Letters to the Editor | July 21, 2023

With its recent editorial on preservation efforts in Spruce Hill, the Editorial Board has betrayed both an alarming disconnect with our city’s essential identity and a misunderstanding of Philadelphia’s historic preservation ordinance. The Spruce Hill section of West Philadelphia is one of the nation’s earliest streetcar suburbs and has one of the largest collections of Victorian-era housing in the entire country. The Spruce Hill Community Association, with the support of the University City Historical Society, is stepping up its effort to include our distinctive neighborhood on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. With rampant, “by-right” demolitions happening at a dizzying pace and residents at risk of displacement, the urgency for this designation effort has never been more acute.

Spruce Hill is firmly in developers’ crosshairs and the neighborhood and its residents are vulnerable to the multiple negative effects of demolition, rising rents, and designs that do not encourage a sense of community or promote affordability. In fact, despite being told that the housing density brought by new development will foster affordable housing, the reality is that none of the new metal boxes have lowered rents anywhere.

Rather, whenever developers invest in the next “hot” neighborhood — be it Fishtown, Hawthorne, Brewerytown, Northern Liberties, or University City — older houses get torn down, and inevitably, gentrification accelerates. This is precisely what a historic district could help prevent. It is our sincere belief that the designation of the Spruce Hill Historic District is the greatest act of stewardship we could demonstrate for our cherished neighborhood and the people who live here. It is one that will support human-scale density, environmental responsibility, economic strength, and resident diversity.

Eric Santoro, president, Spruce Hill Community Association, and Amy Lambert, president, University City Historical Society

Donald Trump has bold and radical plans if he is reelected. He wants to dramatically expand the power, authority, and independence of the executive office from oversight by any other branch of government. Trump wants to exercise the power of the presidency with impunity and without limits. This is not a secret plan, it’s his announced intention. This is how democracy dies, with a plan to dismantle the spirit of the Constitution, piece by piece. The continuation of our democratic form of government is not guaranteed. It requires attention and care. Trump has told us and shown us repeatedly who he is and what his intentions are. Before the 2024 presidential election we had best take him at his word. He wants unfettered power. It’s up to us, the American people, to deny him the opportunity.

Ken Derow, Swarthmore

Our world is on fire, both temperature-wise and in actual flames. We have been warned of the danger of climate change since the 1970s and now all the dire predictions that were ignored are multiplying exponentially. Individuals can do many things, and some states have taken climate initiatives. But we are at a point where only federal action will have a real impact. This is not political. The present crisis affects us all, without distinction. It also combines three critical issues: pro-life, social justice, and national security. Wherever your priorities lie, they ultimately come together in environmental justice. As columnist Will Bunch states, “the time for downplaying is over.” Our elected officials have a moral responsibility for their constituents’ well-being. This requires strong legislation, with teeth. This requires action — now.

Catherine Poynton, Havertown

I was compelled to respond to the question posed in the article on the Tree of Life Synagogue gunman being eligible for the death penalty: What constitutes justice after such nightmarish crimes? I wept for all the family members who lost loved ones in the shockingly horrific massacre in Pittsburgh, and I understand and share the emotions of those who would like to see Robert Bowers dead. As a Jew, my worst fears were realized as I have watched the rise of antisemitism since the Nazi rally in Charlottesville, Va. There, a white supremacist drove his car into a group of protesters, killing one woman, while Donald Trump said “there are very fine people on both sides.”

Trump has also called President Joe Biden a “servant of the globalists.” It’s not hard to understand that this is a code word used against Jews by the far right. I am afraid there will be other attacks against Jews because Trump has emboldened racists, whom he calls nationalists and patriots. Still, no one, including the government, has a right to kill. It is not a deterrent and is inequitably administered to those who are poor and of color. Bowers should remain behind bars for life. Despite my concerns, I agree with Mahatma Gandhi, who declared that “an eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”

Judy Rubin, Philadelphia

In 1916, an Inquirer article called the old Pennhurst State School and Hospital for people with disabilities “nothing less than a concerted movement to attempt to control the breeding of feeble-minded and defective individuals within the State of Pennsylvania.” What real progress has been made in how we care for those with disabilities over the last century? Certainly, the professional parlance has changed. Terms like “people with disabilities” have replaced “feeble-minded.” The cliché of basket weaving as a meaningful activity was replaced with real employment as a more utilitarian outcome.

Pennhurst was closed in 1987, the Western Center in Pittsburgh followed in 2000, and over the years, many other institutions for those with disabilities across the country have been replaced by small community homes. Public education became a right for people with disabilities, and the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed by President George H.W. Bush in 1990. Still, because of underfunding for programs for people with disabilities, the operation of large congregate institutions continues. The state institutional cost per person within the commonwealth can exceed $600,000 a year.

Our governor has told me that he is committed to improving the lives of those with disabilities. He fixed I-95 in record time. As the leader of a nonprofit supporting people with disabilities, I hope he can focus his political will on this issue, too. It’s essential that we rebalance the population of large facilities and bolster funding for community programs to ensure that we make real progress for those with disabilities over the next century.

Robert Stack, president and CEO, Community Options

I was an advancement director at a parochial grade school where students were accepted and used the tax credit scholarships to enroll instead of attending their public schools. Some came to the school with a real “fight or flight” response mechanism because they did not feel safe in their public schools. Our teachers taught them that not only were they safe in the parochial school but that they could do better — and they did. Many of them continued to use scholarships to attend private or parochial high schools after they graduated, where more than 90% of the graduates went on to further their education. It’s not just about education, it’s about giving them a chance to reprogram their thinking about school and to enjoy learning.

Gov. Josh Shapiro did a huge disservice to the students in underperforming schools by vetoing Lifeline Scholarships in the current budget. I would ask him to visit some of the schools in the Philadelphia Archdiocese to see in person the work that these scholarship students are doing daily. I would also welcome a study comparing the students who choose EITC and OSTC scholarships to attend new schools vs. those who stay in public school. I think the results would prove what I have seen for myself: students thriving in their new environment.

Linda Rooney, Philadelphia

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