Lt. Joe Mortimer and community relations officer Mark Mroz represented the 2nd Police District at last week’s Lawncrest Community Association meeting.
They discussed crime, such as the 82 stolen cars in a recent three-week period. They recommended buying The Club. Hyundais and Kias are among the most common stolen cars. Both companies are offering free anti-theft software. Call Hyundai at 800-633-5151 or Kia at 800-333-4542.
A 24-year-old man was shot to death on April 16 on the 6400 block of Lawndale St. After speaking with a man in a car, the victim began walking to his home when police said two men in a red Toyota Scion shot him.
There was a recent shooting outside Lawncrest Recreation Center. The incident started when two or three men were breaking into a car. Another man called the vehicle owner, and both of them confronted the men committing the crime. Gunshots were fired from both groups, and bullets went through the window of a daycare, with children inside. One man was shot in the foot and went to the hospital, claiming he was wounded while playing basketball. Police say surveillance cameras show him at the scene of the crime. A warrant has been issued for a second suspect.
In other news from the April 20 meeting:
• Judicial candidate Melissa Francis addressed the crowd. She’s a Democratic candidate for Common Pleas and Municipal Court.
“You can legally vote for me twice,” she said.
Francis is an Archbishop Ryan graduate who lives in the Far Northeast. She’s recommended by the Philadelphia Bar Association and has 25 years of public service, 20 as a Philadelphia assistant district attorney and five in the state attorney general’s office.
“That’s where I hang my hat,” she said of her courtroom experience.
Francis has worked in units focusing on repeat offenders and dangerous drug offenders. She was among 31 prosecutors fired by District Attorney Larry Krasner when he took office in 2018.
• State Rep. Anthony Bellmon said he has been assigned to the House Transportation, Tourism & Economic & Recreational Development, Children & Youth and Housing & Community Development committees. Bellmon’s office is at 7215-B Rising Sun Ave.
• The public is invited to attend a meeting about SEPTA’s Lawndale Station Safety Improvement Project on Wednesday, April 26, at 6:30 p.m. at Lawncrest Recreation Center, 6000 Rising Sun Ave. Officials will provide an update on the design.
• Due to a lack of volunteers, the Lawncrest 4th of July Celebration will likely not take place this year. The full celebration hasn’t taken place since 2019. It was canceled in 2020 due to COVID, and there were only fireworks in 2021 and ‘22. The nonprofit Lawncrest Recreation Center Advisory Council might take control of the event, beginning next year.
• Renovations to Lawncrest Library will begin before the end of the year and be completed in 2024.
However, long-delayed renovations to Lawncrest Recreation Center are not expected to begin until the summer of 2024, as a general contractor has not been selected. There will be more security cameras, paths and trees, along with repairs to the boiler and a half-court basketball addition to the building. The project does not include improvements to the fields or swimming pool.
• Lawncrest Community Association will meet on Thursday, May 18, at 6:30 p.m. at St. William’s Monsignor James E. Mortimer Memorial Hall, Argyle and Robbins streets. ••
