Mayor Nutter spoke at an immigrant rights rally at Welcome Park yesterday organized by the Pennsylvania chapter of the Reform Immigration for America campaign. The rally was intended to show that Philadelphia is a welcoming city to immigrants, in contrast to Arizona, where the anti-immigrant law SB1070 was implemented in part yesterday.

WHYY News reported that Mayor Nutter said he was excited by the decision of Judge Bolton to strike down key elements of Arizona’s immigration law.

Nutter got cheers from the assembled crowd when he said, “Immigration for some has become the new segregation in the United States, that's what’s really going on, people need to pay attention to what this is about.”

But what is really going on in Philadelphia? What is this really about?

Tuesday was the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.  The ADA is another product of 1960s and 70s movement building (an oral history and archive is fittingly hosted by UC Berkeley).  There's too much history to telescope into a short post, but the dimensions of what the movement was fighting against are shown in a few examples.  Through much of the 20th century it was legal for states to forceably sterilize disabled people.  Lack of curb cuts made basic movement impossible.  Policies pushed the vast majority of disabled people into institutions like nursing homes and made it impossible for them to use public benefits to live even semi-independently.

Whether someone is temporarily or permanently disabled, physically or developmentally, the protections created by the ADA are crucial to full participation in society. This became starkly clear to me after my father's massive stroke in October. I spent time with him at Magee Rehab Hospital, and being in a space focused on allowing people to be recognized as full, functional people, regardless how severely their bodies are compromised, was completely radical and sadly uncommon.

This work - and the struggle that gave rise to the ADA - continues.  We are waiting to appeal my father's initial Medicaid denial (we had to turn to Medicaid since even expensive private insurance categorically excludes any long term care).   Once it is approved, we'll need what are called 'waiver programs', which fund home and community-based care, to get him out of the nursing home and actually home.  Without these types of waiver programs, my father and others could be stuck indefinitely in institutional care, like nursing homes, where residents have little control over their lives.

And the situation is even starker for those with less resources than my family.  States have cut funding for home care programs to try to make up budget shortfalls, despite these programs costing much less than nursing homes.  Proposed legislation - the Community Choice Act - would help mandate that states provide a choice to live at home with support for anyone who qualifies for nursing home benefits, but doesn't yet have the votes to pass.  This one local news story, about a man moving into his own apartment for the first time, shows how huge it is to have the chance to live independently.  If you want to be part of making this kind of systemic and individual change over the next twenty years, please think about donating to the Disability Rights Network of PA.

In case you have not seen it, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC) has filed suit against Wells Fargo Bank. The PHRC, which is responsible for enforcing Pennsylvania's anti-discrimination laws, has alleged that Wells Fargo systematically 'reverse redlined' Philadelphia neighborhoods, by concentrating expensive, abusive loans in Philadelphia neighborhoods that have a high percentage of African-American residents.

PHRC Wells Fargo Complaint

Among other things, the Complaint alleges that:

• Respondents underwrite adjustable rate loans for African Americans and Philadelphia’s African American neighborhoods that those borrowers cannot afford.
• Respondents’ pricing sheets show that it targets homes that are more likely to be located in African American neighborhoods for an interest rate increase, and lowers rates for homes that are disproportionately located in white neighborhoods.
• Respondents originate unfair and predatory mortgage loans to African Americans and African American neighborhoods in Philadelphia.
• Publicly available Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data shows that respondents’ high-cost loans are disproportionately provided to African Americans and are located in African American neighborhoods in Philadelphia
• Respondents’ loan officers were given substantial discretion to increase the costliness of mortgage loans and they regularly used this discretion at the expense of African Americans borrowers and borrowers in African American neighborhoods.

This is, of course, a very big deal, and my guess is that will be hearing a lot more about it in the coming months.

WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT SUMMER FILM FESTIVAL

PRESENTED BY ITVS, WHYY and the Leeway Foundation
in partnership with the Coalition of Labor Union Women, the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians and the Women's Medical Fund.

Escape the heat, grab your friends and family, and join us for an air-conditioned afternoon of award-winning films!
All screenings are FREE and open to the public.
August 7, 2010
@ The Leeway Foundation
1315 Walnut Street, Suite 832
(Venue is wheelchair accessible)

A full schedule and descriptions of the films are below. All films are closed captioned and audio description is available by request.

Join us in the evening for a discussion with two of the films' subjects, Rocky Otoo (Bronx Princess) and Avery Klein-Cloud (Off and Running) directly following the films.

I haven’t posted on YPP for a while because I’ve been doing a blog about Women and Retirement at http://www.the-next-stage.com/

However, I find my self increasingly writing about politics rather than focusing on retirement issues. It’s become clear to me that one of the main reasons I retired was to be able to devote more time to my activist projects. My job was getting in the way of my volunteer work. However I just wrote a post which belongs more on YPP than on my blog (or any other blog that I know of), so I’m cross-posting here:

Philadelphia preschoolers with a disability have — for more than a year — been shut out of critical services by a private agency hired by the state to deliver those services. Now the state has stepped in — thanks to a complaint filed by the Education Law Center and Disability Rights Network — and issued a directive to the agency: Compensate these families immediately, either by providing overdue services or by writing a check.

Following a month-long investigation, the Pennsylvania Department of Education issued its findings on June 21, sending a clear message to Philadelphia families whose young children need special services: Delays are not acceptable.

In recent days there has been a fair bit of ink spilled over the agreement that allows Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to have access to Philadelphia’s PARS database. YPP was no exception to this. Nor was my old friend, Stu Bykofsky. Unfortunately we still stand at a deadlock on this issue. Here is what you need to know about this issue as a progressive.

After a period of anonymous blogging, my father, Frank Murphy, just announced his true identity over at the Notebook:

http://thenotebook.org/blog/102663/f

He began blogging to share his perspective on public education as someone with a strong pedagogical and practical basis for his opinions. He felt like he needed to be anonymous because, in his words:

In my last months as a principal, it was important to me that my children, parents, and staff be removed from any distractions or retributions that could have been generated as a result of a principal publicly critiquing the school reform efforts of his School District.

He retired a few days ago after spending more than 30 years in Philadelphia as an educator. For the past 12 years, he was the Principal at Meade Elementary School in North Philly.

Check out his posts over at the Notebook to get more of an insider's perspective on how the School District and its politics work.

This post especially may be of interest to YPP readers which covers the connections between Sen. Williams, his million dollar benefactors, charter schools and the political structure:

http://thenotebook.org/blog/102535/schools-all

It's been said that the family who blogs together, stays together. I am not sure if this is trues, especially because I don't blog like I used to, but I hope my Pop's online voice can help, in some way, in the effort for real education reform in Philadelphia.

UPDATE: We did a report on DEP funding, adjusted for inflation, for the last ten years. You can see it here

(Harrisburg) – Clean Water Action issued a strong statement today calling for restoration of large cuts to the budget for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The proposed state budget deal released yesterday by the Governor and legislative leaders cuts DEP’s budget by 9.2%. This is on top of last year’s budget cut of 26% for DEP. [ATTACHED - PDF of 2000-2008 budgets in actual numbers, not accounting for inflation]

[We spoke too soon. The Inquirer issued a correction stating that the District Attorney has not publicly expressed support for ending the contract. Furthermore the contract actually ends in August giving more time for the city to make a final determination.

There will be a rally Friday at noon in the City Hall courtyard. You can also call 215-686-8000 to tell Seth why building trust with the immigrant community is good policy.]

Great news from both the Mayor's office, the Police Dept. and D.A. Seth Williams - all of whom, according to Public Safety Director Everett Gillison, agree that the city should sever its controversial contract with Immigration Customs & Enforcement Agency (ICE). The contract, which has been in effect the past two years and is up for renewal, gives ICE access to full police and court records including victim and witness identification and their country of birth.

In the past six months, immigration advocates had pushed hard for the city to sever its contract with ICE, telling stories about shocking interactions between ICE and police that challenged the City's written policy on avoiding such interactions. The school district as well is implicated because of its relationship with police and school safety.

In the past several months, immigration advocates have met with the Mayor's staff and the District attorney. Yesterday, advocates turned out a packed audience in South Philadelphia to demand an end to PARS and a more immigrant friendly city.

Kudos to Philly's active and engaged immigrant community and to city and civic officials who responded to this important call.

Clean Water Action Responds to Drilling Industry Group’s Self-Praise

<>: In response to the drilling-industry-funded Marcellus Shale Coalition press release touting their members’ various boons to the state, Clean Water Action [CWA] today pointed to accounts from Pennsylvanians and media outlets across state that tell the darker, more tragic side of natural gas drilling.

“The press release the Marcellus Shale Coalition put out yesterday with news clips singing their industry’s praises would have you believe natural gas drilling is all economic gain, no environmental cost,” said Myron Arnowitt, State Director of Clean Water Action, “But the truth is, unfortunately, that this is an industrial activity that brings with it many problems, including toxic chemicals, polluted rivers and contaminated water supplies. And that’s just a small sample of the problems tied to this activity.

“Pennsylvanians and communities across the state are now struggling to cope with the effects of drilling in their neighborhoods; that’s a sad, tragic reality that we—and the drilling industry—shouldn’t ignore or sweep under the rug.”

To illustrate the problems natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale has brought to Pennsylvania, Arnowitt pointed to the following statements and news reports (click "Read More"):

There is indication that the city shelter system is completely overwhelmed by this year's wave of kittens. Thousands will be killed if more folks don't adopt or foster right now.

If you have ever been up to the main shelter on Erie Ave, well, there is a dizzying number of animals. Every cat and kitten you could ever want or imagine.

So all adoptions from PSPCA for the next two weeks will be $1, instead of the normal fee of $75. Your new cat will have a veterinary check-up, spay or neuter, and a collar and tags.

And temporary fostering through "PAWS" - fostering is caring for litters of kittens until they grow to about 3 pounds each - gets kittens out of the shelter and out from under the imminent risk of death. The growth of fostering locally has been the main reason why fewer animals have had to be killed in recent years.

Look at what you have been missing...

For low cost spay/neuter: "Call the PSPCA or check out www.spayneuterphilly.com, a new outreach program to help locals find low-cost spay and neuter services, or call the new Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) new Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinic at 215-298-9680."

For fostering: "Contact PAWS Adoption Center at 215-238-9901 for more details."

For $1 adoptions: "The Cat and Kitten Super Adopt-a-thon begins Friday, June 25 and continues through Sunday, July 11. All cats and kittens will be available for $1. Adopters must fill out adoption applications, meet with counselors for application review and approval, show proof of identification and bring a copy of their lease or their landlord’s phone number if they rent so the shelter can verify if pets are allowed."

Philadelphia adoption locations and hours:
The Pennsylvania SPCA Headquarters
350 E. Erie Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19134
Monday through Friday: 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

It is my birthday, and it sounds like the city is going to end its policy of sharing access to its arrest database with ICE.

After a packed, positive community forum at a South Philadelphia church - no small thing given a little, uh, Mexico-Argentina world cup soccer game happening at the same time - Everett Gillison, deputy mayor for public safety, announced that it is expected the city will opt not the renew the ICE contract in the coming week.

This is the product of powerful community action, recognized by strong leadership with the mayor, police, and DA. I am so proud and happy.

If you haven't heard, the America Speaks town halls on the federal budget come to Philly Saturday June 26, and with them, no doubt, will come a gray reactionary band of Teabaggers calling for the end of civil society, Social Security included.

This is an election year. Media will be present. It's critical that progressive priorities are stated loud, clear, and logically at the town hall. Here, in America's hometown, we know history, so we must let the town hall and media know:

Conservatives created the deficit with two wars and tax cuts for the wealthy.

Conservatives created the economic crisis with 30 years of deregulation.

Conservatives now would crush the recovery by strangling the stimulus.

Progressive groups like MoveOn, Philly For Change, US Action, Penn Action, Neighborhood Networks, and others are organizing to make our voices heard, and especially to support Social Security, which of course has supported millions of Americans for decades.

It's important that the town hall and media know that progressive budget priorities mean jobs, a healthy recovery, and health care for all. Progressives oppose cutting programs vital to Americans, such as Social Security, especially after 30 years of handing corporations and the wealthy everything they've wanted.

Grab your coffee and head to West Philly to rally for Social Security and a Progressive Priorities!

Registration for the America Speaks Town Hall begins today, Saturday June 26, at 10:30 am at the Philadelphia Grand Ballroom, 3801 Market Street on the 3rd floor.

Our Stories Give Us Power: Guadalupe Hernandez from Center for Constitutional Rights on Vimeo.

We are still waiting on a decision whether the city will keep allowing ICE, the federal immigration enforcement agency, to access its arrest database, called PARS. (Dan wrote last week about how our DA, who got national exposure this weekend for his many other progressive ideas, may be the swing vote to change this destructive policy.)

A lot of the discussions about whether local law enforcement should assist with immigration enforcement work are pretty abstract. Some argue that once people are in the criminal justice system, they are fair game - even though being arrested doesn't mean you are guilty of any crime. And there are differing ideas and prejudices about what rights non-citizens have.

But all this is pretty academic. Immigration status is not binary ('legal,' 'illegal'). Some people are in the process of obtaining status, some families are mixed, sometimes names and arrest records get mixed or messed up.

In the real world, in Philadelphia's neighborhoods, different things become clear. In many situations, like fights and domestic incidents, people do get arrested but are never charged with a crime. Frequently even the victim or a witness can get pulled in, later released once the police work through language and other issues to figure out who the culprits really are. Victims - of theft, abuse - refuse to call police or make complaints when they think local law enforcement may be communicating with ICE.

I am hoping that the decision makers vote to end the contract to allow ICE to access the PARS database, and pull back from the broader 'Secure Communities' program. In order to effectively deal with crime, which is our local responsibility, we need to build the trust that these collaborations destroy.

The community groups Juntos, New Sanctuary Movement, and the Philadelphia Storytelling Project have created a series of testimonies showing the human consequences of these policy decisions.

And many of these groups have organized a community forum for this Sunday June 27, 2-4 pm at Annunciation B.V.M. Church at 10th and Dickinson in South Philadelphia, where people will come together to tell politicians and the city why to say no to PARS access and Secure Communities. Please come out and listen.