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300 demonstrators hold separate protests on same Center City block

About 300 demonstrators converged in subfreezing weather Monday in separate protests on the same Center City block. About 100 people picketed in front of Comcast headquarters at 1701 John F. Kennedy Blvd., decrying the company's decision to no longer offer the Word Urban Religious Channel to seven million subscribers.

Chanting slogans and carrying signs, members of the All Gods People Church from Detroit, Michigan protest outside the Comcast Building in the hopes of having Comcast not drop the Word Network from its lineup.
Chanting slogans and carrying signs, members of the All Gods People Church from Detroit, Michigan protest outside the Comcast Building in the hopes of having Comcast not drop the Word Network from its lineup.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer

About 300 demonstrators converged in subfreezing weather Monday in separate protests on the same Center City block.

About 100 people picketed in front of Comcast headquarters at 1701 John F. Kennedy Blvd., decrying the company's decision to no longer offer the Word Urban Religious Channel to seven million subscribers.

Across the street, about 200 environmental activists gathered outside Sen. Pat Toomey's office at 1628 JFK Blvd., condemning president-elect Donald Trump's cabinet, which includes several people who do not believe in climate change.

Both protests started about noon. The environmental activists wrapped up around 1 p.m., and a few crossed the street to observe - and in some cases participate in - the Comcast rally, which was still going on at 3:30.

Police shut down a portion of the boulevard for about 30 minutes at the height of the protests. Police reported no incidents or arrests.

About 100 people had been bused in from Detroit to picket at Comcast, waving signs that read "Save the Word" and "Keep positive black programming."

Starting Jan 12, The Word, the largest African American religious channel in the world, will no longer be carried by Comcast, replaced by a newer African American religious station called The Impact Network.

Monday's was the latest of several recent protests this month held by pastors who appear on the Word.

W.J. Rideout III, senior pastor of All God's People Church in Detroit, said his viewers, many too ill or elderly to attend church, will no longer have a way to experience his sermons.

"We think they're hurting African Americans all over the world," Rideout said. "My show is going to be affected. If you take the Word network off Comcast, you're going to take my viewers away, citizens who are lost and hurting, who we've been helping."

Across the street, environmental rights advocates delivered petitions asking Toomey and Sen. Bob Casey to denounce members of Trump's cabinet who do not believe in climate change.

"One of the things that's really amazing about today is we had 200 people out here on the coldest day of the year to recommit themselves to the struggle ahead of us fighting for a livable planet for everyone," said Samuel Rubin, an organizer with Food & Water Watch. "And we are sincere in our hope that Senators Casey and Toomey join us in that fight."

The action, dubbed "A Day Against Denial," included several environmental groups in the Philadelphia region.

jterruso@phillynews.com

215-854-5506

@juliaterruso