Mummers blackface causes Philly leaders to call for change; big business struggles to influence city politics | Morning Newsletter
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Happy New Year, Philly. Whether you’re already back to the grind or headed back to reality soon, don’t miss my colleague Cassie Owens’ seven tips for easing your post-holiday transition and implementing positive change in your 2020 routine.
Calls for change are already afoot at City Hall, where leaders are demanding lasting solutions to the annual outrage sparked by offensive performances at the Mummers Parade. This year, at least two marchers were spotted wearing blackface on New Year’s Day. Meanwhile, change is proving difficult for Philadelphia’s big business interests in city politics.
— Oona Goodin-Smith (@oonagoodinsmith, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
Last year, the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia announced plans to foster “real change and a focus on growth.”
Real change happened, but not the kind the chamber wanted. Instead, Working Families Party candidate Kendra Brooks beat back the chamber’s last-minute attempt to stop her from winning one of two Council at-large seats, becoming the only third-party politician to hold a Council seat in at least a century.
Reporters Chris Brennan and Sean Collins Walsh unpack the struggles of Philadelphia’s big business interests to influence increasingly left city politics.
Following another New Year’s Day Mummers Parade marred by controversy after at least two marchers in the Froggy Carr Wench Brigade were spotted wearing blackface, Philadelphia city leaders are calling for lasting change.
But it’s unclear what can be done to prevent future incidents of blackface or other offensive performances.
Some say the efforts must start from within the Mummers, some say the individuals who misbehave should be punished, and some say that without reform, the 120-year-old parade should end.
Froggy Carr leadership told The Inquirer that it’s not a racist club, and that the brigade’s 550 marchers should not be condemned for the actions of a few.
Still, said Council President Darrell L. Clarke, there’s “nothing funny” about the brigade’s actions.
“At some point, there needs to be a conversation about whether or not this particular portion of the parade should be allowed in the city of Philadelphia if people can’t police themselves,” he said.
About a month before Wawa disclosed a data breach exposing its customers’ credit and debit card information, Visa warned the Delaware County-based convenience store chain and other the gas station operators that hackers were targeting them to steal payment card numbers.
Specifically, Visa’s report cautioned that gas stations still using magnetic-stripe readers to accept payment were at risk. Wawa has since said it plans to implement chip technology this year.
Malware compromised Wawa customer credit and debit card information at potentially all store locations between March 4 and Dec. 12, 2019. If you think you may have been affected by the data breach, here’s what to do.
What you need to know today
Philadelphia has agreed to pay $4.15 million to a man who spent over two decades behind bars before being cleared of a murder conviction. It’s one of the largest payouts for a wrongful conviction in city history.
The heroin that led to overdoses of five women at the George W. Hill Correctional Facility in Delaware County — one of whom died — was smuggled in by the teenage son of one of the inmates during Christmas visit hours, sources close to the investigation said.
A North Philadelphia elementary school will remain closed at least through Jan. 13 to address concerns about damaged asbestos in heavily trafficked areas, including several classrooms.
Before 2019 ended, Mayor Jim Kenney killed six pieces of legislation passed by Council. The bills would have required developers to give back to the communities where they build, lowered taxes for homeowners and low-income workers, banned food trucks from one block of University City, and changed development regulations in Society Hill.
In 2020, all 67 Pennsylvania counties will have new voting machines — with paper trails.
Philadelphia-area teens are using the TikTok app — which primarily features silly videos — to also talk about anxiety, sexuality, insecurities, depression, and relationship abuse.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
A New Year’s Day sunrise: the perfect time to reflect. 🌅Thanks for the photo, @paulenereneephotography.
Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and we’ll pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout out!
That’s interesting
🍴Over the last 10 years, Philadelphia’s food scene has become the James Beard Award-winning cool kid of America’s dining destinations. Food critic Craig LaBan looks back at Philly’s most important restaurants of the last decade.
💰Before she ever got behind the wheel of a police cruiser, Philadelphia’s new police commissioner won big at the Wheel of Fortune.
❓From the mystery of Philly’s moon tree to the disappearance of city pigeons, here are 15 things we learned about the Philadelphia region last year, thanks to your questions.
👨🎤Calling all Ziggy Stardust fans: The annual Philly Loves Bowie Week begins Monday, Jan. 6, and features Starman doughnuts, a Bowie masquerade ball, and more.
🌿Thanks to the approval of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, hemp could soon become as ubiquitous as corn, tomatoes, or blueberries in the Garden State.
🐄Gritty has infiltrated the Pennsylvania Farm Show, joining his pals Swoop and Steely McBeam in a sculpture made from a half-ton of butter.
Opinions
“Black people are tired of being mocked by those who would engage in the age-old minstrelsy that is blackface. We are tired of those who hate us hiding behind paint, behind hoods, behind excuses and ultimately, behind a government that would dare to fund open bigotry with our tax dollars.” — Columnist Solomon Jones on why the city should stop using tax dollars from black Philadelphians to support the Mummers.
With departments nationwide in need of reform, should police be abolished? Two scholars debate.
It may be time to stop describing Philadelphia as the poorest big city in America and start describing it as the place where generations of people have been systematically robbed of their wealth, writes the Inquirer Editorial Board.
What we’re reading
In South Philly and throughout the northeast, WHYY reports, a nonprofit is teaching elementary school children to say yes to consent.
From the rise of smartphones and the gig economy to a decrease in assets, Vice examines how the last decade created the “always-on” job.
For weeks, groups of mysterious drones have flown over parts of Colorado and Nebraska at night, disturbing residents in the rural area. And, the Washington Post reports, no one seems to know why they’re there.
Your Daily Dose of | Didgeridoo
Want to learn to play an unusual instrument in the new year? From the autoharp to the accordion, here’s where you can try your hand at some of the less-celebrated musicianship in Philly.