Wilma is correct. I was not on the Firehouse Board, but I was on the CPN board in 1988-1990 when this all took place. I don't have as intricate knowledge as Wilma does of the Firehouse Board (known officially as the West Philadelphia Firehouse Project, Inc or WPFHPI), but I know a lot of the CPN part of it. I distinctly remember that the late Annie Canty, who was then President of CPN, got the City, through Councilman Lucien Blackwell's office, to deed the abandoned firehouse to CPN for one dollar after the engine company moved to a new firehouse at 52nd and Willows. The plan was to make fresh fruits and vegs available to the neighborhood becasue of the lack of grocery stores or markets in the surrounding community. It was supposed to be a farmers market, hence the name "Firehouse Farmers Market". The market got a grant from the state because of the farmers market aspect of the project. There was a requirement that the market structure be a public/private partnership, with CPN being the steward of the public interest. But what ended up happining was that the private partner was friends with a number of people in the neighborhood, and those people became members of the CPN and Firehouse boards and they tried to manipulate those boards into giving the private partner free reign. Two factions emerged which broke down as those who wanted to preserve the vision of the market as being for the community, and those who wanted to give the private owner free reign. The "community" faction for the most part lived "west of 49th Street" [racial code] and was black, while the "private owner" faction lived "east of 49th Street" [more racial code] and was pretty much white, so the stage was set for a lot of hostility and tension. There were constant accusations of undisclosed conflicts of interest and that the Firehouse Board was not providing oversight, but was simply rubberstamping whatever the owner wanted to do. The accusation was also that the private partner's supporters used the black community to get the building and create the market, but once created, did something completely different and wanted to push that community out. The situation on the CPN Board came to a head with the election for President for the 1989-90 Board term. One candidate was a black female supported by the community faction and the other was a white male supported by the private owner faction. There was an active election campaign, unusual by community association election standards: There were editorial letters, fliers, community newspapers etc, covering the issue as one of who would control the destiny of the Firehouse Market: would it benefit the community or private interests? The election came and something like 300 people showed up, a record never seen before or since. The "private owner" candidate won, but then came allegations of election fraud because someone among the other Board candidates on the ballot helped count the votes with the current Board President, who was a private owner supporter. While that contorversy raged, then came a bombshell. Just before the election, I aked my then-next door neighbor, who was white, if she was going to come vote in the CPN election, and she made an offhand reference that she already knew because she had gotten "the flier" at her door from someone in the neighborhood. I thought it was odd, because I didn't know anything about a flier and because my neighbor got a visit and a flier and I didn't. I asked if she still had it, but by then she had thrown it out. Once the vote controversy emerged, I started asking around, and finally someone I was allied with spoke to a white neighbor of hers, who did not want to be involved, but did direct her to look in the bags of trash set out on the curb. The flier supported the private owner candidate, and contained coded racial language. All of the people who would admit to receiving one were white. No one who was black knew anything about it. This led to a big contentious meeting where everyone was in an uproar. The people behind the fliers were identified, and our complaint was that the flier was racist because of the language and because it was circulated in secret to only white community members. One of the defenders of the flier pointed out that a black person who published his own community newspaper was openly advocating for the community candidate, and that the defender had the same First Amendment right to distribute the flier. I responded to her that while she had a right to distribute a flier, why would she have it distrtibuted selectively? Why would my neighbor get one and not me? Why did it seem like only white people got it? I pointed out that the publisher made his views known to all who wished to read them, and that he didn't excercise his First Amendment rights in secret to a select audience. Tensions were so high that it was decided to throw out the election results and after research done by two lawyers on the CPN Board, it was decided that the two presidential candidates would serve as "co-presidents". The Firehouse Market continued to be a bone of contention right up to when CPN ended up selling its interest to the private owner in 1998.
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2009 07:38:54 -0500Subject: Re: [UC] History of neighborhood groups (Was: Re: Penn-gemony receives its next Mayor)From: [email protected]: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected],You are correct about the Calvary and the Woodlands being spin-offs of the UCHS.I am right about the Friends of the Firehouse Market being a spin-off of Cedar Park Neighbors and how these groups formed to make sure their agendas were pushed thorough against the express wishes of the community, the by-laws of their own organizations, and those who actually sought to protect the interests of the community.CPN had a separate Board of Directors for The Firehouse Market. When this entity sought to protect the community's interest in the Market instead of one individual's personal desire to wholly own the entity and remove the community from the business, The Friends was born.The Market existed primarily because of funds garnered from the Commonwealth to provide farm fresh PA produce to a neighborhood of low-to-middle income residents. The building was sold to the community for the cost of $1 for the same purpose.Apparently, that was a specious scenario because almost immediately the Market had no farmers whatsoever and took on a distinct tone quite different from what the community believed they would get when they signed the petitions that led to gaining funding.In fact, when leadership of the Firehouse Market Board was changed abruptly because it was determined the leader was working contrary to community interests he was supposed to uphold, "The Friends" bullied their way into a meeting of the Shareholders', (The CPN Board and the Firehouse Market Board), held off-site on someone's private property. They proceeded to write scurrilous articles and letters in the UC Review excoriating the Firehouse Market Board and CPN leadership.This by far goes beyond social slights, as you put it.We all know how the story ended. The community lost the Market, the individual who wanted to have sole ownership gained said ownership and the Market ultimately failed.Dock Street Brewery is there now, which attracts a different clientele than those who live nearby or a bit further west.This scenario has been played out before and no doubt will again. Those who will be affected are the only thing that changes, not the M.O. of those who wish to guide the agenda.On 2/12/09 1:02 AM, "Kimm Tynan" <[email protected]> wrote:> Tony,> >> I want to make the record clear for UC-list's sake, that, after>>> reflection, nobody on UC-list can recall a single instance in which a>>> "Friends of..." group was spun off from a community association in>>> University City, powerful or otherwise, to achieve any aim, nefarious or>>> otherwise.> > That's not true. The Friends of Calvary is/was a "spinoff" or "subgroup" of> the UCHS. I believe, but could be wrong, that the Friends of the Woodlands> is/was as well.> >> I don't believe Calvary . . . ever had a "Friends of" group attached to them.> > See above.> > Kimm> > > > On 2/11/09 10:32 PM, "Anthony West" <[email protected]> wrote:> >> I'm sure you're right, Wilma. People can be unkind and unfair and cruel>> to each other in any volunteer association. Social slights like these>> are always saddening. One always hopes one's group can engage in it as>> little as possible, but human nature comes with limits.>> >> I want to make the record clear for UC-list's sake, that, after>> reflection, nobody on UC-list can recall a single instance in which a>> "Friends of..." group was spun off from a community association in>> University City, powerful or otherwise, to achieve any aim, nefarious or>> otherwise.>> >> Most "Friends of..." groups are created to provide single-interest>> community backing to public facilities that could benefit from>> additional input and assistance. Thus we have, in UC alone, Friends of>> Malcolm X Park and Friends of the Walnut Street West Library. They are,>> of course, widespread elsewhere and most public institutions welcome and>> foster them.>> >> I don't believe Calvary, the Firehouse Market or University City>> District ever had a "Friends of" group attached to them. They are really>> different community institutions, for several different reasons, and>> often aren't similar to each other either. Community associations are in>> a separate class of their own, with special features.>> >> Friends of 40th St. is kind of platypus, with features taken from many>> other classes. It too is not without precedents elsewhere, though.>> >> -- Tony West>> >> >>> Still, there are community members who have joined the established UC>>> community organizations over the years, who have pledged many hours/years>>> and personal funds, and even slightly neglected their own families and>>> relationships to support neighborhood issues their very credible community>>> leaders charged them to do.>>> >>> The point is now many of those who have served faithfully are now without>>> the powerful UC Community organizations backed "Friends" to advocate for>>> them. >>> >>> The hurting thing is the opposing community members to this hotel project>>> are desperately trying to uphold the original vision of the established UC>>> leaders and community organizations they represent.>>> >>> Now they find themselves at cross purposes.>>> >>> Any human, even if they do not agree, should understand their sense of>>> betrayal.>>> >>> - W.>> >> >> ---->> You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the>> list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see>> <http://www.purple.com/list.html>.> > > ----> You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the> list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see> <http://www.purple.com/list.html>.
