Anderson@Large

Remarking African American History in Philadelphia

Earlier this year, I wrote about the unmarking of African American history in Philadelphia. Historical markers associated with black achievement and seminal events are missing, damaged or desecrated. The conversation about the erasure of black presence from public spaces began at a Kwanzaa celebration. Since then, Avenging The Ancestors Coalition (ATAC) formed the Historical Marker Monitoring Committee of which I am chairperson.

The overarching issue is whose story is told and whose story is preserved in public memory. In 1990, Dr. Charles L. Blockson led the fight to get our stories memorialized on historical markers. We now have to fight to preserve them.

We must be vigilant to ensure public memorials are respected. When I saw the South Street Headhouse District (SSHD) had chained a trash can to the W.E.B. DuBois historical marker, community activist Joe Cox and I were prepared to use bolt cutters to remove it. But SSHD removed it before we got there.

On March 2nd, I noticed UPS had placed a drop box within inches of the London Coffee House marker which notes the place where African Americans’ ancestors were sold on the auction block. After a “trial by Twitter,” UPS saw the error of their ways and moved the drop box a respectable distance from the marker.

The historical marker program is administered by the Pennsylvania Historical Museum and Commission (PHMC). The agency is responsible for maintaining a marker once installed. The marker honoring Sister Rosetta Tharpe is being refurbished.

PHMC lacks the resources to replace missing markers. So it’s imperative that we identify who removed the public memorial and hold them accountable. The Legendary Blue Horizon historical marker was removed between May 5, 2018 and November 17, 2018. The construction companies working on the north and south side of the historic landmark, Ernest Bock & Sons Inc. and Tester Construction Group LLC respectively, point the finger at each other. We know the marker didn’t walk away. Ray Charles could see equipment was used to remove the pole from the sidewalk.

While the construction companies play the blame game, ATAC is not playing. At the group's March meeting, it was decided that members will call and write Councilman Darrell Clarke in whose district the Legendary Blue Horizon is located. If he continues to ignore his constituents, we will show up at the April 25th meeting of City Council. Perhaps then Clarke will see the problem of disappearing blackness and hold developers accountable.

No Goode Way

On May 13, 1985, I was living in San Francisco. On that day, a bomb was dropped on a row home on Osage Avenue occupied by 13 members of MOVE, a black liberation group based in Philadelphia. The bomb incinerated 11 African Americans, including five children.

I watched the horror unfold on TV. I was later horrified to learn a black mayor – Wilson S. Goode Sr. – gave the approval for the police to drop the bomb. He also said nothing as firefighters stood by and let the fire burn. In addition to the 11 lives lost, two city blocks were destroyed.

I now live in Philly. Anyone who has lived here longer than a minute knows African Americans remain traumatized by what Goode now dismisses as “one day.” Councilman Curtis Jones Jr. poured salt into an open wound when he quietly introduced a resolution to rename the 2400 block of North 59th Street after Goode. Jones didn’t bother to tell the residents he was renaming their street.

At the street renaming ceremony, Goode said he “accepts responsibility.” Really!? It happened on his watch. Goode is responsible for the senseless killing of 11 people. The little man then proclaimed:

I’m going to man up for what happened on May 13. …You will not define me by one day of my life. I am more than that.

Indeed, he is. He’s an arrogant “child of God” who thinks he can erase history and define his legacy.

Goode will forever be known as the mayor who bombed his constituents, some of whom are still living with the consequences of that fateful day. Milele Sullivan-Gailliard posted on Facebook:

All kinds of PTSD [Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder] symptoms continue with the neighbors. Until this day, if some of them hear helicopters, it causes rashes and hyperventilation. Many of them suffer from Insomnia and still have nightmares. Ramona Africa the only adult MOVE survivor recently had a stroke and was diagnosed with cancer. A cancer that is believed to be related to inhaling the smoke and fumes from the military grade C4 chemical incendiary bomb!

…

Another neighbor who was not a part of MOVE, who was only 15 at the time, was interviewed on the radio the next day after the street renaming for Mayor Goode, about how his family continues to be impacted by the crimes committed on that day by Governmental officials on hundreds of his neighbors.

Get this: The mayor of the poorest big city in the country said he will replace the sign if it is defaced or taken down. Jim Kenney will continually pour taxpayers’ money down the drain because it’s only a matter of time before the sign is defaced.

With memories of that “one day” still fresh in my mind, I think this is a more accurate representation of Goode’s legacy.

Life on Parole

It has been less than two weeks since now former Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams pled guilty to one count of violating Pennsylvania bribery law. U.S. District Court Judge Paul Diamond was so outraged by Williams' mountain of lies, he revoked his bail and ordered his immediate detention.

When Williams is sentenced in October, Judge Diamond will likely impose the statutory maximum of 57 months and a $250,000 fine. Club Fed will be hard on Williams but not as hard as the life that awaits him as a returning citizen. At the recent Beyond the Walls: Prison Healthcare and Reentry Summit Prison, speaker after speaker underscored that reentry begins inside the walls. So if the former DA has TV privileges, he should check out Frontline’s “Life on Parole,” a look at Connecticut’s efforts to reduce recidivism.

The documentary airs on PBS on Tuesday, July 18. To check your local listing, go here.

Corruption is What Makes Philly

In the run-up to the Democratic convention, the 2016 Democratic National Convention Host Committee launched #WhatMakesPhilly, “a social media campaign to energize Philadelphians about the Convention coming to town and highlighting what makes the city the unique.”

What makes Philly unique? It continues to live down to its reputation as “corrupt and contented.” One of the longest serving congressmen, Chaka Fattah, is now serving time in federal prison. City Council Majority Leader Bobby Henon is under FBI investigation.

District Attorney Seth Williams, who no longer has a law license, is under indictment. One of the candidates running in the May 16 primary election to succeed him is in debt up to his eyeballs.

And we now know the real winner of the host committee’s #WhatMakesPhilly social media campaign was the committee’s executive director, Kevin Washo. Last week, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Washo paid himself a $310,000 bonus:

On Nov. 25, all 12 of the host committee staff received bonuses. In addition to Washo’s $310,000 check, rewards ranged from $13,357 for the office manager, who was paid $3,000 monthly, to $220,000 for the chief financial officer, who was paid about $8,000 monthly.

In the host committee’s report to the Federal Election Commission, Washo's bonus is described as “Consulting Services-Political.” On Dec. 23, 2016 -- five months after the convention ended -- he collected $13,805.96 in “salary.” By then, Washo had already been hired by powerhouse law firm Cozen O'Connor “to assist clients with government relations across Pennsylvania as well as in Washington, D.C., and New York.”

Washo may soon need a lawyer.

Philadelphia Magazine detailed the other bonuses.

The nearly $1 million in bonuses were authorized by Host Committee Chairman Ed Rendell. Philly’s culture of corruption is so embedded that Rendell, a former mayor and governor, brazenly said:

No donor did this out of the kindness of their heart. They all wanted access. They got exactly what they donated for. No donor should feel cheated.

Why should donors “feel cheated?” After all, they received “access” and a tax deduction. Millions of dollars in donations to the host committee were funneled through the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau Foundation. The financial scheme appears to violate the absolute prohibition on political campaign intervention by a Section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. The bonuses also facially violate IRS rules against self-dealing.

Speaking of self-dealing, the host committee donated $75,000 of Other People's Money to, ahem, the Rendell Center for Civics and Civic Engagement.

On Mother’s Day, I decided to file a complaint about these greedy mothers (half the word) with the IRS and the FEC. When I visited the host committee’s website to find out who was on the board of directors, I discovered the site has been partially wiped clean (perhaps “with a cloth or something”), including its home page, sponsors and area partners.

Also on Sunday, Gov. Tom Wolf issued a statement denouncing Rendell and Washo for not returning the $4 million surplus to the state:

I am disappointed that when the host committee discovered there was a surplus, the first call was not to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to discuss returning the money to the taxpayers. The commonwealth supports large events that have an economic benefit to Pennsylvania and the region, but when there is leftover funding, that money should be returned to taxpayers. I am disappointed that the surplus was instead spent on bonuses and grants.

Wolf requested that Auditor General Eugene DePasquale review the host committee’s audit report.

UPDATE: Three Republicans -- Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Pat Browne -- have called for an audit. In a letter to Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, they wrote:

The revelations over the past several days are particularly troubling. It is undisputed that the DNC had no less than $4 million I unencumbered funds upon completion of the event. A small group of individuals including former Governor Rendell chose to allocate the excess on targeted special interest initiatives and exorbitant bonuses, one greater than $300,000. We were not contacted at any point by the officials at the DNC, the Governor’s Office, or DCED (who administered the grant) about the surplus. No efforts were made to return any portion of the surplus to the Commonwealth.

Kevin Washo and the other host committee staff will have to use their taxpayer-funded windfall to pay for lawyers.

Stay tuned.

Philadelphia Mayor’s Fun(d) Money

It’s become a cliché to say Philadelphia is “corrupt and contented,” but the facts speak for themselves. In August alone:

• District Attorney Seth Williams under fire for failing to report $160,050 in gifts
• Campaign expenditures of the DA under FBI investigation
• Girlfriend of the DA charged with slashing tires of two city-owned vehicles
• Offices and home of union leader and kingmaker John “Johnny Doc” Dougherty raided by FBI
• Offices of City Council Majority Leader Bobby Henon raided by FBI
• Campaign financial records of Mayor Jim Kenney subpoenaed by FBI

Also in August, Controller Alan Butkovitz issued an audit detailing questionable spending by the Mayor’s Fund for Philadelphia during Michael Nutter’s administration.

Located in City Hall, the Fund does not accept unsolicited funding requests. All grant proposals must be sponsored by the Mayor or a Deputy Mayor.

The Fund’s board of directors is comprised of six members, three of whom work for Mayor Kenney, including Sylvie Gallier-Howard, Chief of Staff of the Department of Commerce. Among the “independent” members is Councilman Henon, who, by the way, is still on Johnny Doc’s payroll.

Andrew Frishkoff’s organization, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, received grant(s) from the Fund. Treasurer David Streim’s group, Nonprofit Finance Fund, is sponsored, in part, by - wait for it - the Department of Commerce.

Earlier this year, the Philadelphia Inquirer editorialized that it was “time to end slush fund”:

Philadelphia spent $1.7 million last year to keep Forbes “Under 30 Summit” in the city, according to WHYY, or upward of $1,000 for each of the callow go-getters who attended the October gathering of young entrepreneurs. Was it worth it? Former Mayor Michael Nutter, who tirelessly pursued buzzy events to burnish the city’s image, obviously thought so. Mayor Kenney, on the other hand, has expressed mild reservations.

While he’s weighing the city’s substantial investment in the festival, he might also consider its source. A city-controlled nonprofit known blandly as the Mayor’s Fund for Philadelphia, it subsidizes a variety of causes chosen by the mayor, largely with revenue from the Philadelphia Marathon.

The call to dissolve the Fund was echoed by Jay McCalla, a senior official in the Ed Rendell and John Street administrations:

Why does the mayor need to lay his hands on $5 million to $10 million (or any portion of it) at the spur of the moment?

Butkovitz released an audit concluding that almost $400,000 of this fund had been spent, in part, on global travel, alcohol, parties, and $100,000 in undocumented credit card charges. As eyebrow-raising as these expenses are, the controller makes the added point that none of this was approved by the board that nominally oversees the fund.

The City has asserted its right to a 30-day extension to respond to my Right-to-Know request for documents related to unapproved grants. In the meantime, I will stop by Room 708 to inspect the Fund’s Form 990 for 2015. Needless to say, if my request is denied, I will file a complaint with the IRS.

While Democrats in Philly run for cover from the FBI, it is time for Mayor Kenney to shut down this political “slush fund.”

Philly’s Pay-to-Play Culture and World Heritage City

In 2014, former Mayor Michael Nutter crowed that Philadelphia was the “permanent venue” of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Summit, beating out New York City. Forbes editor Randall Lane said Philly was chosen because it’s “a world class city.”

It was later reported that Nutter paid $1.7 million from the Mayor’s Fund for Philadelphia to play host to the summit. The relationship broke up earlier this year when Mayor Jim Kenney balked at paying $2 million to keep the event in Philadelphia. So Lane said, “Bye Philly,” and moved to Boston.

In November 2015, Nutter and Global Philadelphia Association (Global Philadelphia) crowed that Philly is now the first World Heritage City in the U.S. It was widely reported the designation was made by UNESCO. In fact, the designation was made by the Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC), a nonprofit based in Canada. The only eligibility requirement is a city must have an UNESCO World Heritage site. Philadelphia qualifies because Independence Hall is on the UNESCO list.

At the time, I wondered why other U.S. cities with a World Heritage site, including Charlottesville (Monticello and University of Virginia), New York City (Statute of Liberty) and San Antonio (San Antonio Missions) were not OWHC members. Well, as it turns out, OWHC membership is pay-to-play. In addition to $10,000 annual membership dues, members must pay a pro-rated share of OWHC’s expenses.

Philadelphia is the first World Heritage City in the U.S. because no other city is interested in what is effectively a pay-to-play designation.

Global Philadelphia’s conflation of UNESCO and OWHC teed me off. But what keeps me peed off is Global Philadelphia/World Heritage PHL’s silence as developers wreak havoc to the city’s historic fabric and cultural heritage. As guests clink glasses at this week’s “World Heritage Celebration,” Toll Brothers  is poised to wreck Jewelers’ Row, America’s oldest diamond district that dates back to 1850.

If a bunch of one-percenters wants to celebrate a “brand,” hey, that’s their business. It becomes the people’s business when public funds are involved. By the way, Nutter is now a member of Global Philadelphia’s World Heritage Committee.

And get this: Nutter’s handpicked chairperson tapped the Mayor’s Fund and made a $10,000 grant to Global Philadelphia. The grant award reportedly was made over the objection of the Fund’s board of directors.

The board rejected Global Philadelphia’s $25,000 grant proposal “to market the city to the World Heritage City selection committee.” According to the minutes, the board deemed the “designation of Philadelphia as a World Heritage City is not a high priority.”

As preservationists fight to save historic buildings (and here), Global Philadelphia/World Heritage PHL’s silence speaks volumes that historic preservation is not a high priority.

I finally got a response, albeit incomplete, to my Right-to-Know request. I now know that three City employees went to Arequipa, Peru for the meeting of the OWHC selection committee.

Of the three employees, only one submitted a Reimbursable Expense Voucher. Sylvie Gallier-Howard is on Global Philadelphia’s board of directors.

Where are the other expense vouchers? Were the employees’ airline and lodging expenses paid for with the unauthorized $10,000 grant to Global Philadelphia? The City of Philadelphia is doling out the information piecemeal but this citizen watchdog is not deterred. Instead, I’m submitting another Right-to-Know request.

Stay with me.

There’s Always Something in Philadelphia

Earlier this month, the FBI and IRS raided the offices and home of John Dougherty, business manager of IBEW Local 98. Johnny Doc, as he is called, is the most powerful union leader-cum-kingmaker in Philadelphia.

The FBI also raided the offices of Philadelphia Councilman Bobby Henon, IBEW Local 98’s former political director.

Henon earns a six-figure salary as a full-time councilman. But in a city that is notoriously “corrupt and contented,” that’s not enough. The Philadelphia City Council majority leader is still on Johnny Doc’s payroll. Henon was “the brain” behind the push for a new jail last year. I was part of the coalition that successfully pushed back.

District Attorney Seth Williams who declined to investigate Johnny Doc about an alleged assault, has hired a new No. 2 who apparently thinks “only the little people pay taxes” (h/t Leona Helmsley).

That same District Attorney failed to report $160,050 in gifts, including a $45,000 roof repair on his home, and cash gifts of $1,500 and $10,000 from “friends.”

And now this: A developer, Toll Brothers, plans to erase the historic character of Jewelers Row.

The preservation community is fighting back. The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia is circulating a petition to stop the madness:

A suburban developer wants to demolish six buildings on Philadelphia's Jewelers Row in order to put up a new luxury apartment tower. Jewelers Row is America’s oldest diamond district and the 2nd largest in the nation. Its enduring charm comes from the intimate small scale shops and storefronts that have lined this brick-paved thoroughfare for 150 years. Gouging out these six buildings will forever alter Jewelers Row and ruin one of our city's most iconic destinations. Please help stop this outrageous and destructive land grab. Let’s help them find another place for their project.

You don’t have to be a preservationist to be concerned about the impact of development on Philly’s unique character. So please sign the petition to save Jewelers Row.