Burean-Lucien Blackwell City instead of University City?; Lewis Harris, Jr. By Van Stone SCOOP U.S.A. - Friday, October 5, 2007, page 11
It’s good-and-ready time for poor and low-income people in Philadelphia to stop making excuses about the down conditions of their neighborhoods. Every working family, regardless of income, must become active in preserving their homes and their cultural history. The business owner, landlord and resident in Philly looking for a good example to follow, for saving black communities and average-income-working- white-families living in a city district are in for a big surprise. You can forget about considering the collective that makes up the city district in West Philadelphia known as, University City. In University City, area colleges lead by the University of Penn, and allotted to Drexel University, Lincoln University, etc., in the district, are silently supporting an administrative body that will force second governance over the University City residence. The University City neighbors have a life of their own. Since the early 50’s working blacks and whites together embraced the street slang term University City as a new way to identify commercial properties and residential portfolios, including pedestrian lighting, sidewalk cafes, neighborhood signage, gateways, murals and schools belonging to their historical and cultural diverse West Philly family. A narrow part of Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell’s district, then bounded by the Schuylkill River to the east, Spring Garden Street and Market Street via 40th Street and Powelton Ave. to the north, 50th Street to the west, and Woodland Ave. to the south, today the University of Penn is flexing it’s wealthy arm, uninterrupted and extended deeper and deeper into University City’s Burean-Lucien neighborhoods. If you have a lease you are part of the neighborhood. The University City District (UCD), adjoined to the UPenn, has filed a supportive document with the clerk of the City of Philadelphia to an agreement in writing between the City of Philadelphia and the UCD, acting to govern the University City area. That would mean its residents, landlords and businesses, and students, can not find this new governance unacceptable once the matter is passed. The UCD wants to conduct assessments for folks in University City to pay a separate real estate tax – To UCD. The UCD proposes that the name of the area formally become University City District, officially. The UCD has drafted what it calls a Business Improvement District Plan, or BID, to supplement the current level of voluntary contributions to its 501(c) (3) non-profit corporation. Since the UPenn has the will to start a war on Black Philadelphia Geographies, I propose that those watching this little war waged against at least 35,000 or more unfortunate residents in the University City consider this. Let’s block the way of UPenn by creating a new street slang term for University City in 2007. Here’s why. According to tax reformers a new city real estate method should be prepared by late 2008, which would project fresh assessments out in the summer of 2009 for the 2010 levy year. The City Council and the state Legislature approve tax relief protections such as homestead exemptions and property tax “phase-ins”. And speaking of city council, Councilwoman Blackwell, who is at war with UPenn adjoined with UCD will not approve tax increases to residents and businesses in the University City. UCD’s actions here are just one reason for Councilwoman Blackwell’s declaration of war against UCD. My best effort is and will be thrown in support of Blackwell’s war. VSP is geographically surveying changing the name of Univ. City District to Berean City District or Lucien Blackwell City District. What about giving low-income black and whites and college students a chance by using the compliment district name as one, the Berean-Blackwell City, instead of University City? Berean Institute has never attempted to create its own tax for better quality of education. Neither has the late Lucien Blackwell. But UCD has sought state legislation support for district, city and state tax in Philly for ten years or more. No name for their BID district could mean no district in power to tax working families. Write in or email me ([EMAIL PROTECTED] (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) ) your comments about this. And please check out the VSP Foundation by visiting _www.frontpagenews.us_ (http://www.frontpagenews.us) . ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com
