October 23-29, 2003

mailbag

Letters to the Editor

by the Readers

Chilled By Freeze Out

As an organization that has worked collaboratively with community groups, residents and institutions for the past six years, University City District (UCD) believes that differences of opinion are a healthy part of a community improvement effort, particularly if they lead to constructive debate. However, nothing constructive can result when plaintively untrue facts are being strewn about. University City District feels it is necessary to correct the inaccuracies found in Jamie Graham's letter to the editor last week [Mailbag, Oct. 16, 2003].

First, the claim that UCD and L&I are driving minority businesses off of Baltimore Avenue is unsupportable, as no business has left Baltimore Avenue since L&I's recent enforcement efforts began. In fact, all of the new businesses coming to Baltimore Avenue are independent, and most are minority-owned. Furthermore, while we do fully support fair and consistent code enforcement, UCD does not target individual businesses.

Second, the claim that UCD has a history of targeting minority businesses is simply untrue. On the contrary, our history is one of supporting businesses by cleaning and securing the environments around them, providing technical assistance, advocating to financial lenders and others on their behalf and actively marketing and promoting them, all without any concern for race or ethnicity.

Third, UCD's involvement on 40th Street is limited to providing cleaning and safety services. Accordingly, we have never worked to have 40th Street declared blighted.

Fourth, Ms. Graham's claims about the mostly white residential neighborhoods of University City contradict the U.S. Census Bureau's tallies, which indicate that in University City whites are a minority of the population and that University City has become more diverse since 1990.

Most importantly, however, we would like to direct people's attention to the motivation for our activities on Baltimore Avenue. In 2001, a community survey was initiated and funded by local community groups with over 500 total members. Available on our website (www.ucityphila.org), it indicates that regardless of race or income, residents want the same diversity of products available in their neighborhood, dislike the appearance of Baltimore Avenue as it stands currently and would like to feel the same sense of security and cleanliness as they shop. So, as University City District is one of the many groups working to make University City a better neighborhood for all of its residents, we look forward to constructive discussion about how Baltimore Avenue can better offer the convenience of neighborhood retail to the people who live around it. And, we encourage people with concerns to call us before relying on the inflammatory facts that have been recently circulating.

Finally, we encourage people to come out to Baltimore Avenue, see the integration of long-standing establishments with the new coffee shops, butcher, restaurants, bakery and record/barber shop and judge for yourselves.

Eric T. Goldstein, executive director
University City District

A Quick Gush

[The Media and the Mayor, CP Staff, Oct. 16, 2003] was fantastic. Of the flood of coverage of this debacle, it was the only one to put it in an intelligent context -- with the momentum of emotion preserved.

Richard Maloney
Delaware County

Clarification

Vincent Thompson is a member, not an official of, the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists, which sponsored the first mayoral debate.