The front door of Max Myers Recreation Center was closed on the evening of Aug. 18, with members of Take Back Your Neighborhood entering through a side door for their monthly meeting.
Mark Mroz, community relations officer in the 2nd Police District, explained that there are reports of some teenagers making threats to rob others at the playground. Video showed one teenager with a gun, and police hope to arrest him, with Mroz adding that the individual has a criminal record. The 2nd district has increased patrols at the playground.
Meanwhile, Mroz said the 2nd district joined the city Department of Licenses and Inspections in a recent sweep of illegal vendors set up at the shopping center at 4640 Roosevelt Blvd.
On a brighter note, Mroz said the recent National Night Out at Fox Chase Elementary School went well. The event was preceded by a community bike ride, and there was a raffle for 17 new bicycles.
The 2nd district experienced its third murder of the year on Aug. 8, just before midnight, when a 23-year-old California man was shot in the chest on the 500 block of Alcott St., as he was smoking after stepping out of a Rising Sun Avenue bar. He was taken by private vehicle to Albert Einstein Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Mroz said the murder could be linked to another shooting that took place at Summerdale Avenue and Scattergood Street.
Overall, in the 2nd district, crime is down compared to last year in the areas of shootings, robberies, gunpoint robberies, stolen autos, residential burglaries, retail theft and thefts from autos. However, stolen autos are up. Car stops are up in the 2nd district.
In other news from the meeting:
• Thomas Kang, deputy chief of staff for City Councilwoman Quetcy Lozada, said the councilwoman still hasn’t made a final decision on whether to support the proposed road diet for Castor Avenue, which would go from four lanes of traffic to three, from Oxford Circle to Cottman Avenue.
Take Back Your Neighborhood opposes the plan, being pushed by state Rep. Jared Solomon. They argue that the change is unnecessary because the avenue is not unsafe. Also, the group believes the avenue will become clogged when buses, Uber drivers and delivery trucks make stops. And, they believe the change will divert traffic to side streets.
Overall, TBYN believes there has been a lack of transparency in the process.
• The Philadelphia Parking Authority Neighborhood Enforcement Unit accepts information on nuisance vehicles or illegally parked trucks or tractor trailers. Call 215-683-9620. ••
