Frank wrote:
More importantly, do the students get to eat during The Politics of Food?
well, we see in the pages of uc review what happens when someone in the class goes off the syllabus.
the exchange between andrew goodman (of penn praxis) and bob christian (of the uc review) is quite remarkable. illuminating.
anyone who's followed the development of 40th street may surely question if outcomes like the hub and the radian (and their attendant consequences) were indeed the products of community decision-making in the penn-led, penn-framed, Penn Praxis-modeled 'community forums'. what happens as a result of that questioning says a lot about the nature of the engagement, the pedagogics, and where the learning is actually occurring.
http://tinyurl.com/yu5csq
Subject: Friends of 40th Street article Dear Bob, I appreciate you taking the time to report about the Friends of 40th Street these last two months -- we are glad that interest in the group is rising as we continue to advocate for equitable development along 40th Street corridor in a successful way. However, especially in the case of this month, you have only reported on about half of the meetings' contents, and therefore are promoting an incomplete portrayal of the Friends of 40th Street. Articles barely acknowledge presentations that give community members a chance to provide input on projects in their neighborhood; instead, they quickly move away from this topic in order to talk about crime. Crime is certainly a pervasive issue and a concern on many people's minds, but it is poor journalism to report in such a one-sided manner. I suppose community fear is a more interesting read than facilitating civic conversations with newly empowered neighborhood residents, though Ms. Simons reported on such positive developments in prior articles for the UC Review. This week's article is the most glaring example of incomplete journalism. Though Mark implied otherwise, there was in fact a long discussion on 3900 Walnut Street, but Mark did not hear it because he was obscenely late to the meeting. I encouraged Mark to conduct further research since he was so late to the meeting, even offering to provide him with other members' contact information; he declined, so we have a half-baked story as a result. The truth is that the safety conversation began shortly after Mark arrived, but the group discussion had much more depth than that. Ed Datz, executive director Real Estate at Penn, gave us an overview on the Radian project. In my opinion, the fact that such a prominent Penn official engaged in an open conversation with local neighborhood residents is quite newsworthy. He gave a great presentation and we hope to have him back in the future. Even amidst the discussion Mark quoted were many references to the progress that has occurred in the neighborhood: everything from Friends members helping each other on a daily basis, to institutions like SEPTA now responding to requests for better care for seniors and those with disabilities while boarding their buses. Bob, as a Friend since the group's inception, you are well aware of its progress--from the public design workshop to create a civic vision for 40th and Market Streets, to our work to increase safety around the Hub construction, to the founding of the 40th Street Police Bike Detail that makes the neighborhood much safer than it has ever been before. Harris Steinberg and Harris Sokoloff have done a tremendous job facilitating conversations between Penn and the community, especially regarding safety. Crime rates have actually gone down in recent years in the 40th Street area, and the police-community relations that began at the Friends meetings are a big part of that. Captain Fischer has done an incredible job in his years with UPPD, and should be recognized for his work and participation in the Friends. If you have a Letters to the Editor or Corrections/Additions section in your paper or website, I hope you include this as part of it. Thanks for reading, Bob, and I hope you decide to attend our next Friends meeting, tentatively scheduled for Friday, September 28. If you decide to send someone in your stead, please ask that they arrive on time, with an open mind and an interest to learn more. I will always be happy to answer any questions you have, and I look forward to reading more about the Friends' progress in the UC Review. Andrew Goodman Friends of 40th Street
Dear Andrew, I have personally taken an interest in the Friends of 40th Street since its inception, first as President of the former 40th Street Area Association (about which much could be said), second as a business owner, third as editor and publisher of the University City Review, and finally as a 25-year resident of Spruce Hill. The University City Review has reported fairly regularly (and, I would say, regularly fairly) on this Penn Praxis project ever since it started, when it was still meeting in the Rotunda. We have regularly announced its meetings. In the past year alone we published the following front-page stories: Aug. 30, 2006 - "Community Planning for 40th & Market" by Patrick Blair Sept. 13, 2006 - "Community Planning for 40th & Market Moves Forward" by Patrick Blair Oct. 11, 2006 - "Final Plan for 40th & Market Revealed" by Patrick Blair Feb. 28, 2007 - "SEPTA, Penn Facilities & police speak to 40th Street Friends" by Daniel Michael On July 4, 2007 our staff writer, Nicole Contosta, wrote what I think is a fair and balanced front page article, titled "Friends of 40th Street: Despite Improvements, Crime Remains a Big Concern." When you say that you "are glad that interest in the group is rising," I can only assume that you are referring to your perception concerning the editorial interest of this newspaper. If I am right, then you are wrong. We have had a continuing interest in your project and the news that often flows from it. You accuse us of "poor journalism" because in two recent articles, "especially," we "focused" on what our writers saw as the main concern of good people at University Square. You then comment: "I suppose community fear is a more interesting read than facilitating civic conversations with newly empowered neighborhood residents, though Ms. Simons reported on such positive developments in prior articles for the UC Review." Anyone who has read this community paper over the past 19 years knows that we do not promote fear. I think this is a low, unworthy, and uninformed remark by anyone whose touts their profession as "facilitating civic conversations." I do think that we have, in fact, underreported crime and its effects on the community. I want to repent of this sin of omission. I am happy that the Friends of 40th Street have given the people of University Square, many of them elderly, a chance to speak out! We are listening. A word about Ms. Simons: She has often attended your meetings as a Community Contributor to our paper, and as editor of the Powelton Post Newsletter. She has graciously submitted stories to us on Friends of 40th Street meetings. In those stories she often focused on a "positive" element at the meetings, for instance, someone's retirement, rather than the main presentation: Drexel's expansion plans. We were happy with her story, but it was, by your standard, only half of the story - "incomplete journalism." Not! Perhaps your standard only applies to stories you don't like. Your letter then reminds us that "Captain Fischer has done an incredible job in his years with UPPD, and should be recognized for his work." We agree, and are planning to interview him in the near future. Nothing in our stories denigrates Captain Fischer. Finally, regarding the late, "half baked" Mark Brakeman: he did unfortunately arrive late to this meeting. I had wanted him to be present when that "prominent Penn official," Ed Datz, finally got over to the Friends of 40th Street. Brakeman missed that opportunity, but went ahead with the story at hand. He is an independent freelance writer with years of experience and does not like to be manipulated. We hope to pick up on that story in the future. What I am hearing in your letter is the actualization of a potential conflict brewing in University City between some Penn-related and funded institutions and initiatives, which have a tendency to want to manage the area and its "funky vibes" (an expensive - if not insulting - recent marketing term). There is a tendency to want to control independent news sources and seemingly almost any independent activity. This is the corporate outgrowth of what Thomas Sowell calls self-congratulation as a basis of ...policy. There is too much taking credit and not enough giving credit. There is too much management. A final word: I do not send reporters in my stead to 40th Street meetings. University City Review reporters are not there to recapitulate the approved minutes of your meetings. They are there to get a story or stories. They have a right to be there, whether I attend or not. Sincerely, Bob Christian
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