTS EASTERN SEABOARD

• DAYCARE WORKER CAUGHT ON CAMERA BEATING CHILD

• LOCAL ANIMAL SHELTER HOLDS CASINO NIGHT FUNDRAISER

• THIEVES BEAT MEAT (TRUCK)

• TEACHERS UNION, SCHOOL DISTRICT, SHAKE HANDS OVER NEW DEAL

• “SEE YOU IN COURT,” JUDGE TELLS SEPTA

• WATER DEPARTMENT TO UP RATES - AGAIN

• SCHOOL SAFETY OFFICER SHOT ELEVEN TIMES OUT OF THE HOSPITAL

• LOCAL CONCERTS, AUGUST 30TH - SEPTEMBER 6TH

KENYATTA’S LONG MARCH

In a bold five-day, 105-mile trek from Philadelphia to Harrisburg, State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta is demanding urgent action on transit funding. His journey is a direct response to SEPTA’s 20% service reductions that began just before the start of the school year, and driven primarily by a significant $213 million operating deficit that the state legislature has refused to address.

Kenyatta left North Philadelphia on Friday morning, livestreaming his walk and staging rallies at key stops like 69th Street and West Chester. His stop in Lancaster precedes his expected arrival at the Capitol steps on Tuesday for a final press event. He accused Republican legislators of inaction, pointing to a stalled budget and underscoring the real-world burden these cuts place on students, seniors, and workers.

SEPTA’s service overhaul is estimated to impacts tens of thousands of schoolchildren and daily commuters, with longer commutes and reduced accessibility already taking a toll, according to the Associated Press. Meanwhile, a Democratic-backed bill in the state House proposes a $292 million transit funding increase — which would avert up to 50% of planned service cuts, but faces resistance in the GOP-led Senate.

Kenyatta is framing his march as both symbolic and urgent, invoking the legacy of civil rights marches while shining a spotlight on the escalating transit crisis facing everyday Pennsylvanians.

WEST NILE VIRUS DETECTED IN PHILADELPHIA

State health officials reported this week that 12 positive samples of West Nile Virus have been collected in Philadelphia, as well as 15 in Chester County and 11 in Delaware County. Though no one has tested positive for the disease this year, the disease can be extremely hazardous to human health. The West Nile virus has been detected in mosquitos from almost every Pennsylvania county. For greater information on the illness and its prevention, please visit this link.

FRANKFORD HIGH SCHOOL REOPENS AFTER ASBESTOS REMOVAL

After more than two years closed due to asbestos concerns, Frankford High School has reopened following a $29.9 million renovation. The project included asbestos remediation, new air-conditioning units, smartboards, windows, LED lighting, and upgrades to classrooms, the gym, and cafeteria.

School officials praised the reopening as both a safety milestone and an investment in students’ futures. The district has also strengthened its asbestos monitoring program, now requiring inspections every six months to ensure the building remains safe.

HURRICANE ERIN DEPARTS EASTERN SEABOARD

Hurricane Erin has emerged as one of the most powerful and rapidly intensifying storms on record, transforming from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane in just 24 hours — a phenomenon meteorologists have described as “explosive intensification,” according to CNN. This dramatic escalation caught forecasters off-guard and heightened concerns across the U.S. Northeast and Caribbean.

Although Erin skirted the U.S. coastline — only coming within roughly 200 miles of North Carolina — it unleashed dangerous surf, rip currents, and coastal flooding between Florida and New York. Its sheer size was exceptional; only Hurricane Sandy in 2012 rivaled Erin in terms of storm-force wind diameter.

Experts warn that Erin’s rapid growth reflects a troubling trend fueled by climate change. As sea surface temperatures climb, storms are more likely to intensify quickly, making preparedness a pressing priority for coastal communities.

Despite beach erosion caused by the storm, labor-day vacationers are nonetheless flocking to places like the Jersey Shore to celebrate the holiday.

DAYCARE WORKER CAUGHT ON CAMERA BEATING CHILD

A 50-year-old woman, Nakia Bartley, has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a six-year-old girl inside the Rainbow Daycare & Learning Center on Huntingdon Street. Authorities say Bartley dragged the child into a bathroom and punched her, resulting in a cut lip and a loose tooth.

Surveillance video captured the incident, prompting immediate action from state authorities. The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services issued an emergency removal order on August 13th, forcing the daycare to remove all children from the facility.

Bartley faces multiple charges, including aggravated assault, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, endangering the welfare of a child, and corruption of minors. Her attorney stated that Bartley was employed at the daycare at the time but has since been dismissed, noting that the widely shared "10‑15 second" video clip doesn’t reflect the full context under investigation, though they did not elaborate on what context would justify beating a child.

Her preliminary hearing was on August 25, 2025.

LOCAL ANIMAL SHELTER HOLDS CASINO NIGHT FUNDRAISER

Rylie's Rescue, a local volunteer nonprofit dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming dogs in need, is gearing up for its 5th Annual Casino Night Fundraiser.

Event details:

• Date & Time: Friday, September 19, 2025, from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM

• Location: The Farm House Restaurant, 1146 Stump Hall Road, Skippack, PA

Attendees can enjoy a lively evening filled with casino games, great food, and community camaraderie, all to support a meaningful cause. Raffle tickets and silent auction items will be available for purchase via Venmo, PayPal, or cash.

Rylie's Rescue’s mission centers on giving loving homes to dogs that have been abandoned, neglected, or abused, making this fundraiser a vital part of their work.

THIEVES BEAT MEAT (TRUCK)

In the early hours of Friday, a delivery driver for a Texas-based meat supplier fell victim to a brazen theft in South Philadelphia. At approximately 5:45 a.m. on the 2600 block of Penrose Avenue, one truck driver was asleep in his truck when he awoke to the sound of rattling and discovered intruders had forced open his locked rear cargo hold.

Spotting two men and a woman, the unarmed driver watched helplessly as the thieves removed an entire pallet of meat and fled. The driver admitted he usually carries a firearm and stated that its absence may have made all the difference: “I usually pack my pistol with me man. Because if I had packed my pistol you wouldn’t have gotten away man,” he told NBC10 Philadelphia.

Philadelphia police confirmed they are actively investigating the incident. They noted that, so far this year, the city has reported 42 cargo thefts — more than half of which have involved meat, poultry, or seafood products.

The driver, visibly shaken, stated: “I hate for this kind of shit to happen to me. I know it happens to other drivers... this kind of throws your whole day off.”

TEACHERS UNION, SCHOOL DISTRICT SHAKE HANDS OVER NEW DEAL

The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers has overwhelmingly approved a three-year contract with the School District of Philadelphia, with 70% of union members voting "yes.”

Key highlights of the new agreement include:

• 3% annual pay raises

• A $1,400 one-time bonus, disbursed in October

• Five weeks of paid parental leave for all new parents

• Expanded bereavement leave, now allowed within 30 calendar days (up from the previous 10 working days)

Union leaders had warned that, without this deal, the union’s approximately 14,000 members could have gone on strike just one week into the school year, risking a grim repeat of the DC-33 strike earlier this year. The contract is set to go into effect on Monday, September 1.

“SEE YOU IN COURT,” JUDGE TELLS SEPTA

A Philadelphia judge granted a temporary injunction today following an emergency hearing, halting further SEPTA service cuts and suspending the planned 21.5% fare increase and other reductions, pending a follow-up hearing on September 4.

The injunction blocks any upcoming route eliminations, service reductions, station closures, or curfews, locking service levels at their current state.

SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer said the agency will need about 10 days to comply with the court’s order, likely tapping into its “Service Stabilization Fund” to do so.

The court action follows a lawsuit filed earlier this week by lawyer George Bochetto, who argues SEPTA fabricated its fiscal crisis and imposed cuts that unfairly burden minority communities and poorer residents. The suit has been criticized by transit advocates as a distraction from the debate in the Harrisburg over SEPTA funding.

WATER DEPARTMENT TO UP RATES - AGAIN

The Philadelphia Water Department will raise residential water rates by nearly 10%, or about $8, starting September 1, bringing the average monthly bill to roughly $91. This hike aims to bolster aging infrastructure and prevent issues like water main breaks, sinkholes, and burst pipes. A further increase is expected in September 2026.

SCHOOL SAFETY OFFICER SHOT ELEVEN TIMES OUT OF THE HOSPITAL

School Safety Officer Craig Romanczuk, who miraculously survived being shot 11 times in June while responding to a road-rage incident near Penn’s Landing, was released from rehabilitation and returned home today. He was honored with a touching "clap-out" celebration at Jefferson Moss-Magee Rehabilitation Hospital in Center City as fellow officers and staff cheered his recovery

Romanczuk, 68, is a seasoned veteran with nearly 30 years with the Philadelphia Police Department, and almost two decades in the School District’s Office of School Safety. He sustained serious injuries when he stopped to assist someone flagged down during the incident on I‑95; after being shot, he managed to drive a short distance before crashing into a tree.

School safety officials hailed his survival as "nothing short of an absolute miracle," praising his strength and dedication. With a suspect now in custody, Romanczuk faces months of rehabilitation, though he’s already talking about returning to work.

LOCAL CONCERTS, AUGUST 30TH - SEPTEMBER 6TH

• Tuesday, September 2

  • Jerry Cantrell and Sparta (Archer Music Hall, Allentown)

  • Tawnted (The Fire, Philadelphia)

  • Blood Tithe Fear the Dark, Concrete Caveman, and Ariadne’s Thread (Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia)

• Wednesday, September 3

  • Benson Boone & Elliot James Reay (Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia)

  • Duckwrth & Sherwyn (The Foundry, Philadelphia)

  • Stiff Little Fingers (Underground Arts, Philadelphia)

  • Jonathan Coulton (City Winery, Philadelphia)

• Thursday, September 4

  • HAIM (TD Pavilion at the Mann, Philadelphia)

  • Swans and Little Annie (Union Transfer, Philadelphia)

  • Frankie Cosmos (with Fantasy Of A Broken Heart and Moontype) (Underground Arts, Philadelphia)

• Friday, September 5

  • Sea Wolf (City Winery, Philadelphia)

• Saturday, September 6

  • Men I Trust (with strongboi) (Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia)

  • One Fine Day Festival featuring Sting, Shaggy, O.A.R., Big Freedia, The Original Wailers, Chance Emerson, and more (TD Pavilion at the Mann, Philadelphia)

Quick Links

• STRIKE IS OVER

• ROBOTAXIS COME TO PHILADELPHIA

• STATEWIDE 911 OUTAGE

• IBX ANNOUNCES “EMPLOYEE BUYOUT”

• SEPTA CRACKS DOWN ON FARE EVASION

• NO NEW MONEY FOR STADIUMS, SAYS GOVERNOR

• PHILADELPHIA SCHOOLS FACE MAJOR OVERHAUL, CLOSURES

• STINGING ASIAN ANTS MAKE NEW HOME IN PHILADELPHIA

• PHILADELPHIA SCHOOL DISTRICT FIRST IN THE COUNTRY TO FACE CRIMINAL CHARGES IN ENVIRONMENTAL PROBE

STRIKE IS OVER

Philadelphia’s first major city workers’ strike since 1986 ended after eight days when Mayor Cherelle L. Parker and AFSCME District Council 33 President Greg Boulware reached a tentative, three-year contract agreement on July 9, 2025. The deal, covering about 9,000 blue-collar workers like trash collectors and 911 dispatchers, includes 3% annual raises, a $1,500 one-time bonus, and a new pay scale step boosting veteran workers’ wages by about 2%. The strike, which disrupted important services like trash collection, highlighted tensions between city unions and the Mayor’s office. Parker stated that her priority was fiscal responsibility, while the union stated that they were pushing for “a living wage.” The contract, costing $115 million over five years, awaits union ratification. The strike has strained Parker’s ties with labor allies, and available data suggests that the union has strong public support.

ROBOTAXIS COME TO PHILADELPHIA

Waymo, Alphabet's autonomous vehicle company, began "road trips" to Philadelphia and New York City to explore expansion from cities like San Francisco and into the Northeastern United States. These trips involve mapping new areas with human-driven vehicles equipped with Waymo’s self-driving technology, followed by autonomous testing with a human behind the wheel to refine the AI system. While similar road trips have led to commercial launches, such as in Los Angeles, Waymo’s activities in Philadelphia will cover complex urban areas, and in NYC, they will map parts of Manhattan, Downtown Brooklyn, Jersey City, and Hoboken. However, NYC’s regulations currently prohibit fully driverless operations, and Waymo is pushing for regulatory changes while awaiting approval to test with a human driver. These efforts build on Waymo’s existing robotaxi services in cities like Atlanta, Austin, and Phoenix, with planned launches in Miami and Washington, D.C.

STATEWIDE 911 OUTAGE

Pennsylvania's 911 system experienced intermittent outages on Friday but resumed normal operations by late that day, according to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA). The cause of the outages is under investigation, with no initial evidence suggesting a cybersecurity issue, as stated by Comtech Telecommunications, the state's contract provider. A full root cause analysis is underway, and an independent review will aim to prevent future disruptions; officials indicated that the outage was almost certainly IT-based. Most county’s 911 systems were reported stable by midnight Friday, with no further issues by Saturday morning. PEMA recommends residents save their county’s 10-digit nonemergency number for use during potential future outages.

IBX ANNOUNCES “EMPLOYEE BUYOUT”

Independence Blue Cross, a Philadelphia-based health insurer, offered buyouts to employees who started before December 31, 2020, as part of an effort to streamline operations amid rising medical and pharmaceutical costs. The company, employing 4,134 people under Independence Blue Cross LLC, said that they aim to build a “resilient” organization but did not disclose the number of employees offered buyouts or whether layoffs would follow if targets are not met. This follows a 3% staff reduction last fall and comes as the broader health insurance industry faces financial challenges, with Independence reporting a $239 million loss in 2024. The loss was the company’s first since 2015, driven by increased costs in Medicare and Medicaid plans.

SEPTA CRACKS DOWN ON FARE EVASION

SEPTA, Philadelphia's public transit system, is addressing fare evasion through a new enforcement “blitz” that has already shown promising results, with a 200% increase in sales at Huntingdon Station in Kensington since officers were deployed last week. The initiative, which involves stationing officers at various stations across the Market-Frankford, Broad Street, Regional Rail, and trolley lines from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., aims to ensure all riders pay fares, reducing the financial burden on SEPTA and paying customers, especially as SEPTA faces budget shortfalls.

NO NEW MONEY FOR STADIUMS, SAYS GOVERNOR

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro announced that the state will not provide funding for new sports arenas, including potential projects for the Philadelphia Eagles, whose lease at Lincoln Financial Field expires in 2032, or the Pittsburgh Steelers and their stadium. Speaking at Pocono Raceway, Shapiro emphasized balancing investments in sports and tourism with other state priorities amid federal budget cuts. He confirmed ongoing discussions with Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and the Steelers’ Rooney family about their stadium needs but stressed no state funds would be allocated, as seen with the 76ers’ recent arena plans. Shapiro also highlighted talks about bringing a NASCAR race to a Philadelphia stadium like Franklin Field to boost the sport’s visibility while supporting Pocono Raceway’s economic success, which saw its third consecutive sellout. Additionally, he celebrated Pennsylvania’s 2026 sports lineup, including the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, the MLB All-Star Game, the World Cup, and the PGA Championship.

PHILADELPHIA SCHOOLS FACE MAJOR OVERHAUL, CLOSURES

Philadelphia’s school district is nearing a major overhaul of its 300 buildings, with Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. set to propose closing some schools, rearranging others, and renovating or building new facilities by Fall 2025, with school board decisions expected by year-end. The plan, guided by a facilities master planning process, evaluates buildings based on safety, accessibility, modern technology, environmental standards, program offerings, capacity utilization, and neighborhood vulnerability. The plan aims to address aging, unequal facilities and inefficiencies stemming from enrollment trends. Watlington emphasized reducing grade configurations from 13 to six, consolidating career and technical programs, and decreasing traditional middle schools to improve academic and extracurricular equity across neighborhoods. Community engagement sessions are scheduled through July 24, but advisory groups have raised concerns about incomplete data and the process’s transparency, with some urging a freeze on closures and a greater focus on maintenance to avoid repeating the negative outcomes of past closures in 2012 and 2013.

STINGING ASIAN ANTS MAKE NEW HOME IN PHILADELPHIA

The Asian needle ant (Brachyponera chinensis), an invasive species native to China, Japan, and the Korean peninsula, has been sighted in Philadelphia, with three confirmed reports on iNaturalist: May 2020 on Krams Avenue in Manayunk, July 2023 on Delaware Avenue, and April 2025 on Woodland Avenue in Elmwood Park. These small, shiny, dark brown to black ants, measuring about 0.2 inches, deliver a painful sting that can cause anaphylaxis in hypersensitive individuals, though the prevalence of such reactions in the U.S. is unknown. While not yet a major threat, their presence raises concerns due to their potential to displace native ant species and reducing biodiversity, like many other invasive species. Experts like Michael Skvarla from Penn State note that their prevalence in Pennsylvania is unclear, and more research is needed to assess their abundance. The ants, first detected in the U.S. in 1932, thrive in temperate forests and urban areas but are hard to control due to a lack of natural predators and the impracticality of widespread insecticide use. Homeowners are advised to seek professional pest control for suspected infestations to avoid exacerbating the issue.

PHILADELPHIA SCHOOL DISTRICT FIRST IN THE COUNTRY TO FACE CRIMINAL CHARGES IN ENVIRONMENTAL PROBE

The Philadelphia School District has entered a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the U.S. Department of Justice following a five-year investigation into its failure to comply with federal asbestos regulations under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA). The district, the first in the U.S. to face criminal charges for such violations, was found to have missed mandatory three-year inspections at seven schools and six-month inspections at one school between 2015 and 2023, affecting 31 buildings, some with improperly handled asbestos, like using duct tape for repairs. The agreement, approved unanimously by the school board on June 26, 2025, requires five years of court-monitored compliance, including regular inspections, remediation, and transparent reporting, with charges to be dropped if met. The district has tripled its environmental budget to $55.7 million, aided by a $100 million University of Pennsylvania donation, and now conducts twice-yearly inspections. Past underfunding and faulty record-keeping contributed to closures like Frankford High in 2024.

Hey! It’s been a while. Also, happy Fourth of July 🎆

Follow us on Twitter at @phillyfreepress or email us at phillyfp@proton.me.

Quick Links

• SEPTA MOVES FORWARD WITH DOOMSDAY BUDGET

• PHILADELPHIA NAMED AMERICA’S “MOST WALKABLE CITY” FOR THIRD YEAR IN A ROW

• DC-33 STRIKE GETS PHYSICAL

• PARKER DEFENDS AGAINST ACCUSATIONS OF CRONYISM

• SPAT OF ROBBERIES TARGET ASIAN RESIDENTS, POLICE SAY

• SECOND PHILLY UNION HOLDS STRIKE VOTE

• UPENN CIVIL RIGHTS CASE ENDS IN DEFEAT FOR TRANSGENDER ADVOCATES

• GOV. SHAPIRO WARNS OF CONSEQUENCES OF LOOMING CUTS TO SNAP, MEDICAID

• POLICE OFFICER CLEARED OF WRONGDOING IN OFF-DUTY SHOOTING

• LA SALLE UNIVERSITY ACCREDITATION IN JEOPARDY

• MAC’S TAVERN FROM “IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY” SET TO CLOSE AFTER 15 YEARS

SEPTA MOVES FORWARD WITH DOOMSDAY BUDGET

The SEPTA Board approved the Fiscal Year 2026 Operating Budget on June 26, 2025, choosing to address a $213 million deficit exactly as they said they would - by cutting services by 45%. The cuts will cancel 32 bus routes, reduce rail services (starting August 24th), and raise fares by 21.5% (starting September 1st). The base fare will also now start at $2.90. Deeper cuts, including five Regional Rail lines and a 9:00 PM rail curfew, will begin January 1, 2026. These measures, motivated by pessimism regarding stalled legislative action to fund the organization, are estimated to save SEPTA money; but without new state funding, the cuts could end up functionally gutting SEPTA, with long-lasting economic and social impacts not just for the Greater Philadelphia area, but for the state as a whole.

PHILADELPHIA NAMED AMERICA’S “MOST WALKABLE CITY” FOR THIRD YEAR IN A ROW

Philadelphia has been named America’s most walkable city for the third consecutive year by USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards, surpassing cities like New York, Washington, D.C., and Boston. The city’s walkability has been attributed to historical sources like William Penn’s 17th-century grid design as well as an emphasis on public squares and green spaces. Such a design is bolstered by the many cultural attractions the city has to offer, historic sites, and a vibrant tradition of street art, according to commentators. Spanning just over two miles between the Schuylkill and Delaware rivers, Center City’s pedestrian-friendly layout draws nearly 27 million visitors annually for good reason, and is supported by new infrastructure like the Schuylkill River Trail bridge.

DC-33 STRIKE GETS PHYSICAL

On July 2, 2025, the second day of a major strike by nearly 10,000 Philadelphia municipal workers from AFSCME District Council 33 (DC-33), dozens of union members defied a court order by picketing at the locked Northwest Sanitation Convenience Center in Manayunk, creating tensions between strikers and local police. The strike, the first since 1986, has halted trash collection and other services after contract talks with the Mayor’s office fell through, with the union demanding 8% annual raises and better benefits. Residents, caught between supporting the strikers and needing to dispose of trash, faced confusion as strikers blocked entrances to the dump. Some, like Yvette Everett, sought police permission to drop off garbage outside the facility, despite posted “No Dumping” signs. “I had to ask a cop if it was OK because I didn’t know if we were supposed to be doing this or not,” said Everett, according to PBS-WHHY. Court order limited picketers to groups of eight and prohibited intimidating behavior, but strikers, chanting “DC-33” and “no pay, no peace,” clashed verbally with law enforcement on site.

PARKER DEFENDS AGAINST ACCUSATIONS OF CRONYISM

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker refuted claims by striking AFSCME District Council 33 workers that she gave herself a 9% pay raise, clarifying that her 2024 salary of $269,708 reflects a 3.1% cost-of-living adjustment from former Mayor Jim Kenney’s $261,497. However, news outlets noted that Parker had approved significant raises for her aides, with her 2024 budget increasing mayoral office spending by 150%, including a 16% average staff pay hike and up to 32% for key roles like Managing Director Adam Thiel, now earning $310,000. By comparison, the striking union, representing workers averaging $46,000, have demanded only an 8% increase.

SPAT OF ROBBERIES TARGET ASIAN RESIDENTS, POLICE SAY

Philadelphia police are searching for two suspects involved in at least three violent robberies in or near Center City parking lots between June 14-16, attacking a 62-year-old man on the 900 block of Cherry Street, a 27-year-old man on the 800 block of Arch Street, and a 16-year-old boy on the 100 block of N. 9th Street, stealing their wallets and cash after brutal assaults. Surveillance images of the suspects have been released to aid in their capture. "It would appear that these offenders were specifically targeting males of Asian descent, which would make this a hate crime. When we catch these individuals, they will also be charged with ethnic intimidation, along with robbery and related offenses," said Capt. Jason Smith. Anyone with information is urged to contact Philadelphia police at 215-686-TIPS (8477) or submit an anonymous tip online.

SECOND PHILLY UNION HOLDS STRIKE VOTE

AFSCME District Council 47, a union for Philadelphia’s white-collar city workers, has announced plans to hold a strike authorization vote. However, union leadership seemed to indicate that they were hesitant to go on strike, unlike their blue-collar colleagues AFSCME DC-33, already on the picket line. Only one of DC-47’s two municipal locals can legally strike, and while the vote, driven by member interest, wraps up by July 15, the union has extended its expired contract for two weeks to keep negotiations open. Despite a history of solidarity with DC-33, recent statements suggest that differing priorities between unions, as well as existing state regulations regarding the right to strike, could complicate a hypothetical “unified front” between the two labor unions.

UPENN CIVIL RIGHTS CASE ENDS IN DEFEAT FOR TRANSGENDER ADVOCATES

The University of Pennsylvania has agreed to ban transgender women from its women's sports teams to resolve its federal civil rights case, conceding that the school violated Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 by allowing transgender swimmer Lia Thomas to compete. The U.S. Education Department announced the agreement, requiring Penn to restore Division I swimming records and titles to female athletes who lost to Thomas, send personalized apology letters to affected swimmers, and adopt "biology-based" definitions of male and female, prohibiting biological males from competing in female athletic programs moving forward. “The Department commends UPenn for rectifying its past harms against women and girls, and we will continue to fight relentlessly to restore Title IX’s proper application and enforce it to the fullest extent of the law,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. Advocates of transgender rights widely condemned the decision.

GOV. SHAPIRO WARNS OF CONSEQUENCES OF LOOMING CUTS TO SNAP, MEDICAID

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro expressed concerns this week that Trump’s “Big, Beautiful bill” signed yesterday by the president could jeopardize the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), potentially leaving 140,000 Pennsylvanians without food assistance. Nearly half a million Philadelphians rely on SNAP, and Pennsyvlania’s administrative costs to support the program without federal assistance are estimated to rise by 52% under the bill, with an additional $564 million increase to cover benefits. Opponents of the bill say it also risks cutting Medicaid access for 500,000 Pennsylvanians, threatens the viability of rural hospitals, and eliminating 26,000 energy jobs, among other consequences. President Trump has denied that the bill will significantly affect the operations of entitlement programs.

POLICE OFFICER CLEARED OF WRONGDOING IN OFF-DUTY SHOOTING

An off-duty Philadelphia homicide detective, Chris Sweeney, was cleared of wrongdoing by the district attorney’s office this week after a 10-month investigation into the fatal shooting of 54-year-old Robert Jones in October 2024. Sweeney shot Jones, a roadside assistant operator, through his car window at a Northeast Philadelphia intersection when Jones approached his vehicle for unknown reasons while stopped at a red light. No weapon was found on Jones or in his car. The decision prompted outrage from his family, who stated they plan to file a wrongful-death lawsuit. Both the District Attorney’s office and the Philadelphia Police Department have yet to comment on the decision.

LA SALLE UNIVERSITY ACCREDITATION IN JEOPARDY

La Salle University in received a warning from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education this week, stating that the school was risking its accreditation. The commission blamed the risk on La Salle’s alleged non-compliance with financial and educational standards. The university, which saw a 28% enrollment drop from 2019 to 2024, has struggled in recent years as operating losses continue to hamper the school’s financial condition. The school specifically saw a 50% decline in net tuition revenue since 2015, and has been drawing heavily on endowments to make ends meet. Despite recent enrollment gains and academic restructuring efforts, including new programs and sports, President Daniel J. Allen expressed surprise at the warning, citing a prior positive review. La Salle remains accredited at this time, and stated that it remained optimistic about the situation given 2025 enrollment projections.

MAC’S TAVERN FROM “IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY” SET TO CLOSE AFTER 15 YEARS

Mac’s Tavern in Old City, a bar opened in 2010 by “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” stars Rob McElhenney (now Rob Mac) and Kaitlin Olson, has closed after 15 years. Management blamed the closure on insurmountable challenges, including burdensome government regulations, lease-renewal issues, lingering impacts from COVID-19, and broader Philadelphia business difficulties. Management expressed deep gratitude to the community that made Mac’s possible.

WHEN EVERYTHING IS RECORDED, EVERYTHING BECOMES A PERFORMANCE,

AND when it comes to performances, there is a concept that exists called “playing to the gallery.” Typically when people refer to the phrase, they mean it in a strictly poetic sense. They mean that you shouldn’t create art you think other people will like, but that you should create art that you like and the suitable audience will follow, more or less.

I guess I’m using it a little more liberally here. No longer limited to the artists and musicians of the world, the idea of “the gallery” seems to have grown and contorted to encompass our entire lives. What did we expect? Technology has enabled us to make our lives one big performance. We curate vacation photos, edit our selfies, post videos of all the concerts we go to, stack our LinkedIn profile with bullshit accomplishments, blah blah blah, all in the effort to make it seem as if we are living the dream. Rarely, if ever, though, are we living the dream.

The concept of a “performative life” is far from a novel idea; in the 20th century, French philosopher Michel Foucault wrote about methods of social surveillance and their influences on human behavior in his book Discipline and Punish, and others had played the idea even before him.

However, the social surveillance Foucault described in 1975 - essentially, the ways society and institutions indirectly force us into following certain behaviors and norms - is not exactly the same as what we see today. The performance has taken on a new, more dominating dimension.

In his book, Foucault drew on the idea of a “panopticon,” the name of a conceptual prison design from the 18th century by Englishman Jeremy Bentham. In Bentham’s own words,

“The Building circular – an iron cage, glazed – a glass lantern about the size of Ranelagh – The Prisoners in their Cells, occupying the Circumference – The Officers, the Centre. By Blinds, and other contrivances, the Inspectors concealed from the observation of the Prisoners: hence the sentiment of a sort of invisible omnipresence. – The whole circuit reviewable with little, or, if necessary, without any, change of place.”

Bentham’s prison design was ingenious in that was structured to be functionally all-seeing. The way he envisioned it, guards could monitor all prisoners at all times; of course, for practical reasons, the guards couldn’t watch all prisoners at all times, but the prisoners would never know when the guards were or weren’t watching them. Such a design, at least in theory, would keep the prisoners on their best behavior at every hour of the day, unless they wanted to risk punishment.

Foucault leveraged this design as a metaphor for society and power. He believed that social structures and institutions acted like the panopticon’s watchtower, motivating people to follow social guidelines and norms - to “act normal” - as we never know who might be watching. Through this structure, we become prisoners, self-policing and conforming to society’s rules, subservient to institutional power. And we do it without anyone even having to tell us so, out of fear that should we deviate from our act and have the bad luck of being spotted by a guard, he will proceed to give us a good beating while all the other prisoners watch.

Building on his metaphor of the panopticon, we have seen in modern times a beautiful marriage between the indirect dynamics of power Foucault described (social rules and structures) and direct power (surveillance cameras, online tracking, etc.) in modern life.

Technology has enabled randoms online to reinforce social etiquette from thousands of miles away, provoke waves of online harassment against a given target, make private information public, and maintain records of every perceived indiscretion like it’s a felon’s rap sheet - “the internet is forever.” Even with CCTV cameras on every corner, in the event there isn’t one, a person can whip out their phone and blast whatever scene they happen to capture to whoever happens to have nothing better to do than watch it.

People raised in the 21st century are acutely aware that in the modern age we are probably being watched, recorded, and monitored at any given moment, even if we don’t know exactly how or why. We even do it to ourselves - remember Snapmaps?

(And you better believe people like the NSA and FBI are holding onto those receipts, too.)

In more recent years, dozens upon dozens of books, think pieces, movies, etc. have scrutinized aspects of the surveillance society, in a variety of different ways. I won’t rehash all that here.

I’m just trying to plot a prison break.

An easy example of how we play to the gallery, and how we can stop, is to start with is how common disclaimers are now. For better or for worse, disclaimers and warnings have become an accepted part of modern American society. The widespread use of disclaimers likely owes its origins to the legal battlegrounds of the 20th century, with waves of negligence lawsuits (both of a frivolous and legitimate nature) reinforcing the idea that companies have a responsibility to help consumers use their products safely.

Naturally, companies really like their money, and so they devised a method to keep it: warn consumers of almost any adverse effect that could occur by using a product incorrectly, and pre-empt any future hypothetical lawsuits. Often, this ventures into the absurd - think of things like the warnings on your space heater reminding you not to drop it in the bathtub, or the “CAUTION: Contents may be hot” message printed on the side of your coffee cup.

Well, yes, I sure hope the coffee is hot - that’s why I ordered it.

This trend has had downstream effects on society at large, to the point where you likely encounter dozens of disclaimers daily, both legal and colloquial.

You might have seen it on places like TikTok where, instead of being used by a billion-dollar corporation, the layman has now turned to using (sometimes rather dubiously) these disclaimers, maybe in the form of warnings like “This is not financial advice!!!!11!!” to preface their video on why you should invest in the next big meme stock. However, I would probably argue that if you take your investment advice from TikTok and end up losing big, disclaimer or no disclaimer, you probably deserve it.

Regardless of whether they’re done out of fear of legal consequences or simply to pre-empt any negative social reaction, they’re still done out of fear - and people seem to use them a lot. Disclaimers have slowly creeped into any and every facet of modern life as a method to mitigate any potential responsibility or blame.

One of my favorite comedians, Noel Miller, is a case study in this phenomenon. Miller’s comedic style could be described in a number of different ways: dark, unhinged, maybe even “edgy.”

But as much as I love Miller, I’m not a fan of his overuse of disclaimers in his bits and his videos. Miller has a recurring bad habit in his videos where he prefaces or follows every politically sensitive joke with something along the lines of “remember, this is satire” or “we’re just joking, folks.” Even after many years of doing shows and podcasts, he still seems to be a victim of playing to the gallery.

I find this type of disclaimer annoying for several reasons:

1. Explaining a joke (or explaining that a joke is a joke) almost always kills the momentum of whatever you’re doing.

2. The “please don’t strike my video, YouTube overlords!”-style bit can be done tastefully, but just like any joke, it gets old after a couple times.

3. Adding a disclaimer anytime you talk about something potentially politically sensitive weakens the joke. It makes it seem like you’re bailing on the bit; stand behind it!

There’s nothing wrong with doing this type of thing occasionally, and plenty of comics have. But once you start to do it all the time, it makes you - and your jokes - look weak. Are you afraid of your audience? Do you think that they’re not sure if you, a professional comedian, are joking?

It doesn’t make sense. So, why then, does he choose to do this? And, maybe more importantly, why the fuck have I bothered making this detour to some random YouTuber in an article about surveillance?

I’m not inside Miller’s head, but if I had to guess, it’s because Miller is acutely aware of the panopticon. Besides hosting his regular comedy podcast, he also has a solo project called “The Company Lot.” On “The Company Lot” podcast, Miller, who was a software engineer prior to his comedy career taking off, frequently discusses aspects of “surveillance capitalism” and ponders the question of whether we’re headed towards a Big Tech dystopia, infused with the comedic elements he’s known for. He’s even referred to the book “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism,” by Shoshana Zuboff, as his personal “bible.”

Miller knows that he’s being tracked all day every day, especially as a celebrity. He’s not exactly A-list, but he is still at a level where much of his personal life is also his commercial life.

All it takes is one clip out of context and the next thing you know, his tour dates are canceled, his advertisers drop like flies, and other influencers stop collaborating and messaging with him. That all is to say, the modern use of disclaimers like Miller’s is one born out of fear. He wants to make it abundantly clear what his positions are, even to the lowest common denominator. That said, I understand why Miller does it - in fact, I don’t blame him at all - but I can’t support it.

Me? I refuse to live a fearful life. I’m not gonna censor myself or add fifty disclaimers in the event some viewer can’t parse what I’m saying. Parse this: suck my balls.

Anytime you censor yourself, you are playing to the gallery. What does it mean to play to the gallery? It means being the someone someone else wants you to be, or, in other words, to be inauthentic. Being inauthentic, even to yourself, is dishonest. I really hate dishonesty.

Of course, it’s easy to say “stop censoring yourself;” it’s another thing to do it.

Most people who censor themselves like Miller aren’t doing it because they enjoy it; they are doing it because they are aware of the very real consequences that can stem from saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, and having the wrong person hear it. This has been amplified to the nth degree via the online space.

Even I am guilty of “playing to the gallery” sometimes, though I try very hard not to. On here, I scan lines and revise them if I think that, in malicious hands, they could be taken uncharitably and used against me somehow. I water down points, claims, and explanations to make them as expressly clear as possible as to what my intentions are lest someone tries to manipulate and stretch my words like putty to serve an agenda. I have avoided topics that I have wanted to write about because I fear I will be misunderstood or disparaged; not on the merits of anything I would actually write or think, but because of what people will imagine I am writing or thinking based on their preconceived notions. Labels hold power. And once you have one, they can be very hard to get rid of. Evolutionarily, humans have become very sensitive to judgement lest they fuck up and get kicked out of the tribe; it’s natural, then, that there is so much paranoia and fear in our society today if literally anything you do or say holds potential for ridicule and shame permanently and worldwide.

There’s nothing wrong with writing like this in principle; in my opinion, writing is generally best when the writer writes for clarity. However, it doesn’t strike me as healthy to be constantly paranoid about whether everything you say or do will be taken out of context and blasted across the internet, disparaged for claims you never made, or suffer damaged relationships because someone jumps to conclusions, or maybe afraid you’ll get fired from your job because Edna in HR doesn’t even know what “satire” means; yet, many people seem to be.

The solution? Stop giving a fuck. Tear down the watchtower in your head.

If people misunderstand you, that’s not your problem - not really. Not everyone needs to understand you. If they’re genuinely interested in understanding what you were trying to say, have a dialogue and attempt to explain in a way they might comprehend better; who knows, you might make a new friend from it. But if they’re only interesting in dunking on you to generate likes and their own ego, or if they clearly ignore all the cues you’ve given as to your intentions with something, ignore them. At the end of the day, you cannot control what other people think or say, especially if they have a motive to make you look stupid. As for the job stuff, maybe don’t put those tweets about buttchugging the keg on your public Twitter profile.

I refuse to create a SparkNotes™ version of myself. I refuse to censor myself or slap a warning label across my metaphysical forehead. You either get it, or you don’t. It’s cool either way.

Do yourself a favor. Release yourself from the mental labor of constantly self-censoring and just be who you are. And once you do it, it will empower other people to do it, too. This doesn’t mean to speak without a filter and say anything that comes to mind - a little decorum, please - but don’t live in fear. The world could probably benefit from a few more people brave enough to speak their mind.

Follow us on Twitter at @phillyfreepress or email us at phillyfp@proton.me.

Memorial Day 2025

Want the memorial day experience without blowing off your own hand trying to light fireworks that shoot directly into the shingles of your neighbor’s roof? Worry not, as there are a plethora of events this weekend in which to safely celebrate and honor our fallen servicemen and women.

Strap in, you wild-eyed patriots and sun-soaked lunatics, for Memorial Day weekend 2025 in Philadelphia. From riverside carnivals to solemn salutes, this city’s still got life in it yet, and here’s the quick rundown:

• Jersey Shore Free Toll Frenzy: On May 22, the Atlantic City Expressway throws open its gates, tolls be damned, luring you to the shore’s sun-bleached debauchery. Check the fine print and gun it to the boardwalk for the memorial day spectacular before the weekend swallows you whole.

• National Constitution Center: At 525 Arch Street, the Constitution Center stretches its hours from May 24-26, 2025, for a celebration of patriotism. Flag ceremonies, a giant flag folding, and talks on America’s stone-hewn monuments will make your heart thump like a war drum. Admission varies, so check their site and dive in.

• Museum of the American Revolution: Down at 101 S. 3rd Street, this museum’s a time machine to the Revolutionary chaos, running special programs May 24-26, 2025. Character actors breathe life into the past, discovery carts flaunt war-era relics, and kids craft memorial ribbons. Veterans, active military, and Blue Star Families get in free, while others pay a small fee to witness history’s pulse.

• Eastern State Penitentiary: At 2027 Fairmount Avenue, the crumbling walls of this haunted prison turn somber from May 23-25, 2025. Reflect on the military’s mark on inmates and guards through exhibits that cut like a shiv. Admission’s not free, so bring cash (and don’t forget to tip the ghosts).

• Palmer Cemetery Memorial Day Ceremony: Saturday, May 24, at 10:30 a.m., Elm Tree Post 88 unleashes a gun salute at 1410 E Palmer St. Honor the fallen, then scarf down food and drinks with the living. No cost to mourn, just show up.

• Perkasie Memorial Day Parade and Service: Bucks County’s got a rager on Saturday, May 24, at 9 a.m., starting at 7th and Market streets in Perkasie. A parade storms through, ending at Menlo Park with rifle salutes, patriotic tunes, and veteran tributes that hit like a freight train. Free, but bring your respect.

• Laurel Hill Cemetery: At 3822 Ridge Avenue, Philly’s first Memorial Day bash in 1868 gets a revival on Sunday, May 25, from noon to 2 p.m. Wreath-laying, honor guards, patriotic music, and fresh gravestones for unmarked veterans stir the soul. Refreshments flow, but the weight of history’s heavier. Free to attend.

• Doylestown Memorial Day Parade: Monday, May 26, at 10 a.m., Doylestown’s 157th parade—one of the nation’s oldest—marches from Central Bucks West High School at 375 W. Court Street. It snakes through town to Doylestown Cemetery for a 30-minute service honoring the fallen. No charge, just your heart on your sleeve.

For a more comprehensive view of events in the Greater Philadelphia Area, feel free to visit here for more information.

Police officer convicted in fatal shooting

The jury in the trial of Police Officer Mark Dial spat out a mixed verdict in the 2023 Kensington killing of Eddie Irizarry, a 27-year-old caught in the crosshairs of Officer Mark Dial’s six-shot frenzy during a traffic stop gone bad. Found guilty of voluntary manslaughter, possession of an instrument of crime, and reckless endangerment, Dial dodged the heavier third-degree murder and official oppression charges. Dial, eyes wet, swore on the stand that he thought Irizarry’s knife was a gun aimed to end him. Irizarry’s kin, raw with grief, said that night should’ve ended with a ticket, not a body bag. The DA, Larry Krasner, nodded grimly, calling the conviction fair and just, while the streets outside, imbued with the passion of police protests past, slackened with a sigh of relief. Dial, a felon stripped of his badge, faces sentencing in July, his fate now dangling like a cigarette in the wind.

Tap in to Clark Park

On a lighter note, the Parks on Tap caravan rolls into Clark Park this week like a rogue carnival of booze and revelry. This ain’t your grandma’s picnic - grab your posse, your weirdos, your fellow hipsters, and dive headfirst into a sprawl of cold brews, grub, and lawn games under the open sky. It’s a fleeting oasis of community and camaraderie, with a slice of the proceeds going to keep this patch of green from turning into another soulless parking lot. No mercy, no regrets.

The event is from May 21-25, 4-10 p.m., at 4300 Baltimore Ave. Visit https://www.universitycity.org/event/parks-on-tap-in-clark-park/ for more information.

Got Flowers?

Out in the wilds of Germantown, the yearly Celebration of the Roses tumbles into the summer and exploded in full splendor at the Wyck Historic House, daring you to stare into their thorny souls. Bring your kids for some chaotic crafts, roam the Wyck Heritage Roses like a mad botanist, and stumble through the ancient house on free tours that smell of dust and history. Take in the buzz of local vendors hawking their wares, a beer tent sloshing with liquid courage, and food trucks dishing out greasy salvation. It’s a fleeting, sun-soaked madness, and you don’t want to miss it. If you did, though, there’s always plenty more for you to explore.

Want to know more? Visit wyck.org for more information.

Devon Horse Show

If you’re willing to make the trek out to country, the Devon Horse Show & County Fair HAS ARRIVED. A multi-breed gladiatorial arena where riders from every corner of this spinning rock chase glory and gold. The air’s electric with the snorts of beasts and the cheers of the crowd, while the County Fair sprawls like a medieval court: pop-up eateries slinging gourmet chaos, fair food stands dripping with grease and nostalgia, and boutique vendors peddling wares for the soul. It’s a wild, sprawling spectacle; bring your hearts - and your wallets.

May 21-June 1, 23 Dorset Rd, Devon, PA. Want to know more? Visit devonhorseshow.net.

Philly Ward Leader Sentenced to House Arrest

Former ward leader Stephen Jones was sentenced to a month in prison and two decades of house arrest this Thursday, following his conviction on sexually assaulting a minor in 2023.

This past February, Jones was convicted on four charges, including aggravated indecent assault of a person under 13, unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of a minor, and indecent assault of a person under 13. Jones was previously the leader of the 59th ward in West Philadelphia.

According to the presiding judge, the factors of Jones’ advanced age and his stage four lung cancer led to a sentence primarily composed of house arrest, rather than the years in jail the prosecution had requested.

The Decline of Western (Pennsylvanian) Civilization

Penn State’s trustees unleashed a gut-punch vote to shutter seven of their 19 branch campuses - DuBois, Fayette, Mont Alto, New Kensington, Shenango, Wilkes-Barre, and York - slashing away like a bad Friday the 13th sequel. The 25-8 decision, coming in after a nearly two-hour hot-blooded public debate, represents the desperate attempt to outrun the demographic cliff and financial quicksand swallowing higher education whole.

Enrollment at these campuses, a measly 3,000 students - less than 4% of Penn State’s pride - has cratered 43% in a decade, with no salvation in sight as birth rates plummet and the state’s pool of youth goes up in smoke.

Trustees like ex-Penn quarterback Matthew McGloin, torn but resolute, backed the closures as a grim necessity for the greater good. The campuses will limp on until spring 2027, giving students a chance to finish or scatter, maybe with gas cards or “navigation coaches” to ease the sting. Beyond that, the future’s a hazy gamble - repurposing plans for these ghost campuses are vague, leaving over 500 employees and thousands of students staring into the void. So much for the old college try.

Krasner, the sequel

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner secured a decisive victory in the Democratic primary on May 20, 2025, defeating former Municipal Court Judge Patrick Dugan by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, positioning him for a third term in November’s general election, as no Republican candidate has filed to run. Krasner’s win was driven by strong support from black political leaders, including State Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams, City Council President Kenyatta Johnson, U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans, and State Sen. Sharif Street, as well as a strategic campaign that nationalized the race by positioning himself as a staunch opponent of President Donald Trump, linking Dugan to Republican interests despite Dugan’s Democratic affiliation.

Krasner’s campaign emphasized his progressive record, highlighting a 40% reduction in the jail population and a historic drop in homicides, which resonated with voters in Black and progressive neighborhoods like Northwest and West Philadelphia. Despite Dugan’s significant financial backing from building trades unions and support in conservative Northeast Philadelphia, low voter turnout and Krasner’s robust coalition of black and progressive voters proved insurmountable. This victory underscores Krasner’s enduring popularity in Philadelphia, bucking the trend of progressive prosecutors losing ground elsewhere, and sets him up to potentially become only the second Philadelphia DA in nearly a century to serve more than two terms.

Prison Oversight Board Comes into the World Screaming

The same day, Philly’s voters cast their ballots to birth an independent Prison Oversight Board, a desperate stab at taming the city’s hellhole jails. It’s a quiet condemnation the system, and a beacon of hope for reform junkies screaming for accountability in a city where the cages are a plentiful.

World Heritage Week’s Historical Rave

From May 18–24, Philly, the first U.S. World Heritage City, threw a 10th-anniversary bash like a psychedelic history lesson. Tours of crumbling Stuart monuments, food markets, and brainy lectures swirled together, a cultural ice cream sundae toast to the city’s revolutionary soul.

Philly’s Green Dream Deferred

Bartram’s Mile Trail, that Schuylkill-kissing stretch of urban Eden, remains sealed off like a crime scene after a chromium spill from July 2024. Industrial neglect has left this mile-long escape tainted, dirt paths and river views now off-limits to Philly’s restless wanderers. Bartram’s Garden stands helpless, waiting for the DEP’s elusive “green light” while bureaucrats in suits play hot potato with “responsibility.” The trail, meant to stitch the city’s heart to Grays Ferry Crescent, is a casualty of progress gone sour, its closure a sorry reminder of urban realities. Tests hint at lingering poison, but deliver no clear verdict.

For now, Bartram’s Mile stays a ghost town.

Local Rapper LGP QUA Shot Dead

Qidere Johnson, better known professionally as LGP QUA, was shot and killed on Sunday in Philadelphia’s Juniata Park neighborhood. Johnson had collaborated with the likes of will.i.am and French Montana, and was friends with rapper Meek Mill. Mill responded to the news on social media, saying: “Shit will make you different. Prayers to your family, and let's collect some of them guns. Shit sad out here." Police are offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrator(s). Anyone with details regarding the incident can contact the Philadelphia Police Department tip line at 215-686-8477.

The Goomba South Philly Takeover

The Italian Market Festival returns to South Philly’s vibrant 9th Street on Saturday, May 18, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., promising a spirited celebration of Italian-American culture, community, and culinary delights. Expect live music, local artists, and a smorgasbord of activities at this pay-as-you-go event, drawing crowds to the 900 block of South Street for a day of family-friendly fun. With the city buzzing from recent political dramas, this festival offers a tasty escape - grab a cannoli, soak in the vibes, and maybe leave the debates to the meatballs.

City Politics Are Off to the Races as Primary Election Looms

As the City of Brotherly Love gears up for its primary election, voters are set to head to the polls on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., to choose party nominees for key local offices. With tensions high amid recent political controversies, including Senator John Fetterman’s alleged health concerns and the state Senate’s polarizing transgender sports ban, Philadelphia’s primary promises to be a critical battleground for Democratic and Republican hopefuls alike. Political observers note that turnout in this Democratic stronghold could shape the city’s leadership and signal broader trends for the 2025 midterm cycle, while voters brace for a heated campaign season. To learn more about ballot questions and who’s running, read the Inquirer’s guide here.

Philadelphia Population Growth Lags Behind Peer Cities

Philly remains the 6th most populated city in the United States as-of 2025, but this reign may not last for much longer. According to estimates, Philadelphia gained approximately 10,500 residents between 2023 and 2024, or an increase of 0.7%. Such a growth rate puts Philadelphia lower than the national average, about 1% growth for cities with more than 50,000 residents. Additionally, Philadelphia’s population still remains below pre-pandemic levels by about 1.9%. Meanwhile, San Antonio, which has experienced remarkable growth since 2000, has grown by 6.4% since the pandemic. San Antonio is now gunning for 6th place, a mere 50,000 residents behind Philadelphia.

The Unraveling of Sen. John Fetterman

Recent concerns about Senator John Fetterman, the Democratic Senator from Pennsylvania, came to head once again as questions of his competency were raised this past week, in response to a May 8th Philadelphia Inquirer article. The article seemed to corroborate initial allegations that Fettermen is out of control and incompetent to serve. The Inquirer article reported Fetterman had launched into an unprovoked, angry outburst during a meeting with Teacher’s Union representatives on earlier in the month. A few weeks earlier, a New York Magazine article made waves after it depicted the Senator’s office as a frightening landscape and portrayed Fetterman as utterly disengaged from his senatorial duties. The concerns mostly center on allegations of erratic behavior and potential psychiatric issues stemming from his 2022 stroke. Former and current staffers, including ex-chief of staff Adam Jentleson, have expressed worries about Fetterman’s failure to follow his post-stroke recovery plan, including missing important medical checkups and not taking prescribed medications, with some describing the office as a toxic work environment. Fetterman has dismissed these claims as a “hit piece” from disgruntled former staff, asserting that he is following his doctors’ protocols and remains fit to serve. But his absence from Senate duties and strained relationships with colleagues have fueled speculation about his future in office.

Woman found floating in Schuylkill allegedly murdered husband, attempted to kill son

The body of Tonya Dupree was found floating in the Schuylkill river last Saturday morning, near the intersection of Ridge Ave and Midvale. Earlier that morning, Dupree’s son reported that she had arrived at his job at a UPS warehouse in Upper Dublin Township. When he came outside to meet her, she brandished a handgun. Dupree’s son managed to take the weapon in a struggle, but Dupree managed to flee the scene. After reporting the incident to police, Upper Merion law enforcement arrived at the Dupree home in King of Prussia to perform a welfare check, where they found Robert Dupree, Tonya’s husband, dead in bed from multiple gunshot wounds. Tonya’s body was spotted in the river shortly afterward. The city has not yet released a cause of death for Mrs. Dupree or any further details regarding the case, though it is suspected she committed suicide.

Bill Banning Transgender Athletes Passes PA House Floor

In a controversial move, the Pennsylvania Senate passed a bill banning transgender girls and women from competing in female sports at public schools and colleges, with five Democrats joining Republicans in support. The legislation, backed by President Trump's executive order, faces an uphill battle in the Democratic-controlled House and opposition from Governor Josh Shapiro, who has previously criticized such bans as discriminatory. Critics, including the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, argue the bill addresses a non-issue, as only one transgender student is currently recorded as competing in the state.

City DHS in Troubled Waters

In a shocking development, state regulators have downgraded the Philadelphia Department of Human Services’ (DHS) license and launched an investigation after allegations that DHS employees spied on a state probe into child abuse at the city’s Juvenile Justice Services Center (JJSC). DHS staffers allegedly accessed confidential child welfare data to monitor the investigation, prompting the state to revoke its full access to the statewide child-abuse database and restrict it to read-only status. Amid ongoing concerns about overcrowding and chaotic conditions at JJSC, where teens reportedly face dire circumstances, this scandal raises serious questions about DHS’s oversight and accountability as the city grapples with its juvenile justice crisis.

At a cost of $48 million, 650 foot bridge connects Center City to Grays Ferry

Philadelphia’s Schuylkill River Trail is set to expand with the grand opening of the “Christian to Crescent” segment this Saturday, May 17, 2025, at 10:30 a.m., connecting Center City to Grays Ferry via a massive $48 million cable-stayed pedestrian bridge. The half-mile extension, a decade in the making, links Christian Street to the Grays Ferry Crescent, offering cyclists and pedestrians a scenic, off-road route along the Schuylkill River, with vistas visible from I-76. The bridge will officially open to the public starting on Saturday, May 17th.

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA:

May Day Madness Shuts Down Center City

May Day 2025 went off explosively (figuratively speaking!) in Philly’s concrete jungle, a snarling mob of protesters clogging the city’s arteries in support of labor and denouncing Trump’s recent immigration and economic edicts.1 Cops rerouted traffic like they were herding feral cats, all while the air crackled with protest chants and passion. At the same time, the city council flexed its sanctuary city muscle in defiance, daring the feds to try something. The moment even featured a speech from working-class hero Senator Bernie Sanders. Roads are reopened now, but the city’s message is clear.

Murder Lair Under the Green Lane Bridge

Deep in the iron and concrete guts of Manayunk’s old Green Lane Bridge, cops busted open a hidden freak-kingdom on April 29, 2025, where Roger Gosson, a 61-year-old ex-contractor turned street urchin, built a multi-level shantytown mansion complete with a furnished tent, electric hookup, and barbecue grill.2 Police were chasing whispers of a messy squatter, but instead found a gun tied to the February murder of Joshua Daywalt, another 35-year-old homeless man, shot in the head and dumped in the Schuylkill. Gosson, who lost his business and turned to the streets, now faces murder charges.

Prince Edward Receives Warm Welcome in America

Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, swooped into Philly on April 30, a tweed-clad attraction peddling youth education and U.S.-U.K. bromance.3 He glad-handed schoolkids and local leaders, leaving a trail of polite applause and waving Union Jacks. The city lapped it up, a brief escape from the daily grind. Diplomatic ties are reliably tightened, but the real score was Philly’s ego boost on the world stage. God save the cheesesteak.

Temple Student’s Antisemitic Stunt Ignites Firestorm

A Temple kid flashed a sign reading “Fuck the Jews” at the Barstool on Sansom Street, caught in 4K video.4 Barstool’s owner and Jew himself, Dave Portnoy, launched a heavy-handed and angry internet campaign around the episode, resulting in wide-spread media coverage and a suspension for at least two students. Temple’s brass have formally denounced the incident, but campus still hums with uneasy whispers.

Delco Crime Spree Crashes into Philly Bust

A robbery rampage tore through Delaware County this past weekend like a criminal Tasmanian Devil, leaving a trail of stolen cars, burned rubber, and traumatized citizens in its wake.5 Upon stumbling in Philadelphia County on May 3rd, however, Philly cops spotted their hot car and nabbed the three punks. The streets are once again safe to walk - for now.

Philly Photo Day Snaps the City’s Soul

The TILT Institute’s Philly Photo Day 2025 kicked off May 8, but the week prior was abuzz with amateurs and artistes snapping the city’s grit and glow.6 From the hipster dives to the Old City stoops, every shot’s a love letter to the city in its own way. Community pride surges, but the real art’s in the chaos captured. If only there was a way to make the moment last longer…

Roxborough’s Spring Fest Roars with Chrome and Beer

Roxborough’s Spring Fest and Car Show on May 10 was a greasy, glorious mess. Hot rods gleaming, beer flowing, and neighbors strutting like peacocks. Local shops raked in cash as the Ridge roared with life.7 The community pulse was thumping loudly, drowning out the typical urban snarl. Estimated bigger crowds than last year seem to prove Roxborough’s still got swagger. Keep the engines revving.

Love Your Park Week Digs In

“Love Your Park Week” launched May 10th, with tree-huggers and civic-minded individuals alike scrubbing Fairmount Park’s trails like it’s holy ground.8 Volunteers yanked weeds and swapped stories, park events and cleanups made green spaces gleam. But the fun’s not officially over until May 18th. Dig in and dig out.

Mural Arts Wall Ball Paints the Town Green

Mural Arts’ Wall Ball on May 9 was a glitzy money-maker for Philly’s street art, pulling in deep-pocketed donors and paint-stained dreamers alike.9 The funds aim to fuel the murals that turn blank walls into stories, and the city’s a canvas. Philly’s mural crown stays polished, but the hustle never stops.

Domb’s Economic Warning Rattles City Hall

Allan Domb, ex-Councilmember turned prophet of doom (bit ironic, innit?), screamed on April 30 via editorial that federal cuts and tax hell could gut Philly’s jobs—healthcare, education, the works.10 He’s pushing tax reform like a man possessed, lest Philadelphia become the next Detroit, but how realistic it is for such changes to pass remains to be seen. In junction with proposed SEPTA cuts, such calls have locals spooked. Fight or fold seems to be the only two choices on the table.

Newark’s Airport Chaos Screws Over Regional Travelers

On May 5th, Philly’s TRACON radar went on the fritz, grounding flights out of Newark Liberty International Airport and stranding flyers in a travel nightmare.11 The incident repeated itself just days later on May 9th. Planes diverted, tempers flared, and the region’s air traffic system looking like a circus tightrope walker with too much to drink. Despite assurances from FAA officials, an anonymous air traffic controller told MSNBC that flyers should “avoid Newark at all costs” and “it is not a safe situation right now for the flying public” because of understaffing and outdated infrastructure.12 The outages themselves, like a lame ex-boyfriend, only lasted around 90 seconds, but the damage was done. Philly’s tied to the region’s fate, for better or worse. Next time, drive.

i got a fuckin papa johns order in my mouth as i type this. heil papa.

the people behind “poor things” (2023) have inadvertently made a master-class in right wing propaganda. this is not necessarily a perspective i endorse, but there’s something to be said when your worldview is so profoundly upside-down and your logic so bizarre that someone who speaks a completely different political language can see it and say, ‘yes, that makes sense, and i agree.’

and so, “poor things,” despite never trying to be so or having so much as a lick of self-awareness about what it is saying, is, now, a right-wing master-class in propaganda. i declare it so.

how? patience you bastard, i’m getting there.

i am not robert “pussy-getter” ebert. i am not writing this review because i like writing movie reviews. i am not writing it because i get paid to write movie reviews either, or because i get paid to write anything.

i am writing it because, as they say, “art reflects life,” and “poor things” speaks very loudly to the walking corpse that is the increasingly pervasive style of cultural nihilism we’ve come to know in these “united” states - one which states that freedom is a blank check and a complete rejection of inhibition as it tries to step over any semblance of conventional wisdom or boundaries to feast on the flesh. i think we can learn something from the autopsy. in its attempt to be a pop feminist story, it has in a rather hilarious manner instead become a right-wing caricature of a pop feminist story. the film romanticizes exploitation, blind compulsion, and “sex work” as freedom like it’s gospel, but it’s so tone-deaf it could be a satire - except it’s not laughing.

so, kudos to them for that, i suppose.

cathedral of kink

a little exposition: “poor things” introduces us to bella (played by emma stone), a “frankenstein”-style fever dream monster stitched together by the mad scientist dr. godwin in Victorian London (played by wilhelm dafoe) who has jammed the brain of a fetus into an adult woman’s body.

godwin ropes in student max mccandles (ramy youssef) to study her like a lab rat. max falls for her, but sleazy lawyer duncan wedderburn (mark ruffalo) bangs her senseless instead. she’s now obssessed with sex, tells godwin and mccandles to fuck off, and jets to Lisbon with wedderburn for a booze-drenched sex fest. it’s a circus. her brain rapidly grows, and when emotionally overwhelmed by the poverty she witnesses at one stop, she gives away all their money to thieves in a hapless stab at charity. with no means to pay for the rest of the trip, the crew leaves them stranded them in France penniless, and with no way to get home, their relationship crashes and burns.

finally, bella wises up and ditches the boorish weddernburn, bringing us to a pivotal point in bella’s development during the film. so, how does she get revenge on this jerk?

maybe the film acknowledges as part of her growth that perhaps she was wrong to follow her most primal instincts and that such things will not lead to happiness? does she realize the effects of her decision to suddenly leave the people that loved her and that her initial judgements were wrong? anything to mirror her cognitive development as shown during her cruise with weddernburn?

no, the film takes a very different route. instead, she enthusiastically becomes a prostitute.

“A woman plotting her course to freedom,” says Madame Swiney, the brothel owner. “How delightful!”

i could probably take 4,000 mgs of mescaline and still not come up with a theme as delusional as this.

as bella bucks off one male’s control over her sexuality, she becomes beholden to an arguably much worse master, and the film seems to smirk like it’s a win because it goes against the rules. living in Paris, bella’s evolution kicks into overdrive, propelled forward by different sexscapades, and bella’s morals resembling something along the lines of: “do what you want if it makes sense, regret’s just a Victorian hangover.” follow this roadmap, and it will lead you to your truest self, somehow.

but we know that’s not quite true - take the one brothel scene, for example. bella, a seasoned pro by now, has an epiphany when a particularly crude-looking customer is choosing girls from the brothel lineup:

“So would you not prefer it if the women chose, as it would be a sign of enthusiasm toward you?” bella says, landing a blow for the girls.

the customer’s smile fades.

“You wouldn’t have the vague sense that they are in a state of horror when they jump you?”

she launches into science-inspired speech about how things are the way they are until people change them and then they are not.

“As a socialist, I agree entirely,” says one of the other prostitutes. “Formidable.”

Madame Swiney shuts this down fast.

“We are a machine you feed with compliments and chocolate,” bella gripes later to the Madame.

what’s the play here: is she empowered, or exploited? are the girls in control of their sexuality, or are they cogs in a machine? the movie can’t seem to decide. let’s explore this a little more: as a human in modern western society, you are free to do what you want and fuck who you want to fuck. violating this rule - the crime of rape - is punishable by a number of years in prison in most places or, up until recently, by death.

this is a bit different if you are prostitute who accepts money in exchange for sex. you’re selling you, and you’re still beholden to most of the same economic traits apples or cigarettes are. no, you don’t have to sell to anyone under 21, but you also can’t be too choosy about who buys your product because at the end of the day you want to pay rent. your sexuality has reins attached now: you will have sex with men you don’t like, they’ll sometimes ask you to do strange and eccentric and disgusting things, and they may not be particularly interested in learning about what gets you off in bed. but their money is just as green as anyone else’s.

this isn’t a rant on what prostitutes should do - just a grim description of their economic reality. this type of dissonance we see in the film - prostitution as a stage of freedom for bella versus the obvious cage it builds - is a part of what makes it so confusing in its message. such scenes land so badly in the point they’re trying to make that it’s hard to not do a double-take and check the credits to make sure you’re not watching a Daily Wire parody production designed to own the libs.

while the film attempts time after time to desperately display how enlightened bella is and how she is on her path to becoming her own woman, it’s instead shown how bella’s situation is perhaps the least freeing thing someone can do for their sexuality. bella doesn’t seem any closer to finding her truer self, from where i’m sitting. sure, you might be shoving it to the morals of a prudish society, but work sucks - this is still true if you’re a prostitute.

"Worst of all, it's dishonest,” says Mick Lasalle of the San Francisco Chronicle. “It purports to be a feminist document, but it defines a woman's autonomy as the ability to be exploited and not care. ... What version of feminism are these guys—Lanthimos and screenwriter Tony McNamara—trying to sell us here?"

you could spin these experiences as something bella had no choice in (“a confluence of circumstances,” as bella might say) - but that doesn’t really vibe with what the film is trying to sell.

for one, if it’s not a choice, then how is it a step in liberation? furthermore, the movie shows how she insists she doesn’t need to prostitute herself to live, but does so because she finds “the experiment” amusing. all the while, bella is scribbling letters to godwin regularly (though i would guess not giving him all the details) - and there’s no clear explanation of why she couldn’t return home at anytime if she wanted.

party like it’s 1899

even with all its intercourse and nudity and themes of sexual discovery, the film isn’t even really about sex - it’s about dopamine. the screenwriters have bella baxter chasing sex like a junkie hunts a vein. her journey is supposed to be how she uses sex to discover her identity, yet she takes on every greasy cretin that stumbles into her orbit. she’s a rebel alright - her outburst about choice, for example, or her boldness in telling the patrons they reek - but bangs them anyway, like a fiend tweaking too much to care what might be in the needle. in this way, her odyssey to discover her identity as the movie would seem to portray it takes on an oddly chauvinistic bent: the only quality of the female identity, as explored by the movie, is soulless sex without boundaries, and not much else. duncan’s personality makes her gag, but she’s grinning like a jackal while he pumps away - another hit, another high. The customers she’s tangled with are much older than her, with faces resembling melted wax and bodies that look like they came out the stomach of a vulture. if you really wanted to scare someone from saying anything positive about sex work, you’d do it like this.

no spark, just the raw, sensory jolt of flesh on flesh, an addict’s fix with no soul or love behind it. it’s a grotesque fantasy of a woman’s sex life, and it begs the question - why does the movie attribute to male desire things like attraction or the pursuit of something worthy to be chased, while bella’s libido is portrayed as a faceless slot machine spitting out quarters for any drooling frenchman with a pulse? for bella, the story tells us there’s nothing more to sex than the mechanical, physical act. this seems less like liberation, and more like dehumanization.

but men in the film aren’t totally safe from such reductions either: later in the story when bella and mccandles are to be wed, her war-dog husband from her previous life, general alfie blessington (played by christopher abbott) crashes the wedding. we’re introduced to yet another unsavory male jockeying for control of bella, and she once again makes the questionable decision to relinquish control to this person.

ironically, it’s male characters like these that seem to be the only thing that keep the movie going, and the constant revolving ensemble of cartoonishly evil men acts as its crutch. the masculine element reliably takes on a demonic quality and bella only really exists in the context of these masculine characters trying to do things to her. despite its attempts to be a feminist movie, the writers create a movie utterly beholden to the actions of men - even when it doesn’t really have to be - and female characters without agency.

perhaps the most direct attack on female agency in the movie, and sexual agency in particular, is when her husband plots to have a doctor surgically remove her clitoris:

“My life is dedicated to the taking of territory. You are mine, and that is the long and short of it,” explains bella’s soldier husband, martini in one hand and gun in the other.

“I am not territory,” bella replies.

“The root of the problem is between your legs. I will have it off, and it will not distract and divert you anymore.”

such dialogue is repetitive, uninspired, and, by the end of the movie, has you thoroughly ready to put your head through a wall. if you couldn’t grab the premise of the movie already, such conversations hit you over the head with the all the points the writers are trying to make; fuck nuance.

you could probably shoot someone point-blank in the face and still not be as on-the-nose as this movie is in attempting to expound its philosophy. all in a few short sentences, they often manage to cram in ideas that men believe female sexuality is evil, men only know how to use force to get what they want, men think women should be baby-making machines, and, all the while, all women want is to be free and themselves.

anyways, without going into too many details, the husband problem is eventually creatively solved. the movie ends with a serene scene of bella, presumably having achieved self-actualization, in godwin’s garden studying for an anatomy exam with mccandles so she can become a doctor. the camera cuts in close on a shot of her poring over book pages as a smile cheekily breaks the corner of her mouth.

but wait a minute - a woman studying to become a doctor in the same primitive, male-dominated society that was ready to chop off her clit? sure man, who even fucking cares anymore at this point.

by the end of the story, the movie’s attempts to affirm itself as a film of logic, liberation, and a rebuke of male domineering falls flat owing to the various nonsensical and confusing inconsistencies of its message. under the hood, it doesn’t appear much more than a film draped in the emperor’s new clothes, and that’s the real sad lesson here.

postmodernism’s smug frankenstein

“poor things,” with all its surrealism, is not simply some bad feminist acid flashback, but a full-fledged right-wing, fifth-column propaganda victory.

squint the right way, and bella’s “liberation” is a cautionary tale. she’s a naive blank slate, brain of a fetus in a woman’s body, who bolts from the protective arms of fatherly godwin and knightly mccandles - stand-ins for tradition, science, and good ol’ patriarchal guidance, if you choose - into the arms of a sleazy libertine. what’s her reward? a booze-soaked sex fest that leaves her broke, stranded, and trading her body for francs. the film doesn’t flinch from showing her freedom degrading her. it’s as much a journey into discovery as it is a spiral into chaos, a neon sign screaming, “this is what happens when you ditch restraint for reckless liberty.”

and the clincher? the movie never lets bella’s choices stand as noble rebellion. Her charity stunt - tossing wedderburn’s cash to thieves - doesn’t uplift the poor, it just screws her harder. her brothel epiphany about “choice” gets slapped down by Madame Swiney, and she’s back in the machine. every step she takes away from the structure of godwin’s lab or mccandles’ devotion seems only to land her deeper in the muck, preaching that without guardrails, you’re not free, you’re roadkill. by the time she’s studying anatomy at the end, it’s less a feminist win than a quiet return to the fold - saved by the inspiration of men she once spurned, poring over books like student of the month. the film’s so busy smirking at its own clever rebellion it doesn’t see the sermon it’s accidentally preaching: abandon tradition, and you’ll end up a soulless cog in a flesh factory.

that’s what i imagine someone like ben shapiro would say, anyway. no interpretation of a film is “wrong” per se - but the badly-managed version the director’s shown us is so riddled with holes, you could claim practically anything about it and still sound plausible. it very well may be the first film with negative amounts of self-awareness.

but one thing “poor things” does get right is that itself, and probably american society in general, has an addiction problem. drugs, sex, rage, violence - whatever gets the chemistry flowing. and not unlike many addicts, it refuses to admit it has a problem. it thinks that being emotionally out of control is the definition of freedom. it dresses up bella “chasing the dragon” and her sex without desire as a story of liberation.

when godwin attempts to rein in bella’s childlike emotions through the mildest sense of parental control and responsibility, the story rebukes him:

“I cannot let you go,” he says when bella tells him she’s running off with wedderburn.

“Kiss me and set me forth,” bella responds. “If you do not, Bella's insides shall turn rotten with hate.”

“Hate?” he says, dismayed.

this refusal to say no, of course, sets bella off on her journey to enlightenment. impulse, emotion, and weakness wins the day, and never once does bella seem to face any serious criticism from the film for all her missteps.

this decision tracks: from the beginning of the film, the movie paints her as a being of pure logic - the mind of a baby but the power of an adult, soaking in all the ideas and experiences of the world like a sponge in order to come to the best ones and reach total enlightment, nirvana. subsequently, any conclusions she reaches are supposed to be correct, and you, the viewer, with all your preconceived notions must be stupid for thinking otherwise. it uses various means to tell us when we should to be cheering bella on, not unlike a production assistant holding up a cuecard to tell a studio audience when to laugh. frequently, this device veers off into the preposterous:

“does the whoring challenge the ownership that men desire?” she asks mccandles, as if it were an outrage to have reservations about a woman who had unprotected sex for money and ignoring the fact that the story takes place in Victorian England - well before the invention of penicillin for “the clap” or anything else, mind you.

“your body is yours to give freely,” says the thoroughly progressive mccandles.

the entire movie is essentially one giant pat on the back. Manohla Dargis of The New York Times sums it up nicely: “It isn't long into Poor Things that you start to feel as if you were being bullied into admiring a film that's so deeply self-satisfied there really isn't room for the two of you."

“poor things” doesn’t have much guts, either. it avoids with a ten-foot pole the very real consequences of things like prostitution or addiction - something that could have brought raw and emotional complexity to the story. it just seems ludicious: for the most part, bella prances through, unscatched. “poor things” never chooses to describe through bella the feelings of shame and self-hatred many prostitutes feel, even temporarily. it never touches on the damage it does to many in the way that post-traumatic stress disorder is the norm among prostitutes, the sexual and physical violence these women face in this line of work, or how it affects future relationships with men and children. and all these effects largely do not discriminate; most of them are true of both the lowest sex slave in the third world and high-class escorts in New York penthouses.

i would also argue that “poor things” is a symptom of a disposable society, with those of us calling the 21st century home only knowing disposability. plastic candy wrappers, cheap lego-like ikea furniture, social validation from the tap of a screen on social media - none of it lasts. and now, sex.

“…your odes to my beauty have been boring but constant. and the simple act of letting a strange man ride on me [in exchange for money] has erased all that,” says bella.

“Fuck! You whored yourself,” replies weddernburn.

“And you’re going to explain to me why that’s bad?” says bella.

it’s a conveyor belt conception of freedom - men, beds, cash, repeat. bella’s sexual activity is a long line of replaceable men. what could have been a sharp satire on creation, identity, and/or societal decay instead devolves into a tedious celebration of some type of twisted materialism - everything is transactional, nothing is human.

jesus, and i thought i was insufferable.

taking a holistic view, the movie’s not all bad - the actors kill it, the cinematography is admirable, and the visual effects fantastic. the premise itself - ripped straight from the pages of a Victorian gothic novel - is enticing. the movie is quite humorous at times, too - but unfortunately, not much of this matters when the fat, putrid heart of your story sucks ass. lanthimos seems to think that slapping a feminist label on this parade of flesh - bella’s liberation through orgasm - makes it subversive. it doesn’t. it’s a cheap trick.

and that’s the crux of the problem: “poor things” desperately wants to subvert in its portrayal - ideas of control, women, stale traditions, villainous and suffocating men - but it’s a swing and a miss that slips past the other boxer in the ring and instead hits the ref square in the face. bella’s journey starts in a lab and goes on to roll down a factory line of consumption and sex - not an imperfect metaphor for a capitalist (perhaps post-humanist?) world that treats people as interchangeable parts. yet the film never dares to interrogate the story like this. instead, it drapes itself in dazzling visuals and says “this is fine,” as if a few grotesque surgeries and some whimsical set design can mask its contradictions. the result is a disposable product about disposability, too enamored with its noble prose to notice the irony, a reflection of a society so obsessed with instant gratification that it can’t even muster a coherent critique of itself.

there is no need to dress up female sexuality in an elaborate, flowing philosophical dressing that only ends up dehumanizing them. we’re all brutes - who cares?

“you smell okay,” bella says, as if she were checking milk from the refrigerator.

“let us fuck.”

“poor things” is a poor thing indee - hey, you fuck, give me that garlic knot.

The right-wing Twitter-sphere was turned on its head this week following accusations that major right-wing influencers, including Ian Miles Cheong (1.2 million followers), Clown World (3 million), Eric Daugherty (396.2k), and Not Jerome Powell (596.7k), among a number of others, were paid by PR firms related to the soda industry in exchange for posting online their opposition to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s latest proposal to remove soda as an eligible item under the SNAP food assistance program. “We shouldn’t be subsidizing people to eat poison,” Kennedy said in a recent interview with FOX News.1

One post among many in the recent firestorm online came from Nick Sortor, who alleged that influencers were being paid “upwards of $1,000” per post in exchange for posts against the proposed soda ban:

Several of the following posts were used throughout Twitter as examples of manufactured support against the ban:

SNAP expenditures on soda are responsible for approximately 20-25% of all Coca-Cola and PepsiCo revenues in the United States.

It’s unclear who first proposed the pay-to-play hypothesis online; however, the idea quickly snowballed in popularity after numerous, popular right-wing posters all made similar posts coming out against the proposed change, all around the same time (see above). This quickly aroused the suspicion of commentators online and became one of Twitter’s most discussed topics with 126k posts as of March 22, 6:00 EDT:

Riley Gaines, a conservative activist, podcaster, and former collegiate swimmer who became famous after protesting the introduction of transgender women into college swimming and now possessing 1.5 million followers, confirmed on March 22 via Twitter that she had been approached to make similar posts but had rejected them:

Gaines did not elaborate on who may have offered her the compensation in exchange for her support of soda remaining on SNAP benefits, or how much was offered.

Another large account on Twitter, Crémieux, stated that a friend had disclosed to them that someone had approached her to oppose the proposed SNAP change in exchange for money:

It’s unclear whether the individual in question is also Riley Gaines.

Earlier tonight, Nick Sortor also posted a thread alleging that these influencers were contacted by Influenceable, a company that states it is “an influencer management platform and agency used by brands, organizations, and campaigns in the anti-woke economy.” Influencers were supposedly given templates that were designed to make the SNAP change “feel as if banning soda from SNAP would be anti-Trump:”

According to Sortor, Influenceable has “comfy” relationships with soda industry lobbying firms, such as the American Beverage Association and Americans for Food and Beverage Choice.

The “$1,000 and up” number is supposedly taken from previous campaign outreach programs undertaken by Influenceable:

As another user pointed out, this kind of “astroturfing” and paid endorsement is also potentially in violation of Twitter guidelines:

However, given the ambiguous, broad, and degrees-of-separation nature to the endorsements - we can’t be sure at this time which opinions are paid and which are genuine - it’s unclear whether this truly goes against Twitter’s guidelines against undisclosed or deceptive advertising, as well as its rules regarding political campaigning and lobbying.

The Soda Lobby vigorously opposes the recent proposed changes, and has been tirelessly lobbying the Trump administration to drop the proposal:

The Soda Lobby has killed similar proposed changes to SNAP rules before.2 In fact, the Soda Lobby using social media in particular isn’t even all that new; companies like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have been accused of using social media to peddle manufactured support against soda taxes, SNAP changes, and other regulatory hurdles in 2023 (“Sponsored By Soda: Are Influencers Peddling Junk Science?”), 2022 (“How have media campaigns been used to promote and discourage healthy and unhealthy beverages in the United States?”), and in 2016 (“Is Coke Paying Dietitians To Tweet Against the Soda Tax?”), accusations going back at least 8 years.

In 2018, a paper published in the academic journal Society lamented the ongoing political battle between the soda industry and SNAP:

“As America’s obesity crisis worsens, why does our leading federal nutrition program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), continue to use taxpayer money to support the purchase of sugar-sweetened beverages, products that contribute to obesity while providing no nutrient value? Among many reasons, one surprising answer is the joining of pro-poor liberal conviction and corporate lobby power, supported by institutional inertia. The result is not a coherently reasoned outcome, but for multiple reasons it will be hard to change.”3

Ian Miles Cheong, Clown World, Eric Daugherty, and Not Jerome Powell did not respond our requests for comment on this story.

Introduction

There are moments in history when the past, like a half-drunken phantom, rears its ugly head and reminds us of the chaos we try so desperately to forget. Johann Breyer’s life is one of those moments - an absurd, grotesque spectacle of bureaucracy, terrible war crimes, and the twisted logic of American immigration law. Johann, who arrived in the U.S. in 1952 under refugee status, was granted a second chance at life, but perhaps what he didn’t bargain for was the inevitable unraveling of the lies he had buried for decades. Breyer wasn’t just another poor soul fleeing the war; this was a man who once stood guard at Auschwitz, ready to shoot anyone who dared to escape their death prematurely. Yet, in the Land of the Free, he was welcomed with open arms, into the City of Brotherly Love, his past a dirty little secret too well hidden for too long. It wasn’t until forty years later, when the gears of the justice machine finally began turning, that his dark history came crashing down on him.

“Onward Into Countless Battles”

Johann Breyer’s story was common enough. Breyer was a Czechoslovak national who immigrated to the US in 1952 to achieve a better life - by way of the 1948 Displaced Persons Act (DPA), one of many pieces of legislation enacted in the chaotic aftermath of World War II that permitted the admission of displaced persons in Europe to the US, given that they met certain guidelines. Through the DPA, nearly 200,000 refugees were resettled in the US by the cutoff date of June 30, 1952. “Approximately one million of [displaced] individuals either refused or were unable to return to their homes due to the presence of Soviet forces in Eastern Europe and the scale of destruction,” according to lawyer Michael M. Pavlovich.1 Specifically excluded from the act were any individuals who had assisted Nazi forces or who had participated in religious, ethnic, or racial persecution.2 Despite this, Breyer, who had in fact been a guard at the notorious Buchenwald and Auschwitz concentration camps, was granted entry to the United States in May 1952 as a refugee.

Breyer was born in what is now Nová Lesná, Slovakia, a town that was historically known as a mostly ethnically-German farming village, in 1925. At the age of 17, Breyer volunteered to enlist in the Waffen SS, the military wing of the Schutzstaffel, Nazi Germany’s premier security agency. He became a full member on February 10, 1943, and was subsequently assigned to the SS Totenkopfsturmbann ("Death's Head" Battalion), a subdivision of the SS. The main responsibility of this unit during the war was to guard concentration and death camps throughout Europe, including such infamous sites like Auschwitz, Dachau, and Treblinka.

Breyer’s first post was as an armed guard watching over the perimeter of the Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany, where he served from February 1943 to May 1944, before being transferred to the Auschwitz death camp in Poland where he served from May to August of 1944. His main responsibilities at the camps were to " ‘[accompany] prisoners to and from work sites’ and to stand ‘guard with a loaded rifle at the perimeter of the camp with orders to shoot any prisoner who tried to escape.’ "3

By May 1945, the Third Reich had collapsed and Breyer was taken prisoner by the encroaching Red Army. Eventually, Breyer was freed and attempted to emigrate to the United States under the 1948 DPA; in his application, he asserted that he been a member of the German military, but did not identify his service with the Waffen SS.4

After arriving in the US, Breyer settled in Philadelphia, the same place his mother had been born, where he eventually married and raised three children, coming to work as a tool and die maker for an local engineering company, where he worked for 32 years. His neighbors came to know him as “Hans,” a friendly and affable émigré, never earning so much as a traffic ticket.5 Five years after his visa was granted, in 1957, Breyer petitioned to be made a permanent US citizen, a request that was granted by US courts.

It wasn’t until 40 years after his immigration to the United States that US immigration officials discovered who Breyer really was. During a routine cross-check between US immigration records and historical Auschwitz personnel records, officials finally realized that the same Breyer who had guarded Auschwitz had immigrated to the United States. The US Department of Justice’s Office of Special Investigations (OSI), a entity created in 1979 and specifically tasked with apprehending Nazi war criminals living in the United States, subsequently filed a petition for his denaturalization in 1992. Using their combination of historical analysis and detective work, the OSI had come to realize that Breyer had been a death camp guard during the war, not a simple refugee, and as such, alleged that he had “illegally procured” his citizenship under the 1948 Displaced Persons Act - the jig was up. Or so the Department of Justice thought.

As it turns out, Breyer’s case was anything but straightforward; rather, the case became the legal equivalent of a Gordian Knot, with court battles enduring for over a decade until their conclusion in 2003.

In response to the OSI petition, Breyer brought forth several convoluted - but important - constitutional issues at stake: first, Breyer argued that beside becoming naturalized through the DPA, he was also entitled to US citizenship owing to the fact that his mother had been born in the United States. At the time Breyer was born, settled constitutional law recognized that US citizenship was bestowed at birth upon all people born within the boundaries of the United States, the legal concept known as jus soli - however, outside of its borders, the government only recognized children of US citizen fathers as citizens, but not mothers. This doctrine was later overturned, owing to the passage of new legislation that included mothers, and not just fathers, as capable of bestowing citizenship in 1934 and 1994; however, the retroactive amendments of 1994 made explicit exceptions for children born to American mothers who had participated in Nazi war crimes during the Second World War. Breyer argued that these amendments were invalid under US anti-discrimination laws passed in the later part of the 20th century that outlawed discrimination on the basis of sex differences - including the conferring of blood citizenship solely from fathers.

To the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, Breyer’s point was a valid one. In its ruling, after Breyer proved that his mother had been born in the Manayunk section of Philadelphia, it stated that the government’s distinction in not conferring citizenship to children specifically because they were children of a female citizen (regardless of the actions of that child following birth), and not a male citizen, was unlawful, gender-based discrimination, and that the decision to revoke Breyer’s citizenship was an unconstitutional violation of Katharina Breyer’s equal protection rights - Johann Breyer’s mother. The Third Circuit opinion subsequently stated that the Department of Justice had no legal standing to revoke Breyer’s citizenship.

Another key argument presented by Breyer’s lawyers asserted that “Section 101(c)(2) of the INTCA exacerbated the discriminatory impact of Section 1993 in that it deprived his mother of the right to pass on her citizenship to him due to wrongdoing on his part, where he could not know the consequences of his actions.” The court was less sympathetic to this second line of reasoning than the first and rejected it, saying that “Section 101(c)(2) ensures the integrity of American citizenship by preventing United States citizenship from passing to persons having committed genocide.”

End of the Road

Breyer eventually prevailed in his legal crusade to remain a US citizen. However, this victory was short-lived. Not to be deterred by his citizenship squabbles, and not too long after the conclusion of the court battles, Breyer was the subject of an arrest warrant from German authorities for crimes related to his activities during the war - specifically, as an accessory to murder. In 2014, at the age of 89, nearly 7 decades after he left Germany and Poland, Breyer was arrested by US Marshals in order to be extradited to Germany to stand trial, “accused of complicity in the deaths of 216,000 Jewish men, women and children who died at the Auschwitz complex in Nazi-occupied Poland while he was there.”6

Breyer, held without bail and awaiting extradition to Germany, experienced a rapid decline in health, despite his treatment at Thomas Jefferson University hospital, and before he could stand trial, died on July 22, 2014.

“Not the slightest idea, never, never, ever,” Breyer told the Philadelphia Inquirer in 1992, in response to the question of whether he knew about the mass executions of Jews at Auschwitz.7 “All I know is from the television. What was happening at the camps, it never came up at that time.”

Breyer claimed that he refused to kill anyone, and denied any knowledge of abuse at either of the camps where he served.

“He just seemed like an ordinary person who wasn’t hiding anything,” said one of his former neighbors.8

What do Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Hamas militants have in common? The answer is, quite possibly, NATO weapons.

Almost immediately after the start of the shocking offensive against Israel by Hamas on October 7th, 2023, rumors began to fly across social media that Palestinian militants had received weapons sold to them from Ukraine. If proven true, the revelations would almost certainly shake the global world order to its core.

Ukrainian intelligence confirmed Monday, October 9th, 2023, that weapons of American and European origin were discovered in the Gaza strip and used in the attack against Israel - though it claimed the arms were collected from battlefields as trophies by the Russian Federation and then given to Hamas in Palestine in an effort to discredit the Ukrainian military.

The Ukrainian government has pointedly and repeatedly denied any accusation that any weapons shipments it received deliberately ended up in the hands of the Palestinians, and Hamas officials have yet to confirm any report of receiving Ukrainian arms. In an article with Military Media, Colonel Petro Chernik of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stated that,

“[The Russians] claim that 'Hamas' is armed with weapons provided by Ukraine or that Ukraine somehow transfers weapons it received from allies. This is fundamentally impossible… We cannot do anything like this through Iran because we have imposed sanctions on this country for at least fifty years ahead. Through other countries, such as Egypt, Syria, or Jordan, it is also impossible to do so because we would need the appropriate logistical routes. Therefore, any information related to the sale of weapons to 'Hamas' is nothing more than an information-psychological operation."1

In June 2023, the US State Department issued a statement to similar effect, saying that it was “unaware of any credible evidence at this point of illicit diversion of U.S. donated advanced conventional weapons by Ukraine."2

On its face, it seems extremely unlikely that the Ukrainian government would shoot itself in the foot by selling weapons to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization, and risk losing the billions in aid from Western governments it has received since the start of the war. Furthermore, Ukraine can’t afford any ruptures with Israel as the country desperately pines for Israeli support, specifically imploring it to share its anti-missile technology, known as the “Iron Dome.” It’s equally hard to imagine the Ukrainian government negotiating any sort of deal with Iran, single-handedly the biggest backer of the Hamas and Hezbollah terror groups, given the Iranian government’s unwavering support of Ukraine’s mortal enemy, Russia, in the conflict. All in all, there’s a snowball’s chance in hell that Ukraine sold weapons to Hamas.

However, whether Ukrainian guns were diverted illegally and ended up in the hands of Middle Eastern terrorists is different question entirely.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal this past June, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explained his country’s reluctance to share its weapons systems with Ukraine, saying that,

“I think it’s important to understand that we’re concerned also with the possibility that systems that we would give to Ukraine would fall into Iranian hands and could be reversed engineered and we would find ourselves facing Israeli systems used against Israel.”3

It turns out Netanyahu may have been right. Not even a month after his comments, it was revealed that the Defense Department inspector general had found various flaws in tracking of US arms exports to Ukraine and that at various times weapons had, in fact, been diverted, contrary to the June statement from the State Department. The report from October 2022, only made available through a FOIA request from Military.com in 2023, primarily laid the failure on the difficulty of tracking weapons in a theater of war in which the US has no active troops or personnel on the ground. "The inability of [Defense Department] personnel to visit areas where equipment provided to Ukraine was being used or stored significantly hampered [Kyiv's Office of Defense Cooperation]'s ability to execute [end-use monitoring]," said one portion of the inspector general’s report.4

The report outlined several instances in which weapons had been diverted to criminal elements, including one instance during the August of 2022 when a discovery by Ukrainian intelligence services revealed that a group of volunteer battalion members had pilfered 60 rifles and nearly 1,000 rounds of ammunition, stashing them in a warehouse, “presumably for sale on the black market.” The inspector general further described the disruption of a group of arms traffickers who had stolen weapons from the front lines in southern Ukraine, as well as an organized crime group that had joined a volunteer battalion using forged identity documents and stolen a grenade launcher, machine gun, and over 1,000 rounds of ammunition, among other incidents. The report does not explicitly state that any of the weapons or supplies were from Western aid sources; however, the implication does not bode well for the future of American aid to Ukraine. Given the massive quantities of arms worth billions pouring in from NATO and its allies, as well as the fact that the report mentions the incidents at all, it’s likely the weapons involved were derived from Western aid. The true scope of these diversions is likely even larger than what is currently known to the public.

The heavily-redacted report echoed concerns related to tracking weapons previously voiced in other reports already available to the public, although those reports had not disclosed any knowledge of arms being stolen or lost.

“Personnel did not have the required accountability of the thousands of defense items that they received and transferred," the department's inspector general ultimately concluded.

There is also the small issue that the logistics “impossibilities” Colonel Chernik describes simply aren’t true. The Flemish Peace Institute identified several well-documented regional and international trafficking routes originating in Ukraine and fanning out through Russia, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Turkey (where Iran has been previously documented enlisting the help of organized crime groups to achieve military objectives) and the former Yugoslavia, as well as certain EU member states (such as Romania), all of which could feasibly transport weapons to the Palestinian territories or Iran, at least in theory.56 The Institute further pointed out that through such routes,

“…a number of high-level state officials have facilitated massive arms flows to embargoed third parties, often states under international embargo. The most prominent case was that of the MV Faina, a Ukrainian cargo ship that was caught [in 2008] trafficking tanks, artillery and AKM assault rifles to Sudan after it was captured by pirates.”7

Often beginning in Iran or Yemen, the route through Sudan, up through the Sinai peninsula in Egypt, and into Gaza is one of the most common methods of smuggling weapons into Palestine, and use of it by Hamas has been documented.8 Additionally, cables leaked by Wikileaks in 2010 demonstrated the US government’s continuing struggle to prevent arms transfers, both legal and illegal, from Eastern Europe to the Middle East, specifically to regimes and terrorist groups hostile to the US in states such as Iraq, Yemen, south Sudan, and Iran.9 By 2012 and the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, the UN documented billions of dollars flowing from Eastern Europe to the Middle East terror groups such as Al-Qaeda, Al-Nusra, and pro-Syrian government forces.10 Weapons sent to state actors, such as Saudi Arabia, were often rerouted to Syria. Even (American) weapons from places as far away as Afghanistan, seized after the fall of the Afghan government in 2021, have been reported in the Gaza strip.11 This is all completely neglecting to mention that in 2005, international criminals did just what the Colonel claims is impossible - illegally smuggling 12 Kh-55 cruise missiles from Ukrainian stockpiles to Iran.12 Clearly, logistics is not a problem.

The issue of weapons diversion from Ukraine is clearly not by any means new. In fact, in a report titled “The Conflict in Ukraine and its Impact on Organized Crime and Security",” the United Nations reported that during the initial stages of the conflict,

“at least 300,000 small arms, most of which were given to Ukraine’s defence by western partners, were stolen or lost between 2013 and 2015, with just 4,000 retrieved since then. According to UNODC, most of these small arms entered the wider illicit market in Ukraine and abroad via the Odesa region, sustaining criminal enterprises.”13

The report also described allegations that at least one “individual in a senior position in Ukraine’s foreign fighters’ units” was affiliated with Polish organized crime and was “implicated in arms theft, among other crimes,” and maintained that “there is a high risk of small weapons proliferation” from Western-supplied arms.

Such fears have been present since the very start of the war. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine has been the playground of an organized crime community well-known for its highly-developed black market arms trade, which the GI-TOC 2021 Global Organized Crime Index designated as the country’s most pervasive criminal market. Consequently, Interpol Chief Jürgen Stock warned that:

“Once the guns fall silent [in Ukraine], the illegal weapons will come. We know this from many other theatres of conflict. The criminals are even now, as we speak, focusing on them.”14

Likewise, upon the outbreak of hostilities between Ukraine and Russia, Europol issued a statement saying:

“Regarding the war in Ukraine, Europol has warned that the proliferation of firearms and explosives in Ukraine could lead to an increase in firearms and munitions trafficked into the EU via established smuggling routes or online platforms. This threat might even be higher once the conflict has ended.”15

The shady arms dealers the Pentagon has used as intermediaries to get weapons to Ukraine since the outbreak of the war haven’t exactly helped soothe those fears. This past September, The New York Times published a short profile on Marc Morales, a US arms dealer that has recently taken on the mantle of one of the largest private arms procurers for the Ukrainian military. The article reported that,

“The Justice Department indicted [Morales] in 2009 on conspiracy and money laundering charges after it said he was caught on tape discussing methods for paying bribes to foreign officials. ‘You just got to be smarter than the government,’ Mr. Morales said on one recording. (F.B.I. agents badly botched the case, and prosecutors ultimately dropped the charges.)”16

Certainly Morales is a person you can trust with arms in warzone with a reputation as one of the largest illicit arms markets in the world … right? A similar change in tune came from the Ukrainian military in 2023 regarding Serhiy Pashinsky, a former member of parliament, arms dealer, and a man once described by Ukrainian President Zelenskyy as a "criminal" for his involvement in corruption in Ukraine.17 Upon the invasion of the country in 2022, however, Pashinsky and his company emerged from the conflict “as a top weapons supplier for the government in Kyiv,” according to Bloomburg.

Many Ukrainian soldiers have described their own personal experience with the arms market in Ukraine, which they often use to survive, as one report from the Global Initiative on Organized Crime highlights:

“ ‘Many people who came back from the front in the early stages of the [Donbas] war brought their weapons back with them.’ Anecdotal support for this claim abounds, such as the soldier who was called up in 2014 and admitted that, as the men had not been paid their salaries while fighting, ‘everyone who was mobilized brought home at least two or three guns,’ adding, ‘For my family, it was like hard currency.’ "18

Other as-of-yet unconfirmed reports (mostly from the International Legion) describe trucks of Western Javelin missiles simply disappearing from units, as well as weapons stockpiles being switched to civilian vehicles and taken to undisclosed locations.19

“It is also salient to reflect,” commented the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, “that given the prevalence of checkpoints in Ukraine since the war started, these weapons could not have moved unless the traffickers were operating as military personnel, or with the collusion of corrupt checkpoint guards.”

Even war hero Nadiya Savchenko, a Ukrainian pilot jailed in Russia for two years, lamented how commonplace arms trafficking was within the Ukrainian army, with guns that should have ended up in the hands of soldiers instead ending up on the black market.20

“I remember how it all began: The guys were mobilized but not given automatic rifles,” she told The Associated Press. "(But) they understood that an automatic rifle is the only thing that can protect their life. And then automatic rifles became worth their weight in gold. They bought them and hid them.”

Stories such as these abound in Ukraine and Russia. The same report described the rise in crime that accompanied the outbreak of the conflict in Eastern Ukraine. In Moscow, the violent crime rate rose by 365% in the 11 months following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 alone, and by 540% in Kursk. Across the country as a whole, the violent crime rate has risen by a third, a rise experts attributed to the proliferation of weapons from the conflict. “A lot of weapons have been coming from Ukraine lately. The DNR and LNR are literally stuffed with them,” remarked one Russian police colonel as early as 2015.21

In an article for Newsweek titled “Israel Worries U.S. Weapons for Ukraine Are Ending Up in Iran's Hands,” several Israeli military figures specifically stressed their concern over that flow of arms and technology from Ukraine spilling over into Palestine and Iran.

“ ‘One is that they can research capabilities, and then learn how to manufacture them. I'm talking especially about Iran,’ the Israeli commander told Newsweek. ‘The other problem is that we are very worried that some of these capabilities are going to fall to Hezbollah and Hamas' hands.’ ”22

The same article went on to report that, according to an anonymous intelligence source, Russia had shipped cargo worth approximately $100 million to Iran in August of 2023 - including a large cache of Western weapons from Ukraine. These weapons allegedly included U.S.-made Javelins and United Kingdom-made Next-Generation Light Anti-armor Weapons (NLAWs). Business Insider also reported on Russian transport of American arms recovered from the battlefield in Ukraine to Iran (and potentially its proxies) this past March.23

Additionally, by 2022, the Russian Federation was recruiting mercenaries from Libya, Syria, and Chechnya to help support its forces in Ukraine. According to The Washington Post,

“During a televised meeting of Russia’s Security Council in March, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said 16,000 volunteers in the Middle East stood ready to fight alongside Russian-backed forces in Eastern Ukraine.

In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered his approval, saying, ‘We need to give them what they want and help them get to the conflict zone.’

At the same meeting, Shoigu proposed handing over captured U.S. Javelin and Stinger missiles to pro-Russian separatists in Donbas region. ‘Please do this,’ Putin told Shoigu.

The introduction of foreign fighters to a conflict runs the risks of weapons returning to those individuals’ countries of origin when the fighting in Ukraine ends.”24

There exists the very real possibility that militants the Russians paid to fight for it in Ukraine brought back US arms to help support the Palestinian war effort.

Terrorists have tried to use Ukraine before as a depot for weapons and supplies before; in one instance in 2016, a Frenchman was arrested in Ukraine after purchasing “five machine guns, two rocket-propelled grenade launchers, 125 kilograms (275 pounds) of TNT, 100 detonators and other arms” to be used in terror attacks against France during that summer’s European football championship.25

So far, there exists no hard evidence - no “smoking gun” - linking any Ukrainian military sources to the Western weapons that somehow landed in the hands of Palestinian terrorists and were used in the recent attack. While likely not sold in any “deal with the devil” from Ukraine to Hamas, opportunities for arms flows from Ukraine to the Middle East abound, and remains a significant risk. To his credit, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has enacted numerous positive reforms and probably combatted corruption in Ukraine more aggressively and effectively than any administration preceding him. But as long as corruption is endemic to Ukraine and Western attempts to track guns continue to flounder, well-intentioned Western weapons destined for Ukraine very well could find themselves used against allies in Middle East, if they haven’t been already; the need for strong arms controls cannot be overemphasized.

“The true war is a celebration of markets,” said Thomas Pynchon.

Some of you may have seen the work of the artist who has gained notoriety for art and writings depicting the phrase “Praise Dobler” across the city in recent years - in this interview, we asked them about the origin of the slogan and their career in Philadelphia. You can see more of the artist online on Instagram, TikTok, or support them at their shop here.

Can you describe the genesis of the phrase “Praise Dobler” and what it means to you?

So back in 2009, I was arrested for a DUI and I was court-ordered to attend recovery meetings as part of - or, before I was in jail, I was court-ordered to attend recovery meetings. So I was familiar with the idea of finding a higher power. So while I was in jail, my cellmate and I were riffing about all the world’s religions and when you’re in jail, you could order any religious text and they had to give it to you free. I ordered a couple of them - I remember getting the book of Mormon. So yeah, my cellmate and I were riffing about the world religions and I was just like, “fuck it, I’ll make my own.” And then there was a box of cookies, “Snack Legend” brand cookies, and Conrad Dobler on the box. There was, I don’t know, four or five different sports legends they had on different boxes of cookies. I saw his smirk, and I was like, fuck it, he’s going to be my higher power. So then, my cellmate, I asked him to tattoo that face on my arm so he did and it just became a thing and I started ordered those boxes and making little shrines and people in the jail were getting really into it. So that was back in 2009, it was just this ongoing thing, and then when I started making stickers and decided to make an Instagram page and started getting into street art and stuff, I just figured the words “Praise Dobler” - and then I just started writing that.

"I only bit one guy." - Conrad Dobler

So you’ve been doing this since about 2009?

Yeah, I mean I didn’t start doing graffiti or stickers until 2018.

How was your love for graffiti and street art born?

In 2018 I made some stickers, I’ve been this inside-joke fake-religion thing for years and all my friend knew about it so I made some stickers one day - or no, it was an Instagram and a Facebook page before, and I put those contacts on the sticker, and started putting it around town, and somebody wanted to meet for coffee and ask questions about my stickers. So I met up with him and he has an Instagram account and he documents street art and stuff. So he was like, “How long have you been a street artist?” And I was like “Me?” At that point I was just making stickers for fun, but it just put the seed in my head and I started looking around and noticing other stickers and getting into it and coming up with new designs and trying different things and different mediums and it just took on its own life from there.

Did you go to school for art?

No. Just learn-as-you-go.

Are you a part of the greater street art scene in Philadelphia or do you mostly keep to yourself?

I mean, I do a lot on my own but every once in a while I’ll go out with another person or a couple people, there’s meetups at places like Tattooed Moms. I remember the first time I went to a meetup - “Oh you do such and such?” or “Oh you’re so and so?” It’s cool to meet people.

Have you ever gotten in trouble for your art? Does the thought of getting arrested worry you at all?

I’m usually pretty careful but I’d say I’ve had some close calls. I did get arrested in New York earlier this last year, but it was just a fine. I fully recognize that I’m vandalizing so I try to be careful and watch my back. Obviously I’m not trying to get arrested but if it happens it’s part of everything.

When you see a wall or a sign or whatever it might be with your work on it — what is that feeling like?

It’s nice. It’s kinda like “yeah, I’ve been there.” And to watch stuff age naturally - I like watching stuff age naturally, especially paper stickers, they weather nicely. It’s just nice seeing stuff ride. Obviously I put stuff up wherever I go, so it’s kinda like, I’ll think in my head, “praise him,” you know? It’s like a little reminder I’ve been here, I slapped some Dobler up here. I like seeing it everywhere, I think everyone that does graffiti, street art, they like seeing their stuff around. And then, there’s the phenomenon of some people don’t like graffiti or vandalism, and there’s this city organization that goes around that paints and scrapes and covers stuff up. That’s part of the game. But when individual citizens start doing it themselves, and you can tell, that really pisses me off. So like, let’s say I spend half and hour at home making a nice little sticker and I put a lot of effort into it, and I’m proud of it, and I put it up in a nice little location, I expect to see that sticker up until the elements do their thing and it dies of natural causes. If I see some citizen has come and scraped it or covered it up with their own paint, or whatever, that really pisses me off. Oh you don’t like that sticker? I’m going to come back with twenty much more sloppy and aggressively made stickers and I’m going to put all them up in the same place. And if you cover that up, then I’m going to come with something like a really ugly, drippy marker, I’m going to a write a big ol’ “Praise Dobler,” dripping, just nasty as shit, and put that up. Putting your stuff up, the point is to get up, to be seen, to be known, and don’t fuck with my shit.

What is your process like? Do you just pick a random spot when no one’s around? Basically, what’s going on in your head before the work actually happens?

I always have stuff on me, I’ve always got stickers, markers, usually a spray can. Sometimes I’ll be riding my bike around and sometimes I’ll just see an opportune moment. Like a month or so ago, I was riding and I saw one of those city organizations, CLIP (City Life Improvement Program), that paints over graffiti - I saw their van in traffic and my heart starts racing and I’m like “Shit, here’s my chance.” I saw they stopped at a red light a couple blocks ahead. So I took my marker while I was riding out of my pocket and I undid the cap, and my heart was racing, and I pulled up to the back of the van and I wrote “Praise Dobler” on the van and then while I was writing it I guess the guy saw me in the rearview and he puts his window down and starts yelling at me, so I’m biking off and he’s yelling at me. I’m in the bike lane so he drives up ahead and he pulls into a sidestreet ahead of me, like twenty feet ahead of me, and I started filming at that point. So he pulled down the sidestreet and stopped and he’s yelling at us, trying to get me to fight him or something. I just gave him the bird and I filmed the whole thing. I was like, yeah, fuck you.

That’s the third or fourth time I’ve tagged on a CLIP van but usually they have two people in a van, one guy’s out doing the work and one guy’s in the van. So the first time I did I got so excited because I saw the van stopped, the guy was out pressure washing something and it was just the one guy. So I circled back and I was like, “This is my first chance to tag a CLIP van.” So I did and he didn’t notice until later.

So yeah, sometimes there’s opportunities. Sometimes I go out to go on a route with friends or just by myself at night, maybe I’ll get an idea for a specific spot and try to go back at night when it’s less conspicuous.

How has your work evolved over the years, do you think?

It started out mostly being an inside joke, like meme-based, like stickers and memes, and now I’m getting more into bigger stuff, like doing a lot more spray-painting these past couple years, and just straight tagging, like tags and giant Dobler heads with spraypaint. I’m always doing a lot of stickers, like one of my friends, I think the first person I traded stickers with during COVID, we would go out every Friday, he moved out of state and he’s gotten more into straight-up graffiti and he was visiting recently and he was like, “You’re not a sticker kid anymore, you’re a writer!” And I was like, “Well, I don’t know.” I’m always doing stickers. I like doing it all. I went through a period where I was doing a lot of wheatpastes, like hand drawn wheatpastes, and that was kinda my thing. I’m just trying to get my message out there, get my creativity out there.

How can the average person on the street celebrate Dobler? To honor him?

You know, it’s an inside joke, for real, but I’ve had friends in recovery that aren’t comfortable with traditional ideas of a higher power that have been like, “Yeah man, Dobler’s my higher power.” I mean I’m not actually crazy, I don’t actually pray to Dobler, but I do have a sense of a higher power, I just figured, slap one face on it it’s as good as the next, so it’s fucking Dobler. That being said, people can invite Dobler into their heart just like a proselytizer would say invite Jesus into your heart. I’ve seen some tags around the city or in other states, like people send me a picture of someone’s who’s written “Praise Dobler” somewhere and I’m like, “I’ve never been there. I don’t know who did that.” Oh, and also there’s a fucking Twitter account, it’s “Praise Dobler,” and that’s not me. I don’t know who the fuck it is. So, anyone is welcome to praise him in their own way as they see fit.

What are your goals and plans in the near future?

There was an article recently someone shared about some old guy, I think in California, was arrested for vandalism, he was just some regular old guy and he made some stickers about something that was important to him and he was putting them up everywhere and he got arrested. I was like - “Where do you see yourself in old age?” - and the headline, “Man, 74, arrested for vandalism.” I don’t know. As far as this goes, my art, I’ve been making some pieces for gallery shows. The first one I did a year, a year and a half ago I think. I was surprised that someone asked me to be a part of a gallery show and make a canvas and I did and it sold, and I was like “Oh man, I’m a real-deal artist now.” And since then I’ve sold a couple canvases, I’ve been in a couple different shows and that’s fun. It’s always nice to make something and sell it for decent money if possible. I’d like to do more of that. I’ve been making canvases, I’ve been making art. And I love making stuff and then I want to sell it, I want to get rid of it. So I can keep making more, that’s always fun. As far as hitting the streets, I do it more casually - there’s definitely people with more stuff in the streets, more rep, climbing up and doing billboards and buildings, stuff like that, and that’s cool, I’d like to do that someday but I’m not so hard-pressed. I have a lot of creative stuff going on, I’m also a musician, so spreading the word of Dobler and vandalizing, it’s a casual thing. I’ve always got the stuff on me, I’m always out doing it, sometimes I’ll make a night of it and meet a friend or a couple friends. I’m just going to keep it up, keep doing it, keep putting myself out there, keep his message alive in the community.

Do you have any advice to people who would like to get some first steps into this style of work?

Just do it. It’s inspiring, like the first time I went up to Brooklyn, and just saw art everywhere, everywhere. They’re not as aggressive with the buff, or covering up graffiti as they are down here. So I figure the more people put their stuff out there, the more people get out on the streets, the more that those organizations or private citizens that scrape stuff on their own have to deal with. If you’re thinking about it, just do it, just get out there. The only thing I’d say is just be respectful and don’t go over anybody.

I think that’s all the questions I have. Is there anything else you want to say before we end the interview?

Praise Dobler.