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07-20-2007, 09:45 PM
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That sounds like a plan. 
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I'M4KYOTO.RU? http://helpbuythebeer.org/imgs/Liberal-Definition.gif Lyndon Johnson in 1960 explained the appeal of racial demagogy: "If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you." 
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07-21-2007, 12:12 AM
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Jannie originated the plan to move the YSC to 48th and Haverford. She introduced the idea to rename it the Thurgood Marshall Study Center (which I still think should be the name of the law library at Temple, not kiddie jail). She wrote the bills for the city to take the land for the purpose of building at 48th at Haverford. She worked to get funding for improvements to the land and surveying that has already been completed years ago. The only thing stopping the new YSC from going forward is rezoning the property. Jannie is holding this up for an ever changing list of poltical demands, mainly having to do with her poltical "clout". Originally it was because she did not like Street's plan to reorganize the Redeveloment Authority. Jannie heads the board of PHA and she is also a big fan of steering smaller redevelopment projects to friends, contributors and allies. In her district she wields the power of eminent domain like a hammer and she does not want to lose any advantage she might have in the urrent configuration of the RDA to steer redevelopment projects in her district through. Then she added her objection to Rendell's (and other's) plan to privatize operations over at our main water treament facility for sewage to the list. She says its to protect city union jobs at the sewage treatment center but it should be noted that she played a significant roll in a scheme to extort funds from a private contractor who hauled away the "solid waste" sludge that gets produced at the end of the water treatment process. Basically corrupt Muslim cleric Shamsud-din Ali used his clout with Blackwell to shake down the hauler and he was convicted and just sentenced to jail for the extortion. The FBI had wiretaps of conversations between Ali and the hauler (as well as in other cases with some of the most bloodthirsty drug distribution rings in this city) and were able to convict him of extortion. Blackwell never got charged but clearly if it was extortion she was the "club" used to get the extra money after the hauler. The hauler refused to pay before a private meeting with Ali, himself and Blackwell. After the meeting with Blackwell, the hauler paid up. Blackwell at that time headed the City Council committee that oversaw the Water Dept. To me at least it seems pretty obvious that if the Feds had gotten a recording of the conversation between Blackwell, Ali and the hauler, Blackwell would also be facing Federal charges herself - but they didn't and she isn't. She was however Ali's main "character witness" on his behalf at his Federal trial. The reason the rest of City Council won't go against Jannie is because of "councilmatic priveledge". Each district councilperson pretty much has absolute say over their district. They extend a tremendous ammount of influence over zoning decisions in their district and they can stop or start eminent domain proceedings at the RDA basically with a phone call. Noone will go against her "councilmatic priveledge" lest someone else go against theirs. Councilman Kenney is correct that the Barnes move can still go forward even without Jannie changing the zoning on the 48th and Haverford site - sort of. What they would do is temporarily move the YSC to some other site, most likely an overflow adult holding facility in North Philly. Some estimates for the extra cost to tax payers just to take over the other site and retrofit it to taxpayers is $7-10 million, others say it may go higher. Beyond that Philly's adult jails are chronically overcrowded - a judge recently ruled them "unconstitutionally" so. Losing the adult facility will exacerbate this problem. Other say the temporary facility will lack space for basic things required by the YSC - like sufficient classrooms for the kids to actually "study", for example. The city is reluctant to completely bail on Jannie and her frequently changing demands and find another permanent site because they have already invested so much into the 48th and Haverford site that would go down the drain. She waited to exactly the moment they were most over a barrel financially to play hardball with the project. Thread about Shamsud-din Ali -> http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/showthread.php?t=6972 Exact reference with quotes from the Daily News for the bit with Blackwell and Ali shaking down the waste hauler-> http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/sho...5&postcount=11 Some threads about Blackwell and the YSC-> http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/showthread.php?t=38549 http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/sho...d.php?p=507616 http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/showthread.php?t=17575
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Barack Obama on security, Iraq and Afghanistan. We need a Commander in Chief who knows the differences between Shii'a and Sunni.
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07-22-2007, 03:01 PM
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Hate to break it to you, psano, but the only way for you not to fund this crap is to move out of the city AND take a job outside it as well. Otherwise, you're chipping in for these shenanigans along with all the rest of us.
BTW, let's assume for sake of argument that the relocation to the YSC site doesn't go through because of this (even though it's been made clear that the current YSC will be demolished for the Barnes to move there even if a new permanent home hasn't been built yet). The Philadelphia area will not "lose" this museum -- it already has a home in Merion. I can't imagine that our civic solons and deep pockets would be so petty as not to raise funds to keep it in operation at its original, intended location should something queer the move.
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Sandy Smith, Exile on Market Street, Philadelphia “Basically I figure guns are like gays: They seem a lot more sinister and threatening until you get to know a few; and once you have one in the house, you can get downright defensive about them.” --Theresa Neilson Hayden
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07-22-2007, 05:31 PM
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Beyond all that, even if the Barnes wasn't coming to Philadlephia the current YSC is well beyond due for replacing, both for the safety of the kids incarcerated there and for the safety of the people who work there.
Its current location is an unsafe, decaying, poorly laid-out facility and the City of Philadlephia should be able to do better for the kids we put into it. Check out this eye-opening article from 2004, well before there was even a murmer of the Barnes moving to Philadlephia. Jannie Blackwell had actually pushed for the 48th and Haverford site as an improvement on the sub-par YSC facility before anyone even had an inkling of moving the Barnes to the city. Now she has just waited till she had city by the balls to try negotiate for random other things she wants. Making a newer safer YSC has been something the city should have already done for a long, long time. http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/view.php?id=7469
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Barack Obama on security, Iraq and Afghanistan. We need a Commander in Chief who knows the differences between Shii'a and Sunni. Last edited by seand : 07-22-2007 at 05:35 PM.
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07-22-2007, 06:07 PM
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Youth Study Center Controversies Go Back A Long Way
In 1973, freshman state repesentatives Lucien Blackwell and David P. Richardson ran a major investigation of the Youth Study Center, prodding them to make improvements. Nearly 35 years later, the center still most likely has problems: there just is not the political will or political cause to publicly demand major changes.
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Improving government for the average citizen Thanks for electing Mark Cohen Delegate to the Democratic National Convention From the First Congressional District Supporting Barack Obama.
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07-22-2007, 06:43 PM
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07-24-2007, 10:19 PM
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There has to be more to this story.
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07-24-2007, 10:37 PM
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But yes, technically another councilperson can put forth the zoning. No one will though.
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