West Philly "promise zone"

[Whatdoesthefoxsay65]

Oh so cool. I wonder if the SDP will try and sell the building after the school is made to help cover its deficit. LOL

[mancat100]

I am highly skeptical of this plan, although I hope I'm wrong.

[2e1m5a]

Too little too late but it's better than nothing and I'm glad Philly was one of 5 places chosen when there are communities all over the country that need help.

Too bad our Government would rather bailout corrupt institutions than people but perhaps this is a small sign of change that we were promised years ago.

[Clark Park]

I think it's happening in West Philly because it was a safe bet.

The fact is the mini-"Boom" taking place in University City had implications for neighboring areas of West Philly. The government gives money ... excuse me, "invests" ... in an area on track for improvement and gentrification - it has increased odds for a good outcome. The area improves, and the government takes credit.

[gwillyfromphilly]

Originally Posted by Clark Park

I think it's happening in West Philly because it was a safe bet.

The fact is the mini-"Boom" taking place in University City had implications for neighboring areas of West Philly. The government gives money ... excuse me, "invests" ... in an area on track for improvement and gentrification - it has increased odds for a good outcome. The area improves, and the government takes credit.

Are you as a West Philly resident, happy about this?

[Clark Park]

Originally Posted by gwillyfromphilly

Are you as a West Philly resident, happy about this?

Yes. I live in University City and that is in West Philly. UC is "the best of the West."

Am I happy about investment in West Philly? Yes. It makes more sense to put money in an area where it is reasonable to assume the outcome will be successful, rather than showering those funds on someplace like Camden or Chester - places that may be beyond redemption.

[RCdelco]

Hopefully this will help Upper Darby High School out in terms of residency fraud.

[Debbie1125]

Originally Posted by AgelessStranger

Yea, because throwing money at a problem has worked well so far, hasn't it?

Yes I agree. Look at all of the money that has been thrown at the Philadelphia School District and it's still a mess.

Throwing money at a problem isn't always the answer.

[BajanYankee]

Imagine how different Philadelphia would be if Blacks had been able to take advantage of the G.I. Bill the way whites were able to. There would be no need for a "promise zone."

Katznelson demonstrates that African-American veterans received significantly less help from the G.I. Bill than their white counterparts. ''Written under Southern auspices,'' he reports, ''the law was deliberately designed to accommodate Jim Crow.'' He cites one 1940's study that concluded it was ''as though the G.I. Bill had been earmarked 'For White Veterans Only.' '' Southern Congressional leaders made certain that the programs were directed not by Washington but by local white officials, businessmen, bankers and college administrators who would honor past practices. As a result, thousands of black veterans in the South -- and the North as well -- were denied housing and business loans, as well as admission to whites-only colleges and universities. They were also excluded from job-training programs for careers in promising new fields like radio and electrical work, commercial photography and mechanics. Instead, most African-Americans were channeled toward traditional, low-paying ''black jobs'' and small black colleges, which were pitifully underfinanced and ill equipped to meet the needs of a surging enrollment of returning soldiers.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/28/bo...ted=print&_r=0

[FBJ]

Originally Posted by Clark Park

I think it's happening in West Philly because it was a safe bet.

The fact is the mini-"Boom" taking place in University City had implications for neighboring areas of West Philly. The government gives money ... excuse me, "invests" ... in an area on track for improvement and gentrification - it has increased odds for a good outcome. The area improves, and the government takes credit.

Some fools who live in Mantua were unaware of what the $30 million meant for the community and thought that they were getting money for living in the area