A ‘home’ lost as encampment gets dismantled | Morning Newsletter

The heat emergency isn’t backing down, with a high of 95 degrees. Remember to hydrate if you have to be outside.

First, we’ll look at how residents and advocates banded together to protest an encampment removal at University City Townhomes.

Then, we’ll take a closer look at the house Mehmet Oz bought amid residency concerns over his run for U.S. Senate.

If you see this 🔑 in today’s newsletter, that means we’re highlighting our exclusive journalism. You need to be a subscriber to read these stories.

— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

Sheriff’s officers cleared out an encampment at University City Townhomes on Monday as residents protested the displacement of 69 households. About 100 protesters chanted “Housing is a human right” as officers dismantled the tents on the lawn of the affordable housing complex.

“We’re going to stand in solidarity. This is our home,” said Maria Lyles, a resident of 25 years.

Some tenants and supporters set up the encampment of roughly 15 tents last month as a protest. A judge ordered that they had to go by 9 a.m. Monday.

IBID Associates LP, which owns the land, announced plans last year to end its federal affordable housing contract and sell the property. The move would force displacement among predominantly Black and Latino households, which will have until Sept. 7 to move, using housing vouchers.

Reporters Max Marin, Justine McDaniel, and Rodrigo Torrejón spoke to more residents about their concerns over the lack of affordable housing in the city.

When you are done, read more from Lyles in her commentary, “I’m being evicted from University City Townhomes”

When Mehmet Oz bought a farmhouse in Montgomery County last year, he secured a property in the state where he’s running for Senate and scored a $50,000-a-year tax break.

The purchase seems to be a way for Oz to explain his ties to Pennsylvania that continue to dog his campaign, but the large tax credit could fuel Democrats’ attempt to paint Oz as wealthy, out-of-touch, and from New Jersey.

Details to know:

🏠Oz bought the home with his wife, Lisa Lemole, weeks after he launched his Senate campaign.

🏠 He does not live there and it’s unclear when he will.

💸 The “Clean & Green” tax credit it qualifies for slashes Oz’s annual property taxes from $72,000 to $21,000.

💸 The tax credit overwhelmingly benefits wealthy landowners.

My colleagues Julia Terruso, Ryan Briggs, and Jonathan Tamari have more.

The Flyers and Reading Royals announced Monday that they’ll continue their affiliation for at least two more seasons.

Today’s question: How long have the Royals been a minor-league affiliate of the Flyers?

A. 2012

B. 2000

C. 2014

D. 2015

Think you know? Test it and find out here.

👀 Side-eyeing: Vogue quietly correcting errors to its Philly style guide.

🚇 Imagining: what it would be like if we scored the Roosevelt Boulevard subway.

🎧 Listening: to Jazmine Sullivan’s album Heaux Tales on repeat, reliving her amazing performance at the Roots Picnic earlier this summer.

The book that won historian and Pennsylvania native David McCullough his first Pulitzer.

NAMRUT

Think you know? Send your guess our way at morningnewsletter@inquirer.com. We’ll give a shout-out to a reader at random who answers correctly. Today’s shout-out goes to Nick Malfitano from East Falls, who correctly guessed Divine Lorraine as Monday’s answer.

Thank you for spending your Tuesday with The Inquirer. I’ll be back here tomorrow.