Philadelphia police officers who shot fleeing man can’t testify in his arrest; Housing at N.J. blueberry farms approved despite violations | Morning Newsletter
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Earlier this year, two Philadelphia police officers were awarded for their work in arresting a suspect they shot following a struggle. But the suspect had his case thrown out because the cops weren’t “cleared” to testify. That’s just one of the issues acting Police Commissioner Christine Coulter will face as she takes over as the city’s top cop. She sat down with The Inquirer for an interview that covered a number of topics, from supervised injection sites to the database of cops’ racist Facebook posts.
— Josh Rosenblat (@joshrosenblat, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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In January 2018, Philadelphia officers shot 22-year-old Stefon Crawley five times. The shooting followed a struggle between Crawley and an officer over Crawley’s gun. Once the officer gained control of the weapon, video footage of the incident viewed by The Inquirer shows that Crawley then fled before the officers opened fire.
In June, the officers were honored for their arrest. Crawley was charged with assaulting police and with gun offenses, but his case was dismissed in May. The officers involved were not “cleared” to testify. Why?
In the spring, a New Jersey agency told towns in the self-proclaimed “Blueberry Capital of the World” that they needed to make sure the farms that they had cited for housing workers in illegal converted sheds came into compliance before blueberry season started. So, what did that mean? Sprinklers had to be installed and other fire-safety rules had to be met by June.
But in May, a different New Jersey agency said the sheds were fine, approving 11 farms previously cited for construction and fire-code violations. Weeks later, six of those approved farms would also be cited for having illegal septic systems, which failed to capture hundreds, if not thousands, of sewage each day.
In response to an Inquirer investigation, the Philadelphia Department of Prisons will change its practices when it comes to releasing inmates with their property. Now, any person released from prison will be allowed to receive their belongings — ID, cash, cell phone, etc. — even after the Cashier’s Office has closed.
Previously, The Inquirer found that nearly three-quarters of Philadelphia inmates were released without any of their things because the Cashier’s Office wasn’t open.
What you need to know today
The Inquirer sat down with acting Philadelphia Police Commissioner Christine Coulter yesterday. She spoke about some hot-button issues, including the department’s culture, cops’ problematic Facebook posts, and supervised injection sites.
Despite a lawsuit that says New Jersey’s public schools are among the most segregated in the nation, nearly two-thirds of residents don’t see a problem, according to a poll.
Philly’s sidewalks are so bad that they violate a federal law that protects people with disabilities, a lawsuit contends.
What should Philadelphia be focused on fixing or improving over the next five years? You can let Mayor Jim Kenney know.
The woman who accused an ex-Pennsylvania lawmaker of rape is “credible,” the Dauphin County DA said. But he also said that it wasn’t enough to charge the former legislator with a crime.
A lawsuit alleges that Penn State football coach James Franklin pressured a team doctor to return injured players to the field, and that the doctor was removed from his role so that Penn State could “avoid scandal.”
Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly
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That’s Interesting
The CEO of food- and uniform-services giant Aramark is retiring. The retirement came abruptly, and includes a severance pay of a $142,000 a month.
The millions of dollars in potential tax revenue that officials in New Jersey and Pennsylvania have predicted to add if their state legalized recreational marijuana might not be as green as they think, according to a new study.
Why does Pennsylvania jury duty pay just $9 per day?
A national push is helping teachers get the school supplies they need for their classrooms. “It’s amazing how a simple idea was able to transform so many teachers’ lives," a second-grade teacher in Upper Darby said about the program.
Caitlan Coleman, a woman from Pennsylvania who gave birth to three children while held in hostage for five years by a Taliban-affiliated militant group, recounted her story to The Washington Post. In it, she reveals details about her “double imprisonment” — one with the militant group, and the other with her husband, who is on trial in Canada on 19 counts of abuse.
Bryce Harper and his wife Kayla announced the birth of their son, Krew Aaron Harper.
Opinions
“What’s clearly needed are more creative solutions, which require a new way of thinking. For example, What if City Hall were to stop waiting for a private developer and instead encourage the developing of a community food coop?” — The Inquirer Editorial Board writes about ways to fix the food desert issue in Camden.
Lara Spencer’s criticism of Prince George’s dancing was a major misstep and way off the mark, The Inquirer’s Ellen Dunkel writes.
A Northeast Philly district has outlawed food trucks, and lifelong resident Viktor Kagan writes for The Inquirer about how that will hurt both diversity and business.
What we’re reading
Philly’s only Arab arts festival is back for its third year this upcoming weekend. But, Billy Penn reports, YallaPunk’s founder has seen a decrease in ticket sales for 2019′s festivities.
A Philadelphia pizza joint earned a spot on Time’s “Greatest Places” list.
Nine years before there were any police investigations, two women reported Jeffrey Epstein’s troubling behavior. No one would act, The New York Times reports.
Your Daily Dose of | One-room buildings
Cute little one-room buildings have survived decades of change in West Philly. “Whatever the reason, these little buildings are so adorable, you almost want to hug them,” Inquirer architecture critic Inga Saffron writes.
