PHilly Needs Fixin 1
Copyright 2019 Hannah Pittel All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photographs, without permission in writing from the owner. Scanning, uploading, and electronic distribution of these materials without permission is prohibited. Temple University - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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philly Needs fixin A photographic census by Hannah Pittel
This book was created to serve as a photographic census study of Philadelphians from all areas of the city. Each Philadelphian was asked the same question: What do you think is the biggest issue facing Philadelphia? Each asnwer is unique to an individuals experience living in this city. My hope is that this project continues to be ongoing and can one day inspire change and raise awareness of issues that Philadelphians face every day.
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3:55pm, corner of Crease Street and E. Girard Avenue, Fishtown.
“The biggest problem in Philadelphia is outside investors looking to profit over our housing. It’s a specific type of gentrification.”
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Alan Ford, 46, takes a break from his contracting job in Fishtown Pa. April 18, 2019.
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Ernest Hospedale, 31, laughs with fellow firefighters in Philadelphia Pa. on April 21, 2019. 6
1:30pm, corner of Powelton Avenue and 43rd Street, West Philadelphia.
“The biggest problem we have here in Philadelphia is education. There’s a lack of funding for our public schools. There needs to be a proper allocation of resources.”
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11:58am corner of Oregon Avenue and Broad Street, South Philadelphia.
“The biggest problem in Philadelphia is that there aren’t many parks. There used to be a basketball court we used to play on right between Broad and 13th on Oregon; now it’s closed down along with a whole lot of other parks.”
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Joanna Velasco, 32, sells flowers for Easter Sunday on the corner of Oregon Ave. and Broad St. in South Philadelphia Pa. on April 21, 2019. 9
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David Craig, 53, waits for an Uber after grocery shopping in Philadelphia, Pa. on April 21, 2019.
1:00pm, corner of Broad Street and Carpenter Street, South Philadelphia.
“Well that’s a big question isn’t it? I think the biggest problem we have here in Philadelphia is the lack of parking. Either that or the NBA championship.”
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1:54pm, corner of 50th Street and Market Street, West Philadelphia.
“Crime, all types of crime. That’s our problem. It’s all bull**** around here. I just want people to get their life together and do good work.”
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Tyrone Myers, 49, stands outside a bar in Philadelphia Pa. on April 21, 2019.
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Wendy Forman, 71, left, sits on a bench with her best friend on April 24, 2019. 14
3:02pm, Rittenhouse Park, Center City.
“Well I guess just the income disparity and gentrification. When developers go into neighborhoods and put coffee shops and vegan grocery stores, the taxes go up for the people who live there. It becomes impossible for some people to stay.�
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3:23pm, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Museum area.
“Chaos, that’s the biggest for me. A lot of people don’t think like I do. There’s chaos all around us here in this city.”
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Wayne N., 53, sits on the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps on April 21, 2019.
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Daisy Suarez, 18, takes a break from class at The LINC High School in North Philadelphia on April 26, 2019.
9:57am, The LINC High School, North Philadelphia.
“A problem for me is the stereotypes and challenges I face with being a first generation American with immigrant parents. I know my education could be better but I take what I can get. Growing up in North Philly is hard, really hard.�
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3:35pm, Penn Medicine, West Philadelphia.
“Housing is extremely expensive right now. The prices have really skyrocketed up and it’s hard for people to have affordable places to live.”
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James VanVladricken, 37, an opthamologist, waits for the bus after his shift at Penn Medicine on April 22, 2019.
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Angela Trandafir, 36, enjoys the weather with friends in Philadelphia, Pa. on April 21, 2019. 22
2:59pm, Pennsylvania Avenue and 26th Street, Museum area.
“We need more bike lanes. Besides that another big one is trash. When trash day finally comes it’s spread all over the street.”
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3:17pm, corner of 18th Street and Walnut Street, Center City.
“There’s a couple of things but the biggest is probably the homeless. People also need to communicate out here more and get out of their bubble.”
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Darren Cooper, 40, awaits the arrival of hotel guests on April 24, 2019. 25
Christine Veasey, 39, enjoys the sun in Rittenhouse Park on April 24, 2019. 26
2:53pm, Rittenhouse Park, Center City.
“Just walking down the street I see homelessness is a big one. That and there are so many empty properties in Philly, we need to do something with them.�
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4:40pm, corner of 21 Street and Market Street, Center City.
“I’m in the shelter system and the biggest problem to me is they put you out on the street early in the morning, like five or six in the morning. I don’t have anything to do that early, there’s nothing to do and nowhere to go. There’s nothing to occupy an adults time when you’re homeless.”
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Derek Robinson, 50, stands on a corner in Center City on April 22, 2019.
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Joy Burke, 51, a nurse practitioner, sits outside The First Presbyterian Church of Kensington selling flowers for Easter in Philadelphia Pa. on April 18, 2019.
4:08pm, The First Presbytarian Church of Kensington, Fishtown.
“Philadelphias biggest problem is poverty. When you have inequality in things like education, groceries and housing, it creates gaps. It is so important to have access to all those things.�
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12:09pm, corner of Oregon Avenue and Broad Street, South Philadelphia.
“The biggest problem in Philadelphia is poverty. I’m a bus driver so I see all different walks of life. It boggles my mind that we’re one of the wealthiest nations in the world, yet Philadelphia sees so much poverty.”
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Ronald L. Gissendanner, 45, takes a break from his job as a SEPTA bus driver in Philadelphia Pa. on April 21, 2019.
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Lamont Cooper, 29, a North Philadelphian native, stands in front of the fire engine he drives in Philadelphia Pa. on April 21, 2019. 34
1:40pm, corner of Powelton Avenue and 43rd Street, West Philadelphia.
“The biggest problems we have are the lack of resources. There’s too much poverty in our city.”
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4:35pm, corner of 21st Street and Market Street, Center City.
“They don’t have the right type of shelters for a different mental state of mind. They combine all these people in the same room. A lot of us don’t like going in there cus’ we feel insecure and the staff don’t treat us well. I do better on the street cus’ people don’t speak to me as bad.”
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John Gore, 59, stands on a corner in Center City on April 22, 2019.
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Martina Martinas, 71, owner of an antique bookstore, sits in her storefront watching people walk by in Philadelphia, Pa. on April 18, 2019. 38
4:19pm, E. Girard Avenue, Fishtown.
“The biggest problem in Philadelphia is crime and gentrification. I don’t necessarily have a problem with gentrification because it’s just a part of progress.”
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12:50pm, corner of Broad Street and Carpenter Street, South Philadelphia.
“I think there’s a lot of tension around gentrification and changing of neighborhoods. People don’t know how to deal with it. And further than that people don’t know how to be active aorund it in positive ways. People don’t know how to talk to their neighbors and there starts to be isolation.”
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Magdalene San Millan, 30, a theatre and dance performance artist, locks her bike before going grocery shopping in Philadelphia Pa. on April 21, 2019.
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Lori Velasco, 58, rearranges flowers for an Easter sale in Philadelphia Pa. on April 21, 2019. 42
12:00pm, corner of Oregon Avenue and Broad Street, South Philadelphia.
“The biggest problem in Philadelphia is infrastructure. It’s all 250 years old! the sewers, storm drains...they’re all collapsing. I’m currently battling city hall about a storm drain that collapsed right next to my house.”
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2:15pm, corner of 13th Street and Walnut Street, Center City.
“Crime. the murder rate is much too high in certain areas. We’re lucky downtown but in other neighborhoods this is a big issue. I read the newspaper everyday and five or six people are shot.”
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William Jordan, 72, waits for the bus in Center City on April 24, 2019.
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Casey Ross, 31, waits for her bandmates for rehearsal outside Boot and Saddle in Philadelphia, Pa. on April 21, 2019.
1:08pm, Broad Street and Ellsworth Street, South Philadelphia.
“I think the biggest problem I see on a daily basis is housing insecurity and fear of housing insecurity. Feeling at risk of being priced out causes a lot of anxiety and makes it hard to live a happy life.�
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3:32pm, Eakins Oval, Museum area.
“I was just talking to my mom about this earlier. There’s a big drug epidemic in Philly. We need a safe injection space. There’s so many issues though I can’t decide. There’s homelessness. Oh, and the prisons! I didn’t realize the city owns the prison here. We need to focus on reducing mass incarceration and cut the intake of inmates.”
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Brett Nedelkoff, 27, sits across from The Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 21, 2019.
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Cindy Ellis, 58, plays with her dog in Philadelphia Pa. on April 18, 2019.
11:48am, Corner of Oregon Avenue and Broad Street, South Philadelphia.
“The biggest problem in Philadelphia is that there’s no more catholic schools. A lot of them closed down due to lack of funding and the tuition got so high. All these charter schools opened up and people send their kids there now.”
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12:23pm, Third Baptist Church, corner of Broad Street and Ritner Street, South Philadelphia.
“I think economically we are kind of scattered. As far as diversity, we are pretty good in that area. But we need to have a solid platform to address issues concerning the city across all socio-economic areas.�
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Thelma Scottbrunson, left, a senior, moved to Philadelphia Pa. forty years ago from South Carolina. She is currently an adminastrator for state government. Scottbrunson and her friend relax on a bench after Easter services on April 21, 2019.
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Matthew Demarco, 23, canvasses in Center City on April 24, 2019.
2:26pm, corner of Walnut Street and Broad Street, Center City.
“Homelessness is a big issue. We don’t do anything to help them or we do so little. There needs to be more awareness of it.”
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3:00pm, Rittenhouse Park, Center City.
“I guess with everything going on right now with our federal government I’m concerned with voting. The commissioners have chosen to use a new voting machine that a lot of highly regarded people say do not have a paper trail and are difficult to track. I keep a notebook and I call my senators and representatives every day about something. I just want there to be opportunities for everyone to be able to vote.�
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Cynthia Schiff, 69, enjoys the sun in Rittenhouse Park on April 24, 2019.
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Ajay Jones, 54, reads the newspaper at 30th St. Station on April 22, 2019.
4:05pm, 30th Street Station, West Philadelphia.
“The opioid crisis is huge and it creates homelessness. There’s so many problems though I didn’t really know where to start.”
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2:20pm, corner of Broad Street and Walnut Street, Center City.
“The first thing that came to mind was our problem with homelessness. I don’t necessarily know if there’s enough being done about it.”
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Naasik Fuller, 27, relaxes during a work break on April 24, 2019.
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Chet Wichowski, 74, sits outside in Center City on April 24, 2019.
2:39pm, corner of 17th Street and Walnut Street, Center City.
“Well let’s put it this way, we have a horrible public education system. This gets in the way of economic development and it gets in the way of potential for an awful lot of kids. This all contributes to poverty. It’s all connected.”
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3:52pm, Brewerytown Garden, corner of Masters Street and 27th Street, Brewerytown.
“I think it’s the lack of funding and resources that go into public works and schools.”
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Shivin Love, 38, watches as her son plays in their local community garden on April 21, 2019.
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Lamont Lee, 70, enjoys the weather with his neighbors in Philadelphia Pa. on April 21, 2019.
1:58pm, corner of Peach Street and Market Street, West Philadelphia.
“Taxes, all of em’.”
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2:40pm, corner of 18th Street and Walnut Street, Center City.
“The thing I just thought of is ridiculous. There isn’t enough parking downtown. Or reasonably priced parking I should say.”
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Gianna Graham, 19, plays violin with her friend on April 24, 2019.
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Todd McConnell, 37, reads in Rittenhouse Park on April 24, 2019.
3:12pm, Rittenhouse Park, Center City.
“Bike lanes is a huge problem for me. We need more of them and the police need to enforce driving laws regarding bikers.�
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2:33pm, corner of Sydenham Street and Walnut Street, Center City.
“Maybe the wealth disparity and poverty. We have the highest poverty rate of any large city in America. Everything else kind of falls from that. If we can take care of the poverty we can take care of a lot of other issues that stem from it.�
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Paul C., 58, enjoys a cigar and espresso in Center City on April 24, 2019.
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Haynie A., 36, waits for a friend to pick her up on April 25, 2019 in Philadelphia Pa. 74
6:10pm., corner of 16th Street and Parrish Street, Fairmount.
“Crime is huge here. I got mugged in broad daylight in Old City right on the corner of 2nd and Market. Thankfully all they did was take my phone, it was terrifying. Philadelphians need to be careful when they walk around.�
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4:48pm, corner of 21st Street and Market Street, Center City
“There’s no communication between the people here. We’re divided.”
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Julius Allen, 29, is calmed down by a friend on April 22, 2019 in Philadelphia Pa.
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Justin Deutsch, 41, addresses his high school classroom at the LINC school in North Philadelphia Pa. on April 26, 2019.
9:15am, The LINC High School, North Philadelphia.
“Our biggest problem we have in Philadelphia is the lack of funding and resources for public education hands down. This is the direct cause for many other issues in Philadelphia. It’s hard to see all these kids trying their hardest with the hand they’ve been dealt and it’s heartbreaking.”
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2:46pm, Rittenhouse Park, Center City.
“Spending the city’s money and putting it into unnecessary stuff and not into the schools.”
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Chris Nieves, 27, spends time with friends in Rittenhouse Park on April 24, 2019.
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Michael Sanders, 54, works on his car in Philadelphia Pa. on April 21, 2019.
2:09pm, corner of Market Street and Ruby Street, West Philadelphia.
“I have kids so I got a lot of problems. I don’t like the schools so I’m trying to get them into the suburbs for their schooling. Kids, they just grow up too fast here. There’s things like rap and drugs they’re exposed to. I have four girls and I’m petrified to send them to school here at West Philly High.”
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These are things that there are solutions to. We know what we need to do to fix them, we just don’t do them.
These are things that there are solutions to. We know what we need to do to fix them, we just don’t do them. 84