Inside the Philly community tear-gassed by police | Morning Newsletter
And is it safe to go to the gym?
The Morning Newsletter
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Philadelphia police didn’t use tear gas only on I-676. A day before that incident, a West Philly neighborhood was tear-gassed by police. My colleagues look at that day and how the community was affected by police violence.
In reopening news, gyms in Philly can start accepting clients again Monday, and the Mütter Museum will open its doors Saturday.
— Lauren Aguirre (@laurencaguirre, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
On Sunday, May 31, sirens and helicopters echoed through West Philadelphia, and Shahidah Mubarak-Hadi feared to let her two children go outside. Unrest in Philadelphia over the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police had come to the Black-owned business corridor on 52nd Street, less than a block from her home.
“It just came from nowhere, this invisible mist that was everywhere. I just went into shock,” Mubarak-Hadi, who has asthma, said. “I couldn’t breathe.” The tear gas Philadelphia police had used in the street had spread into their living room.
Gyms will be allowed to reopen for the first time since March, but they have to follow strict social distancing rules. Everyone inside must wear masks and maintain 6 feet of distance. There’s also a cap on class size.
But is it safe to go? Public Health Commissioner Thomas Farley has warned that gyms could close again if coronavirus cases increase in the city. The answer is a risk-vs.-benefit scenario. Most epidemiologists say they personally don’t plan to return to gyms any time soon.
What you need to know today
Philadelphia postponed its plans, which were set for Friday, to clear out the homeless encampment on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Organizers are looking to continue negotiations with the city on housing policy.
The coronavirus pandemic could worsen rising rates of postpartum depression.
The Republican-controlled Pennsylvania legislature wants voters to permanently weaken the governor’s emergency powers and boost its own, through a possible amendment to the state constitution.
Americans hurt by COVID-19 should be able to discharge student loans in bankruptcy, says U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon of Delaware County.
Big-event cancellations will strain SEPTA. But new rider habits are the bigger concern.
Three Philly women were charged with assault for an attack on Spirit Airlines employees over a delayed flight.
National groups are supporting the Democrat challenging U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick in Bucks County while Mike Bloomberg’s gun-control group plans to spend $1 million to help Democrats try to flip the Pennsylvania legislature.
At the Constitution Center, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said America’s founding principles are under attack.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
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That’s interesting
🎻 An ensemble of 30 string musicians gathered for a performance and vigil in memory of Elijah McClain, a violinist who died after being placed in a carotid hold by police and injected with a sedative.
🏠 The Paul Robeson House is among 27 Black institutions that were awarded a combined $1.6 million from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
🚘 The Parking Lot Social, a drive-in experience for the social-distancing age, is coming to the Navy Yard.
🧠 Investors have pledged $112 million to the Philadelphia developer of a brain-cancer vaccine.
🎧🍨💀 Live DJ set from empty Johnny Brenda’s, virtual Bassetts Ice Cream fest, the Mütter Museum reopens, and more big fun for the weekend.
Opinions
“It’s time to redefine professionalism, COVID-style. The existence of children does not make an environment ‘unprofessional,‘ and working parents are not liabilities. We are assets you should fight to keep.” — writes Bethany Watson-Ostrowski, a parent and project manager, about how COVID-19 is forcing working moms to prove they’re superheroes.
The homeless encampment on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway ties Black Lives Matter to housing, writes the Inquirer Editorial Board.
Schools are scrambling for tents, but public ones aren’t so sure they can afford the cover, writes columnist Maria Panaritis.
What we’re reading
Philadelphia artists are reimagining the wall where the Frank Rizzo mural was in the Italian Market through projections. WHYY talked to them about it.
An incoming Temple student is helping to lead a global coronavirus data project in his last summer before college. Technical.ly Philly profiled him and his work.
Don’t eat with your hands during a pandemic, and other tips for dining out right now, from Eater Philadelphia.
Your Daily Dose of | Art
Elijah Pierce’s parents were enslaved in Mississippi. Now his important artwork will be part of the Barnes Foundation’s reopening. He was a self-taught artist and his more than 100 autobiographical, religious, and political wood carvings will be on display beginning in September.