malcolmxpark.org

For readers with something to promote, Malcolm X Park’s bulleting boards are looking pretty sparse these days! They are positioned at 51st and Larchwood and 52nd and Larchwood, and anyone can post stuff. They get lots of pedestrian traffic every day. I just learned, for instance, that I’m invited to a Holy Ghost Party:

The festivities take place June 20th at 6pm in Malcolm X Park. It’s a bit hard to read, but there’ll be a special guest. Or will there? I can’t tell from the way those quotes are arrayed:

And I’m not entirely sure where the error is in the line “Your presents is requested!!”

I’ve just started Michael Haneke’s film adaptation of Kafka’s “The Castle,” so this comment left yesterday on a post from January seemed especially timely.  Ms. Sparks left no contact information, and I can’t imagine how I might otherwise be of assistance except by reproducing the story below:

Hello, my name is Celestine Sparks. I am writing on behalf of my grandson, David Sparks who was originally arrested on 9/4/06 for curfew violation. His mother my daughter was informed that he would be taken to the 39th police district. Upon arriving there at the station she was informed that David was taken down to the Police Administration Bldg. as a witness to a homicide. She proceeded to the Adm. Bldg. and was informed a detective would talk with her related to why David was there. Nobody ever came to talk with her. At the time, David was 16 yrs. old. She remained at the police station until 6 AM. Later that day she received a telephone call from Detective Morrano indicating David was being charged with murder. Based on a witness who identified David as the shooter. As of this date, several things have transpired such as the shooter was killed several months after this incident. Also the parents of the deceased made a statement indicating they were aware of who killed their son.

I am writng you because I need some type of direction to have the process moved along so my grandson can be released. In addition, my grandson was questioned without his parents or an attorney. The detective completed a DNA test however David’s DNA was conclusive to the items recovered at the crime scene. As of this date, the Detectives have not completed a through investigation. The Detective were aware of where the shooter was but did not talk with him as he did not have a lawyer at the time and the police never went back to question him or his brother which the incident started from the younger brother altercation with the deceased.. The community informed the police in the 39th & 35th district who the shooter was but nothing was done What it appears to me is that because of all the shooting within communities the police need someone to blame however they have a innocent person traumatized. I wonder What can be done to help resolve this issue. When the community provided the police with information to at least question others about this incident they refused to act because of persons not having attorneys but a persons life is at stake and it appears the people who suppose to protect the community is just settled for what they perceive to be their truth without regards to the community.

On October 25th 2006 It was brought to my family attention where the shooter was hiding out . We notified the State Parole Board to inform the Parole Officer about the person he was living with. The parole Officer informed my family to contact the detective who was handling the case. Upon doing so Detective Morrano called my daughter a liar, and told her the witnesses on David’s behalf were liars which is defamation of character and he refused to take statement from them

The commonwealth used circumstantial evidence to find David guilty of a crime he did not commit. No physical evidence was used as they have none. The Judge stated the commonwealth witnesses stories were inconsistent with their original statements However because he was outside at the time of the incident he was guilty.

What I have problems with is the fact a through investigation was never completed. Persons who were implicated in the incident was never questioned. A innocent person life is at stake based on a lie.

Your assistance in this matter is greatly apprecitavie

A vicious wind came up last night, buffeting the trees and whipping through the eaves. This video shows dawn breaking at speed and doesn’t do it justice:

Vice President of the Friends group, Walter Montague, models the Friends of Malcolm X Memorial Park T-Shirt. For just 10 bucks, you can show your support for the coolest park in town. Here’s a detail:

Available in Small, Medium, Large and Extra Large. If you can wait, they’ll also be for sale at the first of our Summer Heritage Jazz Series events on May 29th in the park. If you can’t, hit this button right here:

UPDATE: We’re out here under the trees in the shade!

Weather permitting–and it’s looking fairly permissive right now–the May meeting for the Friends of Malcolm X Memorial Park will be held outdoors in the park at 6pm. We’ll gather at the picnic table near the storage building in the middle of the park. Come on out and get an inside look at all the great stuff we’ll be doing in the park this summer. (If, by chance, it does rain, the meeting will be moved to 5039 Osage.)

See you there!

Doug, Malcolm X Park’s current Seasonal Maintenance Attendant, disposes of the ample trash produced by the park in the corner of 52nd and Larchwood by arrangement with the city. But some observant folks have taken to adding construction waste and all kinds of other refuse to the pile. It’s an improvement over having it dumped in a vacant lot somewhere or in the park itself (though that also happens), but it creates a pretty unpleasant and daunting mess, obstructing pedestrian traffic and spilling into the street. This pile is relatively tidy, but the Malcolm X Park contribution is just the three or four black plastic bags barely visible at the end.

It’s odd that short-dumping is so common in West Philadelphia since there is a Citizen Drop-Off Center easily accessible on Gray’s Ave. at 51st:

51st & Grays Ave.
(West Philadelphia)
Mon.-Sat. 8am-6pm

In my experience, the facility is far more permissive than the Streets Department would suggest.

Has the goal of a 25% reduction in murders already been achieved?

Bit of a late update on this chart, but here’s how this year is stacking up with 2007 and 2008 so far:

According to my numbers, there were 137 murders (rather than 135) on April 30th in 2007, but we’ll stick with the Police Department’s numbers. In 2006, through the end of April, there had been 119. So, the number of murders as of the end of April, 2008 is about a 25% drop over the same period in 2007 (on target to achieve the Nutter administration’s goal), but just a 15% decline over 2006.

Here it is graphically (click to see full size):

Recall that there appeared to have been a change in policing strategy back in April of 2007 which shifted resources to the most troubled districts. Indeed, if you compare time periods starting in May and ending in April, the difference in the murder rate suggests the goal of a 25% year-over-year reduction may have already been achieved!

May 2006-April 2007: 424 murders

May 2007-April 2008: 326 murders

There were 98 fewer murders in the second one-year period than the first, a 23% reduction, and just shy of the goal.

Mowed.

Malcolm X Park is due…

And here come the cavalry:

“Found in Malcolm X Park” is an occasional feature on a piece of trash or other discarded item recovered from the park. This is a handwritten roster of the members of The Divas and Dudes Dance Group.

There’s quite a bit of dancing to be had in Malcolm X Park: