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Two incidents— both illustrative of how the City is failing its citizens in essential services. Both cases have one thing in common: A feeling Philadelphia, its government and its citizens no longer believe the city can provide the most basic services.
The first case involves a community in South Philadelphia with a low violent crime rate. The neighborhood is composed of taxpaying citizens that don’t ask a lot from the police. What they do expect is their neighborhood schoolyard is kept free of underage drinking at night and on the weekends. They also ask that their home’s windows are safe from BB guns and their cars are protected from vandalism. The problem is such a neighborhood can become invisible to the police as they understandably concentrate their under-resourced force on more dangerous areas. Such a neighborhood actually is punished in a way for its normally non-violent behavior.
At a recent community meeting, these neighbors raised their complaints to sympathetic police. They explained the problems of vandalism and underage drinking is at a high level, even before the start of summer. They described an adult who sells beer out of a backpack in the local schoolyard at night to teenagers, both from within and outside the neighborhood. After they complain, a squad car rides around and chases the kids only to have them reappear when the police presence leaves. In some cases, the neighbors claim, the police sit in their squad car and witness the transactions without doing anything. Fueled by booze, the kids damage neighborhood cars and openly defy neighbors when they try to intervene.
The police listen respectfully. They promise to lock up any violators the neighbors can identify, even requesting a neighbor ride with them in a squad car and identify any of the offenders. Police said it would be helpful if they call 911. The neighbors explain that they do so. But officers explain the operator may give their complaint a low rating in a city full of other 911 calls reporting more serious crimes. The solution, police suggest, is that they keep calling 911. The multiple complaints will eventually have a cumulative effect, raising the rating and getting action more promptly.
It would seem there is a simpler solution. In a neighborhood that does not ask for much police help, perhaps a squad car or two could be spared and used to regularly patrol the trouble spots at night and on weekends during the summer months. Don’t wait for multiple 911 calls; patrol the area on a regular basis during the evenings and arrest anyone seen violating the law.
At the meeting, it seemed everyone, including the police, know the store that is selling beer to the guy who resells it to the teens in the schoolyard. Why not a visit to the store and put them on notice that the next time this happens, their license will be in jeopardy? All of these actions would surely cause the troublemakers to move on. Instead of a hit or miss approach, a simple plan is needed. Whether such a plan emerges and whether it will be effective is an open question. What we’re seeing is one more Philadelphia neighborhood being taken over by petty crime.
An even more essential City service is trash and recycle pickup. It’s the kind of service that even in a dysfunctional city one expects to be accomplished routinely. In recent weeks, in this neighborhood they have found they can’t always count on the trash being picked up. Suddenly the trash trucks can’t find their street. The mayor hypes his 311 service, kind of a civilian counterpoint to calling 911 for emergency services. Just as it takes multiple calls to 911 in the previous example, the same is true for 311.
Let’s say your trash pickup day is Wednesday, but the trash on your side of the street has not been picked up. You call 311 the next day. They duly note your complaint and tell you your trash will be picked up in two business days. Thursday and Friday bring no results. You call 311 again. They duly note your second complaint and tell you it will take two more business days for your trash to get picked up. Because of the delay and inaction, your trash never gets picked up until the next scheduled trash day. The following week the same thing happens and you’re back calling 311. Some of the folks at 311 seem annoyed at your calls. So do the staffers at your councilman’s office. They make it sound as if they’re doing you a favor by taking your call.
I have this theory. Most of us are never going to talk personally to the top dog in City Hall, whoever that may be at the time. Your interface with City government is often at the time you need help. If you are greeted by rudeness, indifference or inaction when all is said and done, then you will only draw one conclusion — your city doesn’t work, it doesn’t care if it works and it only cares about you at tax time.
They only miss you after you’ve moved out of the city.
Contact the South Philly Review at editor@southphillyreview.com.
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