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2017 Live Jazz Fridays in Cedar Park is here!

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2017 Live Jazz Fridays in Cedar Park is here! Sponsored by Cedar Park Neighbors Fairmount Park Conservancy Holly Mack-Ward & Co. Philadelphia Federal Credit Union Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Spak Group Dock Street Brewery VIX Emporium University City Review and Baltimore Avenue Business Association.

Thank you to the Cedar Park Neighbors' Jazz committee including chair Renee McBride Williams, Monica Allison, and Jo Ann Fishburn!

2017 Jazz Flyer 2  2017 Jazz Flyer Cedar Park Jazz

18th Police District Town Hall Report Back

Newsworks On Monday, May 15th, more than 50 neighbors joined Cedar Park Neighbors, Cobbs Creek Neighbors, Garden Court Community Association, and Walnut Hill Community Association for a town hall meeting with representatives from the 18th Police District to discuss the 2014 shooting of Philippe Holland. We appreciate that so many neighbors took time out to attend and have their voices heard on this issue. We thank  Deputy Police Commissioner Robin Wimberly, 18th District Captain Gregory Riley, and 18th District Community Relations Mike Davis for their attendance and answering of neighbors’ questions.

Key Findings

  • The District Attorney’s office declined to charge officers Mitchell Farrell and Kevin Hanvey criminally, and is the city office solely responsible for making such determinations.
  • The Philadelphia Police Department (PPD)’s internal Use of Force Review Board (UFRB) concluded that the officers violated department policy but did not specify a punishment for the violation.
  • The PPD’s internal Police Board of Inquiry (PBI) found the officers did not violate the policy prohibiting officers from shooting at moving vehicles. Police Commissioner Richard Ross overruled the PBI’s finding and suspended them for 25 days without pay.
  • In 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a report on the PPD’s use of force.  This report cited exactly this type of internal conflict between the UFRB and the PBI. While the PPD has implemented 61 of the DOJ’s 92 recommendations, it has yet to take action on the DOJ’s recommendations that the dual boards be dismantled and their duties integrated into one board.
  • The police union, the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), has indicated that it intends to file grievances to overturn the officers’ punishments and recoup their lost wages.
  • The officers received counseling, and were retrained and evaluated by the PPD before returning to street duty.
  • In response to the April 28th letter from CPN, CCN, GCCA and WHCA, the PPD transferred the officers to the 3rd Police District in South Philadelphia, and the 8th Police District in Northeast Philadelphia. The PPD believes that any further changes to the officers’ work assignments could be interpreted as additional punishment and may trigger additional union grievances.
  • Information on Officer Involved Shootings is posted to the PPD’s website and available to the public at https://www.phillypolice.com/ois/
  • Body cameras are in beta testing in the 22nd Police District and are being expanded into the 25th Police District.

Next Steps For Our Organizations

  • Contact Councilman Curtis Jones, chairman of City Council’s Public Safety Committee, regarding the city’s current civil service arbitration negotiations for the union contract with the Fraternal Order of Police. The new union contract is to be negotiated in arbitration in July.
  • Contact District Attorney’s office for more information as to why criminal charges were declined.
  • Contact the Police Advisory Commission for more information on the implementation of the DOJ’s remaining recommendations.

Resources for the Community: Upcoming Meetings

18th Police District Community Meetings

  • Police Service Area -1 Meeting, Wednesday, June 7th, 6:00 p.m., 6130 Cedar Avenue
  • Police Service Area - 2 Meeting, Tuesday, June 13th, 6:00 p.m., 5510 Pine Street
  • Police Service Area - 3 Meeting, Thursday, June 15th, 6:00 p.m., 4740 Baltimore
  • Captain's Townhall Meeting, Tuesday, June 20th, 6:00 p.m.,  5510 Pine Street

Police Advisory Commission Meetings

The Police Advisory Commission (PAC) is overseeing the implementation of the remaining DOJ recommendations and will issue a report updating on that progress. PAC meetings are open to the public and held on the third Monday of each month at its office (990 Spring Garden St, 7th Floor), or at community centers, churches and other locations throughout the city. Check for details at  http://www.phila.gov/pac/Pages/default.aspx

Resources for the Community: News Coverage & Background Info

YouTube: Police Leadership in 18 district (30 minutes of the town hall meeting)

Newsworks: Dozens of residents protest Philly officers' return to duty

DOJ: Collaborative Reform Initiative - An Assessment of Deadly Force in the Philadelphia Police Department

Philly Police: Officer Involved Shootings

Philly Police: Review Process for Officer Involved Shootings

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Getting to Know Cedar Park Houses of Worship

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Houses of Worship
Getting to Know Cedar Park Houses of Worship (FB Event Page) Date: Thursday, May 25 Time: 6:30 PM Location: People’s Baptist Church, 5039 Baltimore Avenue
Have you ever walked by a house of worship in Cedar Park and wondered what went on inside? What do they believe? Who are their members? How do they live out their faith in the community?

Cedar Park Neighbors and The People's Baptist Church are hosting a townhall called "Everything you always wants to know about the houses of worship in your Cedar Park neighborhood."

Houses of worship are such vital parts of our neighborhood and we know that many neighbors want to get to know better the places of worship here in our neighborhood.

Come hear from members from 1. People's Baptist Church 2. Hickman Temple A.M.E. Church 3. Calvary United Methodist Church 4. Kol Tzedek Synagogue 5. West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship 6. Renewal Presbyterian Church

The panel will be moderated by someone on the board of Cedar Park Neighbors, and each panelist will be asked about the history of their house of worship, what makes their service unique, and how their community is involved in the world.

We will then have an opportunity to have questions and answers from the audience.

We look forward to seeing you!

Michael Froehlich, Cedar Park Neighbors board member Rev. Eric Goode, Senior Pastor, People's Baptist Church and Cedar Park Neighbors board member

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Gary Bronson Memorial Scholarship Fund Update - Scholarship Applications Now Available!

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Cedar Park Jazz

Update: the Cedar Park Neighbor's Gary Bronson Memorial Scholarship Fund is approaching 90% of our 2017 fundraising goal! Click here to donate and help us reach our goal to match last year's award numbers and amounts!

On to the scholarship applications! Each year, Cedar Park Neighbors is proud to award several scholarships to neighborhood students to help pay for college expenses.

Complete applications packs must be received at scholarships@cedarparkneighbors.org by 5p.m. on June 15, 2017 to be considered. Only students living within Cedar Park are eligible to apply. Not sure if you live within our boundaries? Click here for a map of our boundaries. Awards in the past ranged from $650 to $1,300 so don’t miss your opportunity!

If you are a NEW applicant, download the 2017 application by clicking here.

If you have received a scholarship in the past and are re-applying for the new year, down the 2017 RENEWAL application by clicking here.

Email us at scholarships@cedarparkneighbors.org with any questions!

Town Hall Discussion with the 18th Police District about the Philippe Holland shooting

Event: Town Hall discussion with the 18th Police District regarding the Philippe Holland shooting (FB Event Page)Time: Monday, May 15 from 6:30-8:00pm (followed by CPN's monthly board meeting) Location: Chapel at Calvary Community Center at 48th and Baltimore Avenue (Enter from 48th Street entrance)

Cedar Park Neighbors, Cobbs Creek Neighbors, Garden Court Community Association, and Walnut Hill Community Association are co-hosting a community wide meeting town hall to discuss the 2014 shooting of Philippe Holland by police and reinstatement of the two 18th District police officers involved in this incident. More information on this tragedy is provided in the letter and links below. Deputy Police Commissioner Robin Wimberly, 18th District Captain Gregory Riley, and 18th District Community Relations Mike Davis have been invited to join the community meeting. This meeting will reiterate our concern about these officers still patrolling the streets currently in neighborhoods of South and Northeast Philadelphia, understanding the process for investigating/potentially prosecuting these incidents, and the mechanisms the Police District has to improve communication to the community.

This town hall meeting will be moderated by the participating community organizations. We will begin with a 10 minute introduction and followed by 20 minutes for the Deputy Police Commissioner and District Captain to speak to the community. We will conclude with one hour for questions from community members. We hope everyone's questions will be addressed at this town hall.

Our group letter of concern to the 18th District is posted below in addition to background stories of the Philippe Holland shooting, the historic $4.4 million dollar settlement, the reinstatement of the officers to our community, and press about our complaint.

cpn ltr re holland shooters 1 pg
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Update: 2017 Gary Bronson Memorial Scholarship Fundraiser!

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At Dock Street 2017 Thank you to the more than 50 neighbors who came out to Dock Street on a sunny beautiful afternoon for our 10th Annual Gary Bronson Memorial Scholarship Fundraiser on April 23! We are additionally grateful to Mable Bakali and Andrew Kulasegram-Wilson, two of 2016’s TEN scholarship award recipients, who were able to join us and share the genuine impact these funds and community support have had on them and their studies.

These scholarship funds exemplify the spirit of neighbors helping neighbors! To date, this year’s mean donation is $90, and 77% percent of our donors live in Cedar Park with an additional 10% coming from other West Philadelphia neighborhoods. We have raised approximately 80% of the funds necessary to match last year’s award numbers and amounts. Donate to help us reach our goal! Donations of any amount are appreciated! Sponsor level donations with opportunities for recognition remain available.

The 2017 Gary Bronson Memorial Scholarship application will be posted online later this month to be due mid-June. Please check back with us and help to distribute the application widely to any neighborhood youth who may be eligible.

Finally, please mark your calendar for Friday, July 14th for the Gary Bronson Memorial Scholarship award ceremony in Cedar Park at 49th and Baltimore. The ceremony will take place during the 7:00 p.m. set break for the evening’s Cedar Park Live Jazz Friday concert. In addition to presenting the scholarship awards to recipients, we will also be recognizing our sponsor level donors. Want to add your name to the sponsor list below? Make a donation now.

Sustaining Neighbor Sponsor

Fleming Family Fund

Benefactor Neighbor Sponsor

Fred Wolfe, Jr.

Philadelphia Federal Credit Union

Patron Neighbor Sponsor

Amara Rockar & Mustapha Berkshan

Ana Lisa Yoder & G. Anthony Lapp

Claudia B. Hamilton-Ruffin

Duwayne Terry & Julia Katz Terry

Jacques-Jean Tiziou

Jesse Fuchs-Simon

Lisa Mitchell

Melani Lamond, Urban & Bye, Realtor

Philadelphia Federal Credit Union

Ryan Godfrey

Susan Kay Weiler

Friendly Neighbor Sponsor

Alfred C. Airone & Carolyn J. Kelly

Brad Wayland

Brandon Alcorn

Camden Segal

Darryl Bundrige

David Hincher & Mara Hincher

David Wengert

Debra L. Detweiler & L. George Detweiler

Elizabeth K. Sands

Jeff Lutzner

Joyce A. Brock

Kelly J. Ryan

Lewis Baum

Linford D. Martin & Marcella J. Zimmerman

Louis N. Tannen & Catherine C. Carr

Margaret Dowling

Mark McGuire & Jo-Ann M. Verrier

Maureen Tate & Gerald McHugh

Michael Froehlich

Michael W. Jennings & Alfred A. Giosa

Scott Geryk & Nancy Geryk

Patricia J. Lavelle

Patricia Warner

Sharon Smith & James Smith

Suzanne Banning Anderson & Kelvyn Anderson

Cedar Park Neighbors 2017 annual membership meeting and board elections

Cedar Park Neighbors’ annual meeting will be on Monday, April 17th at the Calvary Community Center at 48th & Baltimore. We will have our board elections as well as guest speakers discussing tenant/renter's rights and tax relief programs for home owners. Additionally, committee members will be speaking about our upcoming annual Gary Bronson Memorial College Scholarship Fundraiser and an Earth Day park event.

Doors open for board elections at 6:30 p.m. with program beginning at 7:00 pm. More information on board candidates is available in our Spring newsletter.

CPN annual memberships run from January to December each year. That means that unless you've recently joined or renewed your CPN membership, you're probably not a current member. ("Probably" since some people pay several years in advance.)

Join or renew your membership right now by going to our MemberPlanet site. It's fast. It's secure. It's easy. And annual memberships start at just $7/year (for seniors, students, and the unemployed.)

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CPN's Annual Gary Bronson Scholarship Fundraiser

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Cedar Park Jazz CPN's Annual Gary Bronson Scholarship Fundraiser Event will be held on Sunday, April 23 from 4-6pm at Dock Street Brewery (701 S. 50th Street). Tickets can be purchased at:

Buy tickets

The Gary Bronson Memorial Scholarship Fund supports young adults living in Cedar Park who are committed to pursuing higher education. This scholarship provides them with both mentorship and financial support to help them be successful in their post-secondary endeavors.

Sponsorship and donation opportunities are also available! Those can be made at:

Make a donation

Please contact scholarships@cedarparkneighbors.org with any questions.

Run for election to the 2017 Cedar Park Neighbors board of directors!

Are YOU interested in serving your community as a member of the board of Cedar Park Neighbors (CPN)? Are you a renter, homeowner or business owner? Are you a long-time resident or a recent transplant? People of color, women, men, trans and gender non-conforming people, queer people, people with disabilities, elders and young people are encouraged to run. If you live or work in Cedar Park and are dedicated to improving our community, please participate in your neighborhood board!

We’re looking for a few new members of the Board for two-year terms that start on June 1, 2017.

If you’re interested, please email David Hincher by Friday, March 10.

And please join us for elections at our annual meeting on Monday, April 17th at 7pm at the Calvary Center at 48th & Baltimore. (More details to come…)

CHCS

Responsibilities of Cedar Park Neighbors Board Members

Cedar Park Neighbors is the recognized community organization for the Cedar Park neighborhood. As representatives of the community and the organization, CPN Board Members behave in a responsible, accountable organization, promoting the general welfare of the community.  The basic responsibilities of a CPN Board Member are:

  • Participate in monthly two-hour CPN Board Meetings (usually held the 3rd Mondays of the month from 7:00-9:00pm at the Calvary Center at 48th & Baltimore.)
  • Join a Committee (Scholarship, Zoning, Holiday Basket, Jazz, Development Impact, Block Organizing, Membership, or start one that you feel is needed!)
  • Encourage neighbors and friends to join CPN and participate in CPN activities
  • Maintain your membership

Please note that in order to stand for election as a CPN board member or to vote in the elections, you need to be a current CPN member.  You can join (or rejoin) CPN by going to the following.

Cedar Park Neighbors, West Philadelphia