And how are you so sure of this "bust". Any proof?

Look that establishment has been the hot topic in the neighborhood for several months and no I have never seen the actual transaction of cash for substance in a little baggie. I have seen guys pull up in a car go inside the door and leave 5 mintues later in a hurry.

Right after that place opened there was a constant crowd of at least 6 thugs hanging outside the door - doing anything but making efficienct use of valueable recording studio time - all evening from about 6:00 pm till midnight.

The news of the "bust" was second hand but came from someone who talks to the 18th Police district on a daily basis and works for a very prominent Penn-affiliated neighborhood improvement district.

After the bust, the activity seemed to pick up again for while and has since dramtically curtailed. I heard about a second surprise police visit and since then the actual "recording studio" seems to have folks around possibly actually working on their rap recordings but no clique of 6 thugged out dudes on cell phones hanging and partying for hours on end outside the door of the place.

Whether the guys who run the studio have decided to tighten ship on maybe some "recording talent" who never stop running their side business or whether the guys who run this place are themselves involved in the drug trade but have decided to keep a lower profile these days with all the neighborhood focus on the place, I don't know. All I can say is that since I walk past this place a least 3 times a day, I am happy they don't seem to be running the place so that it looks exactly like a full-time drug operation currently. Its been fairly quiet since the weather's gotten colder and as a neighbor I am very happy about that.

So what's the name of the recording studio? What's their set-up? I'm a musician who's spent a fair amount of time in recording studio's myself in my youth and sometimes an amateur engineer for various West Philly punk bands. Tell us a little about the set-up inside 704 S. 49th St.

Hot topic for several months? Seems like it your the only one really talking about it and calling the cops everytime you see people hanging out in front of the place with detailed descriptions of the place.

You say you seen cars pull up and leave in a hurry? I'm sure that they weren't leaving in a hurry if they had drugs on them. It would just make a reason to get stopped by the police and if they were in there for that reason, they wouldn't want that.

When I was in there I didn't see any drugs in foresight but I did realize that at least one person in there was high and tell me, don't drugs and rap music go hand in hand? I doubt that they are selling them from this location but I am sure that they are consuming them.

If you want to know about the set-up inside, go ask your buddy who informed you on the "bust". I'm sure whoever told him/her can enlighten them on the inside.

Well, I haven't seen this Recording Studio, so I can't comment firsthand on what activity takes place there, but I wish everyone had the concern and dedication that Sean puts into his neighborhood. True, standing outside a store is no reason to call the cops...but if people are acting reasonably suspicious, there should be no harm done in checking things out. If there is nothing there, then so be it.

__________________
- George -

http://www.barackobama.com

Jon B you seem very defensive about this place. I know that the local neighborhood civic association has discussed the transactions going on in this place extensively. I know that neighbors from the houses on the 700 block of 49th have complained to the police, to the neighborhood civic association and to Councilwoman Blackwell's office directly. I know that a number of people other than myeslf in the neighborhood have discussed shutting this place down directly with the Councilwoman herself. I know that various parties in the neighborhood are talking about approaching the owner of the pharmacy who owns the building to ask them to not renew the lease for 704 S. 49th St. I think that besides neighbors, the neighborhood civic association, the Councilwoman's office, Rep. Jim Roebuck's office (which remember is basically one short block away from 704), the local Police Dep't and from what I have heard many of the church folks from Beaulah Tabernacle (and the neighboring daycare center operated by Beaulah) are all concerned and aware of sketchy activity coming out of 704 S. 49th St.

Jon B, I have not seen a sales transaction go down but I have seen folks who clearly came out of 704 S. 49th St. go around the corner and into the lot behinds the stores on Pentridge to smoke something that probably was not pot in a glass pipe with an extra heigh flame on the lighter. What do you think was going on? I asked again tonight at a community meeting, just to be sure, and had it confirmed definitely that there was a police raid with multiple arrests at 704 S. 49th St. late summer/early fall. Genereally the police do not make such raids if they don't first succesfully execute an undercover buy.

So are they using ADAT's or going directly into ProTools on a computer? How many tracks on the mixing board? From the posters on the door they seem doing exclusively rap and there is hardly room in that space for a drum isolation booth, much less a full band and control room so I assume all the music is coming from a rack of synths and samplers. What kind? I've done fair amount of drum programming myself, actually. The hip-hop tool of of choice is an Akai MPC sampler/sequencer but a real studio would have probably at least a couple of keyboard synths minimum as well as a fair amount of outboard rack gear as well. Is that what you saw inside 704 S. 49th?

Why would anyone who had invested a bunch money in recording gear encourage a crowd of guys to drink 40's and talk on cell phones at all hours just outside of a door that stays consistantly cracked open with fairly constant coming and going from apparent strangers? I'm sorry but that just doesn't make sense to me. Its a crummy work environment for anyone who might be paying in the range of say $30/hr (and up) to actually make recordings. Real recording studios don't encourage hangers on who might steal or break gear and who clearly do not contribute to making contructive use of studio time. Do these guys rent studio time to the public? I've never seeen a flyer or an ad in the back of City Paper advertising their services.

Please tell me more about the recording studio.

Like I say, since the weather has gotten cold there has been a dramatic reduction in the almost non-stop scene going on outside the door of 407 S. Baltimore so maybe they have been working on building an actual recording studio business recently but that was pretty clearly not what was going down this summer/early autumn.

Sean was--as I understand his actions--acting not as judge jury and executioner but as a concerned citizen. He reported suspicious behavior. If you're right, Jon, and there was nothing untoward going on, then I'm sure they had a good laugh with any investigating officers about the misunderstanding and went back about their business.

I've only driven by a couple of times and didn't notice anything particularly nefarious---annoying, but not nefarious. Still, I gotta say I think Sean is both cautious and savvy enough to be able to tell if something not quite right is going on--besides, consuming drugs is still a crime and it would have been nice of the owner to let, say, Cedar Park Neighbors know what was going on there. Could've saved himself a police raid at the least. Also, if they are consuming drugs there are they bringing them with or is someone delivering to them?

__________________
I went to the territory to renew my supply of stories.

Elbow Room
----James Alan McPherson

Look if I am under a huge misperception about the whole nature of what has been going on at 704 S. 49th in the not too distant past, I am hardly alone in my opinion. I don't think its letting the cat out of the bag that it was fairly widely circulated in various community email chains that there was a police bust there on Oct. 12th with several arrests. I was actually personally encouraged to still my chatty fingers about the subject so as not tip the police's hand around that period but was told in no uncertain terms that the police were aware of the spot and monitoring the situation.

If the guys running that place want to begin a neighborhood relations campaign to show that they are running a legit business operation now, never mind Cedar Park Neighbors, they should start by reaching out to immediate neighbors all along 49th, Pentridge and Florence, to Rep. Jim Roebuck's office, to Councilwoman Blackwell's office, to the UCD, and especially to the 18th Police Dist. When I said 704 S. 49th St. was a "hot topic" of discussion I did not mean here on PhillyBlog.

The lease on that space I've been told says its a "carpet cleaning business/recording studio" but after quizzing neighbors, noone has ever seen carpet cleaning equipment coming or going from the place even once. If Jon B really did go inside and have a look-see at a working set-up of electronic recording gear at that address, I will say I am pleasantly surprised. Please, please elaborate. Again it would be nothing but a pleasant surprise to hear that was in fact the case.

That said, whatever type of business they operate at that adress, they seem to be doing a much more discrete job of it lately and I strongly encorage them to continue to do so. If Jon B thinks I am the only person with concerns about this place, I have to give fair warning that he is dead wrong in that perception.

Two teens held in armed robbery west of campus
Police say suspects had BB guns resembling handguns near 45th St.
By andrew whitney
December 2, 2005



Two young suspects were arrested Wednesday following an armed robbery to the west of campus.

Penn Police Deputy Chief of Investigations Mike Morrin said that a 25-year-old male University of the Sciences student was walking on the 4500 block of Chester Avenue at about 8:45 p.m. when two juveniles -- a male and a female -- approached him, showed guns and demanded money. This is the second time in a week that a group of young teenagers has been arrested for attempting to rob a Penn student.

The robbers took a wallet and a backpack containing a cell phone and MP3 player. After they fled, the victim flagged down a nearby University City District safety ambassador, explained what had happened and gave descriptions of the suspects.

The safety ambassador was able to disseminate "flash" information on the suspects to all Penn and Philadelphia police officers in the area.

Penn officers responded to the scene. Although the crime occurred outside of their patrol zone, Penn Police often respond to nearby crimes, Patrol Capt. Joseph Fischer said.

Two plainclothes Penn officers near the intersection of South 46th and Regent streets saw a two people fitting the descriptions. The officers identified themselves and stopped the men, but the suspects fled on foot. After a pursuit, Penn officers stopped the male suspect at 46th and Regent streets, while Penn and Philadelphia police caught the female suspect at 46th and Reinhard streets.

Both suspects are 14 years old and reside in Southwest Philadelphia. Police are withholding their identities because they are juveniles.

When police arrested the suspects, each was allegedly carrying a BB gun that looked similar to a 9-millimeter handgun.

The robbery victim positively identified each suspect.

Officers found the stolen backpack nearby on the 4500 block of Kingsessing Avenue and recovered all of the possessions intact.

Police transported the teenagers to the Philadelphia Police Department's 18th District headquarters at 55th and Pine streets.

The teens are charged with robbery, theft, receiving stolen property and possessing an instrument of crime.

The male suspect was also charged in connection with a robbery that occurred around 1:40 a.m. Wednesday at the intersection of 45th and Regent streets.

In that incident, two women, 24 and 25 years of age, were walking on Regent Street when the teen allegedly approached them and grabbed a cell phone and a bag containing clothing from them. The 24-year-old victim is a Penn staff member.

No one was injured in either incident.

Morrin said that police are still investigating the possibility that the suspects could be connected to other recent crimes in the area.

Fischer lauded the efforts of police in capturing the suspects. "Our officers have been relentless," he said. "They are sending a message that we're not going to allow violence to occur in and around our patrol area."

Morons. I live really close to where this happened. I carry my REAL 9mm on me most of the time and if these kids were to do this to me, they would had been shot by me. Just sad to say that they could die because of something so stupid.