Is Philadelphia's reputation going to become completely tarnished? (Penn: tax lien, real estate)

[BOORGONG]

Originally Posted by ilovephilly79

It's almost like a sick joke. "Outlaw" as a terrible police commissioner. Uneducated clowns sitting on council, this new guy in charge of tourism after AC, etc. Maybe we should request to have Russia come in and manage our nuclear power plants.

That's ok, though, at least Columbus Day and that statue have finally been put to rest. That will really bring people together.

Careful what you wish for, there are probably enough hackers in Vladivostok to play with your grid, this aft...

[personone]

Philly is such an awesome city. I will never forget the 2 years I lived in UCity. I grew to love the city so much and still consider it a second home in many ways.

I don't think Philly's reputation has been completely tarnished because with the combination of pandemic shutdowns and the riots, almost ever urban city has received some tarnish to their reputation. Minneapolis was the epicenter of the George Floyd incident/riots, Portland had 100 days of protests (including riots), Seattle had that Autonomous Zone set up for weeks, every major city had bad riots, etc. Chicago still takes the cake for taking the most media hits for violent crime.

Bottom line is that all major cities have had their images tarnished during these turbulent times. Philly doesn't stand out any more than any other major city.

[cpomp]

Originally Posted by Redddog

cpomp for mayor.

Not kidding....

Ha, maybe one day. I am certainly motivated to get involved in Philadelphia business & civic affairs if/when I should move back. I might ruffle too many feathers in the political arena.

Originally Posted by Penna76

Good post above.

Just to give you perspective. The new guy in charge of the Philadelphia tourism arm, worked for Atlantic City prior. He barely knows the Pennsylvania countryside (as the tourism arm markets it) and worked for AC. (I mean AC really is not doing so hot).

So I have little faith in that leadership handle right now.

How is that even possible? Was he voted in? Is it Jeff Guaracino CEO of Visit Philadelphia?

I feel like a lot of us in this forum could do a better job than these "industry leaders"... In the tourism world, all it takes is common sense, knowledge of your city/region, and a vision, (and hopefully a healthy budget).

[Hedonism]

Originally Posted by Duderino

The number of folks who legitimately care about the their neighborhoods and city overall vastly outnumber those who who blatantly do not.

I disagree that those who care vastly outnumber those who do not. Most people are selfish and apathetic.


Some people may care, but when it comes time to roll up their sleeves and help clean up their neighborhoods, there are few of them to be found. That's why so many neighborhoods look like sh*t ... They like going to meetings and whining on social media, but God forbid they do something physical.


Heck, it's hard to find people to use 311, which involves nothing more than going on the website, reporting a problem and maybe taking a picture.


In most neighborhoods there aren't enough good people taking action to offset the scumbags. Typing on the internet is easy, sweat equity is not.


And, yes, this city is full of scumbags.

[Duderino]

Originally Posted by Hedonism

Some people may care, but when it comes time to roll up their sleeves and help clean up their neighborhoods, there are few of them to be found. That's why so many neighborhoods look like sh*t ... They like going to meetings and whining on social media, but God forbid they do something physical.

And, yes, this city is full of scumbags.

Actions do speak much, much louder than words. That's incredibly true. And yes, I can understand your perspective given that Philadelphia's "scumbags" get about 10-times the airtime that Philadelphia's saints do.

A lot of this just comes down to perspectives on humanity, and Philadelphia is by NO means unique in that regard. I continue to see the inherent potential good in most people, regardless of apathy. In many cases, it's a lack of time or a feeling of being disconnected that prevents people from taking action or volunteering to do something positive in their community.

I also think that once the warm weather breaks again around the time that we FINALLY get a handle on this pandemic, the collective anxieties and pent-up frustrations are going to quickly give way to euphoric social connection. That bodes well for people getting together and doing something for their neighborhoods.

[Hedonism]

Originally Posted by Duderino

In many cases, it's a lack of time or a feeling of being disconnected that prevents people from taking action or volunteering to do something positive in their community.

I disagree.


In many cases it's apathy and laziness that prevents people from keeping their sidewalk and curbline clean and block/surrounding blocks graffiti-free. Plus, most people (especially males) would be humiliated to be seen with a broom and shovel. It takes very little time to keep your property clean.


In some neighborhoods it probably has to do with culture. Meaning litter, dumping, graffiti, abandoned vehicles, traffic signs that need to be repaired/replaced and 'bandit' signs are a natural part of the landscape. It doesn't bother them. It's like being institutionalized.

[Hedonism]

Originally Posted by cpomp

Ha, maybe one day. I am certainly motivated to get involved in Philadelphia business & civic affairs if/when I should move back. I might ruffle too many feathers in the political arena.

I like your ideas, but yi like dangling that "... if/when I should move back" in front of these people like a dirt farmer dangling a carrot in front of a mule, doncha? I would think you'd be more concerned with NYC being as that's where you actually live.

Here's something that needs to be addressed regarding poverty and hopelessness: Start a campaign aimed towards young people about teen/unwed pregnancy and finishing high school. Pound it into their thick skulls somehow in schools and in neighborhoods. Encourage parents to teach them the right things ... PSAs, posters, billboards, whatever it takes. Something is better than nothing. (It's probably just a pipe dream, because it would probably turn out like the war on drugs. Maybe we should just try to teach kids about personal responsibility?)


Meanwhile, most everybody here who is complaining about Kenney, voted for him. Same as the loser up in New York City. And THEN, yiz turn around and vote for a Biden/Harris ticket knowing old Banjo Boy Joe isn't going to make four years and knowing Harris is the same as Kenney and DeBlasio, if not worse.
Four years from now, the same people complaining here will make her our president. It's insanity.

[Angus215]

I moved away from the area for a few years, then moved back a little over a year ago (before Covid). I was shocked at the increased prevalence of homeless on the streets of center city, as well as open air drug use. Even before 2020, the city seemed to have deteriorated rapidly from a quality of life perspective under Kenney and Krasner. Then, between destroying small businesses with shut downs and allowing the riots to destroy sections of the city, things took another major turn for the worse last year.

Now, the city is bleeding tax revenue because it was so overly dependent on commuter wage taxes ... and much of that revenue is never coming back. The commercial real estate market will crash next, as companies reduce their office space in the city, which will lower revenue from property taxes.

Unfortunately, Philly is a poorly managed city, because its citizens are willing to elect people like Kenney, who are more concerned with pandering to different segments of the population than making Philadelphia an attractive and safe place to live and work. I’m sorry, I love Philly and lived in center city for a number of years, but I see the city being set back decades between Kenney’s incompetence and the economic fallout of Covid.

In terms of crime, it has gotten worse over the past year because Kenney, Krasner, and Outlaw have allowed it to get worse. Don’t like it? Stop voting for progressive liberals who pander to criminals. Simple as that. The devastation this mayor has brought on the city has been tremendous.

[ilovephilly79]

Originally Posted by Hedonism

I disagree.


In many cases it's apathy and laziness that prevents people from keeping their sidewalk and curbline clean and block/surrounding blocks graffiti-free. Plus, most people (especially males) would be humiliated to be seen with a broom and shovel. It takes very little time to keep your property clean.


In some neighborhoods it probably has to do with culture. Meaning litter, dumping, graffiti, abandoned vehicles, traffic signs that need to be repaired/replaced and 'bandit' signs are a natural part of the landscape. It doesn't bother them. It's like being institutionalized.

So many people are lazy. People just don't have the respect for their home and their neighborhood. It's a culture that has grown over the years, especially among the poor. A lot of people on this forum make excuses for people. But to your point, it doesn't take a lot to go outside and pick up a little bit of trash outside your home. Especially when you are living in a row home. My father is part of the older generation that has immense respect for his own home. He's not rich, he worked at a factory for nearly 50 years. But he appreciates what he has and works hard to keep his home nice. And let's face it, he's not doing it because he feels connected to the community. He does it because he has respect for his home and his neighbors. Many of them are not the same though, and I'm sure many of them have excuses despite having the same opportunity to do what my father does to keep his home clean.

[BOORGONG]

Whatever you do, don't use Kensington Hood on a travel poster to promote Philly tourism. It won't gel.