Pr 922 p

Vol. XIII No. 39

Issue 922

September 28, 2017

“The good things we do must be made a part of the public record”

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CATTO STANDS TALL WHERE’S THE MONEY? P. 3 TIN KNOCKERS ON A ROLL P. 8

SCULPTOR Branly Cadet poses at the unveiling of his monument to civil-rights hero Octavius Catto at City Hall Tuesday, flanked by re-enactors Cpl. Robert Houston and Greg Harris. Photo by Wendell Douglas

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PhilaPort Breaks Monthly Cargo Records

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hilaPort achieved its highest monthly record for total cargo tonnage in several categories last month.

Its CEO, Jeff Theobald,

credited the port’s highly productive labor force, the marine-terminal operators and an improved perception of the port for the increased tonnage.

“As we continue to upgrade our infrastructure and improve our systems, the word is getting out. That’s why shippers are choosing PhilaPort as their preferred

City of Philadelphia Public Hearing Notice The Committee on Streets and Services of the City of Philadelphia will hold a Public Hearing on Tuesday, October 3, 2017, at 3:00 PM, in Room 400, City Hall, to hear testimony on the following items: 161105

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An Ordinance amending Chapter 10-700 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Refuse and Littering,” by expanding the reward program for the provision of information regarding short dumping and revising penalties for refuse and littering violations, under certain terms and conditions.

An Ordinance authorizing Michael and Alexis Birnbaum, LLC, (“Owner”) to install, own and maintain an exterior metal staircase and planter encroachments at 1714-20 S. 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148 (“Property”), under certain terms and conditions.

An Ordinance establishing a parking regulation on Germantown Avenue, west side, W. Phil-Ellena Street - Westview Avenue.

An Ordinance amending Chapter 10-700 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Refuse and Littering,” by further amending Section 10-719, entitled “Penalties,” to conform with legislation recently enacted by the General Assembly, all under certain terms and conditions.

An Ordinance amending Chapter 12-3000 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Use Of An Automated Red Light Enforcement System To Prevent Red Light Violations,” by authorizing the installation of red light enforcement systems at the intersection of Rising Sun Avenue and Levick Street, all under certain terms and conditions.

An Ordinance authorizing the plotting upon City Plan Nos. 146 and 271 of two rights-of-way for sewer and drainage purposes and the striking from said City Plans and abandoning of all or portions of four other rights-of-way for various utility purposes, all lying within the area southeast of Delaware Avenue and northeast of Ellen Street, and authorizing acceptance of the grant to the City of the said rights-of-way being plotted, all under certain terms and conditions.

An Ordinance amending Section 9-204 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Sidewalk Vendors in Center City,” by eliminating previously designated vendor locations in Center City; all under certain terms and conditions.

An Ordinance authorizing Mark Melini, (“Owner”) to install, own and maintain various pedestrian enhancement encroachments at 701-39 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106 (“Property”), under certain terms and conditions.

An Ordinance amending Chapter 12-2400 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Towing and Immobilizing of Parked or Abandoned Vehicles,” and Chapter 12-2800 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Administrative Adjudication of Parking Violations,” by adding provisions for the payment of fees and charges for, and the recovery of, vehicles from areas marked by temporary no parking signs in spaces which otherwise permit on-street parking; all under certain terms and conditions.

Immediately following the public hearing, a meeting of the Committee on Streets and Services, open to the public, will be held to consider the action to be taken on the above listed items.

Copies of the foregoing items are available in the Office of the Chief Clerk of the Council, Room 402, City Hall.

Michael Decker Chief Clerk

port,” said Theobald.

The previous record for total monthly tonnage was reached back in May of 2017, when 625,935 metric tons were handled.

In the important container-cargo segment, the old record was 50,152 TEUs, which was achieved in January 2017. Container volumes are recorded in 20-foot equivalent units.

Containers are used to transport consumer goods such as televisions and clothes, refrigerated food cargoes and sensitive or valuable industrial goods such machine tools and parts. The total tonnage of the cargo PhilaPort’s August containers was 376,517 metric tons, which also constituted a new record.

Another new monthly volume record was broken in forest products. Several PhilaPort facilities handle this renewable resource, including the Philadelphia Forest Products Center (Penn Warehousing & Distribution), Tioga Marine Terminal (Delaware River Stevedores) and Packer Avenue Marine Terminal (Greenwich Terminals).

Leading categories include paper, pulp and lumber.

The former record for forest products was set

back in September 2016, when 108,980 metric tons crossed the docks.

“We are proud that we can increase cargo volumes while working on our Port Development Plan.

Our goal is to minimize disruptions to customers while we construct the infrastructure necessary to improve the Port, and so far, we are achieving the goal,” said Greg Iannarelli, PhilaPort senior director of business development.

This year, PhilaPort has been a leader in growth rates among U.S. Northeast ports.

Supply-chain professionals list a number of factors to account for the Port of Philadelphia’s impressive growth: rising awareness of the port; shipper frustration with congestion and delays at competing ports; and the growing number of large distribution centers in the Lehigh Valley and Southern New Jersey – close to the Port and its completed terminal improvements already increasing productivity.

PhilaPort Director of Marketing Sean Mahoney concluded, “In order to reach Gov. Wolf’s targets for the port, we need to keep growing volumes. August’s numbers show we are heading in the right direction.”

Philly POPS Had a Swinging Ball

The Philadelphia Public Record (PR-01) (ISSN 1938-856X) (USPS 1450) Published Weekly Requested Publication ($20 per year Optional Subscription) The South Philadelphia Public Record 325 Chestnut St., Suite 1110 Phila. PA 19106 Periodical Postage Paid at Philadelphia, PA and additional mailing office POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to: The Public Record 325 Chestnut St., Suite 1110 Phila. PA 19106 (215) 755-2000 Fax: (215) 525-2818 editor@phillyrecord.com EDITORIAL STAFF

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City&State PA LLC 325 Chestnut St. Philadelphia PA, 19106 215-490-9314 L-R, TONY RICCI, CEO of Parx Casino; Bob Green, chairman of the Parx board; Mayor Jim Kenney; Sal DeBunda, outgoing chairman of the Philly POPS board; and Marc Oppenheimer, chief marketing officer of Parx. Parx Casino is the sponsor of the Philly POPS’ 39th anniversary season. They were a big presence at the Bellevue Thursday night, September 14, for the ball honoring outgoing Philly POPS chairman DeBunda. The mayor praised especially the community performances of the POPS orchestra and the POPS in Schools program.

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Civil-Asset Forfeiture: Where Does the Money Go?

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es, other records obtained

by City&State PA and Philly Weekly reveal the office has long loaned out forfeited cars to its office personnel. Cars – not unlike Geiger’s seized Buick – are routinely doled out to top deputies for work use, as take-home cars and, in one case, even as a plaything for the district attorney himself.

These perks are in addition to those that staff already enjoy, like dedicated downtown parking spots, free gas and repair work – all courtesy of Philadelphia taxpayers.

Yet even this unprecedented disclosure appears to represent only a fraction of the city’s civil-asset forfeiture proceeds. In reports submitted annually to the Pennsylvania attorney general, the DAO previously claimed to have spent between $2 million and $7 million in forfeiture funds each year – at least $5 million more than shown in the budget documents delivered to City&State PA and Philly Weekly. Officials declined to explain the multimillion-dollar discrepancy, despite multiple requests for comment.

Innocent victims of the forfeiture machine are often forced to pursue a complex legal process just to win back their own property – and few have the resources or wherewithal to bother. In the pursuit to reclaim his vehicle, Geiger ended up joining six other victims in a class-action suit against the city with the help of the Institute for Justice.

Attorneys at the Virginia-based nonprofit depict civil-asset forfeiture as one of the greatest threats to property rights in the nation today. Under the Trump administration, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has sought to expand the practice’s already-widespread use.

In 2014, federal authorities notoriously seized $5 billion – more than was reported stolen in burglaries nationwide, (Cont. Page 9)

7 Things You Must Know Before Putting Your Philly Home Up for Sale

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As this report uncovers, most homesellers make 7 deadly mistakes that cost them literally thousands of dollars. The good news is that each and every one of these mistakes is entirely preventable. In answer to this issue, industry insiders have prepared a free special report entitled “The 9 Step System to Get Your Home Sold Fast and For Top Dollar”.

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Get your free special report NOW to find out how you can get the most money for your home.

This report is courtesy of Larry Levin, Coldwell Banker Preferred. Not intended to solicit buyers or sellers currently under contract. Copyright © 2014

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has refused to disclose – even to City Council members – exactly what it does with the millions in sometimes-ill-gotten gains confiscated through civil-asset forfeiture. But now, long-hidden financial documents obtained through a Right-to-Know request filed

by City&State PA and Philly Weekly outline nearly $7 million in secretive expenditures, spanning the past five years.

The records depict a slush fund for DA and police spending that runs the gamut from the mundane to the downright bizarre, all enabled by laws that empower police to seize property from individuals sometimes merely suspected of criminal activity. In one instance, the forfeiture “bank” helped top off the salary of a former DA staffer who once served as campaign manager to now-jailed former District Attorney Seth Williams. (The office maintains these expenses were appropriate and eventually reimbursed.)

Other forfeiture dollars paid for at least one contract that appears to have violated City ethics guidelines – construction work awarded to a company linked to one of the DA’s own staff detectives. (The DAO said it is now conducting an “internal investigation” into these payments.)

With little need to concern itself with public scrutiny, the DAO’s clandestine revenue stream also paid for much more: $30,000 worth of submachine guns (equipped with military-grade laser sights valued at $15,000) for police tactical units; a $16,000 website-development contract; custom uniform embroidery; a $76 parking ticket; $1,000 in raccoon-removal services; a push lawn-mower; a pair of outboard motors; and tens of thousands in mysterious cash withdrawals – along with thousands of other expenses.

While the DAO liquidates many of the assets it seiz-

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BY RYAN BRIGGS AND MAX MARIN N A CHILLY night in 2014, Nassir Geiger left his house an innocent man with a 2000 Buick LeSabre and $580 cash in his pocket – his paycheck for the week. He drove to a nearby McDonald’s for a late-night snack. By the time he returned home the next morning, Philadelphia police would take all that away.

“I was scared,” Geiger recalled. “I had never been to jail before.”

Geiger’s only “crime” had been seeing a familiar face in the Northeast Philly McDonald’s parking lot. As he paused to say hello to a co-worker from the City’s Streets Department, he drew the attention of undercover narcotics police. Two plainclothes officers, suspecting the harmless interaction had been a drug deal, followed Geiger on his way home.

Brandishing their firearms, they charged his car. After the stop, Geiger watched helplessly as one officer confiscated his wages, while another hopped into his Buick and sped away.

Except there were no drugs to be found. And Geiger, a longtime sanitation worker with no criminal record, would never be charged with a crime. But thanks to the city’s controversial civil-asset forfeiture program, he would still go to jail for the night and leave the next morning, penniless and on foot.

In the name of ongoing narcotics investigations, civil-asset forfeiture allows Philadelphia police to seize millions in cash, cars and homes each year from ordinary citizens, even when charges aren’t brought. But what happens to these assets after seizure – and eventually funneled into secretive municipal bank accounts – remains one of the biggest mysteries in Philadelphia law enforcement.

For more than two decades, the District Attorney’s Office

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Philly Sheds Light on Voting by Aliens

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POLS on the STREET

BY JOE SHAHEELI ITY Commissioner Al Schmidt has made a prominent contribution to a hotly debated national controversy over how many immigrants vote illegally in U.S. elections.

A study conducted by Schmidt’s office found 220 non-citizens “who were registered to vote in Philadelphia at some point between

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Representative

Vanessa Lowery Brown 190th Legislative District

2006 and 2017,” reported City Commission’s lone Republican member. Of them, 90 “voted in at least one election.”

Schmidt further identified the cause of most of these improper votes – 168 of them – as “motor voter” registrations initiated by PennDOT when legal immigrants applied for a driver’s license.

“I expect that, after conducting a statewide crosscheck, a far greater number of voter-registration and voting irregularities of this nature will be identified,” Schmidt concluded. As Philadelphia has one-eighth of the state’s population, one may predict around 1,600 improperly registered immigrants in Pennsylvania.

Schmidt was careful to distinguish between registration irregularities and

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2901 ISLAND AVE. STE 100 PHILADELPHIA, PA 19153 (215) 492-2980 FAX: (215) 492-2990 ---419 CHURCH LANE YEADON, PA 19050 (610) 284-7335 FAX: (610) 284-5955 6630 LINDBERGH BLVD.

2103 SNYDER AVENUE PHILADELPHIA, PA 19145 (215) 755-9185 FAX: (215) 952-3375 ---SENATE BOX 203008 HARRISBURG, PA 17120 ROOM: 11 EAST WING (717) 787-5970 FAX: (717) 772-0574

“Paid for with Pennsylvanian taxpayer dollars”

State Senator

Sharif

Street

1621 W. Jefferson Street Philadelphia, PA 19121

511 West Courtland Street Philadelphia, PA 19140

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Anthony Hardy Williams

a whole.

Regardless, Schmidt called for the Pennsylvania Department of State to undertake a thorough examination of this problem. He said he was “very encouraged by the response he

197th Legislative District Office

184th District 1531 S. 2nd Street

State Senator

COUNCILWOMAN Blondell Reynolds Brown, C, rallied with a coalition of Pennsylvania environmental activists outside the Environmental Protection Agency’s Philadelphia office to urge President Donald Trump to preserve clean-water standards. She was joined by repre4sentatives from PennEnvironment, American Rivers, Trout Unlimited, Appalachian Mountain Club, PennFuture, Clean Water Action, the National Parks Conservation Association and Coalition for the Delaware River Basin. Reynolds Brown chairs City Council’s Environment Committee. Photo by Leona Dixon

Emilio Vazquez

William Keller 1435 N. 52nd St. Phila. PA 19131 (215) 879-6615

Blondell Appeals for Water

State Representative

State Rep.

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voter fraud. There is no evidence that anyone either in PennDOT or among the immigrant community was organizing a plot. Voter registration is a human activity, subject to human error.

Non-citizens who are told by officials they may register to vote are likely to take the officials’ word for it, Schmidt pointed out.

Schmidt found the Philadelphia irregularities peaked in 2008. We are not, then, seeing an uptick in this problem here.

Once registered, those in question are about as likely to vote as citizens – not too likely, that is. Their turnout rate was just 41%.

Their party registrations also don’t show a pattern.

Their distribution as Democrats, Republicans, independents and others roughly matches that of the city as

215-227-6161

Monday-Thursday 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Friday 8:30 - 2 p.m.

State Rep. Jason

has received to date” by that agency.

“The current voter-registration process at PennDOT is both harmful to election integrity and to members of the immigrant community seeking citizenship,” Schmidt affirmed.

Butko vs. Kenney: Grudge or Plan?

City Controller Alan Butkovitz has ramped up his attacks on the Mayor’s Fund City Commissioner

Dawkins

Lisa M.

District Office: 4667 Paul St. Philadelphia, PA 19124 (215) 744-7901 M. – Th.: 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

F.: 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Room 132 City Hall

Deeley Philadelphia PA 19107

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State Rep.

Councilman

Mark

Joanna E.

Squilla

McClinton 191st Leg. Dist.

6027 Ludlow St. Unit A Phila., PA 19139

1st District City Hall Room 332

T: (215) 748-6712 F: (215) 748-1687

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Room 506 City Hall P. 215-686-3446/7 F. 215-686-1927

Represintative

Angel Cruz

District Office 3503 ‘B’ St. 215-291-5643 Ready to Serve you

Boyle

198th District

310 W. Chelten Ave.

172nd Dist.

7420 Frankford Ave. Phila., PA 19136

Phila PA 19148

P: 215-849-6426

215-331-2600 State Rep.

John

Donna

(R) 177th Dist.

4725 Richmond St. Phila., PA 19137

195th Leg. Dist.

2835 W. Girard Ave Phila, PA 19130

215-744-2600

D-185th District 2901 S. 19th St. Phila PA 19145 P: 215-468-1515 F: 215-952-1164

Greenlee

Kevin J.

Youngblood

Taylor

Donatucci

Councilman Wm.

State Rep.

Rep. Rosita

STATE REP.

Rep.Maria P.

for Philadelphia by asking Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro “to take all appropriate actions” to investigate the $12 million, city-run nonprofit.

This follows a campaign of several months in which Butkovitz complained that $800,000 of Mayor’s Fund expenditures could not be properly documented.

“The unsupported transactions and the obstinate (Cont. Next Page)

Bullock T: (215) 684-3738 F: (215) 235-4629

City Councilwoman Cherelle L. Parker 9th District City Hall, Room 577, Philadelphia, PA 19107

215-686-3454 or 3455

www.phlcouncil.com/CherelleParker

Facebook: CouncilwomanCherelleLParker Twitter: @CherelleParker9

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(Cont. From Prev. Page) behavior by the Mayor’s Fund to provide essential records have raised several red flags and warrant the review of the State Attorney General,” Butkovitz stated.

Mayor Jim Kenney’s spokespersons have consistently denied any wrongdoing or impropriety in the Mayor’s Fund. Many of the items challenged by the controller date back to Mayor Michael Nutter’s administration, with whom Butkovitz also sparred.

This is, indeed, the job of the controller. Like the district attorney, the controller is never elected in the same year as the mayor or city council members. This ensures that they never run on the same ticket with other public officials whom they may be charged to investigate.

But Butkovitz will not hold this post for long. He was beaten by Rebecca Rhynhart in last spring’s Democratic primary, so he has only three months left to pursue this cause officially.

That raises the question of Butkovitz’s plans for 2018. He shows no inclination to disappear from public life. On another major political hot potato, the Sweetened Drinks Tax, he has staked out a strong position attacking its revenue shortcomings and its impact on city businesses.

This has already made him the most prominent foe of the incumbent mayor in public life.

When Butkovitz returns to private life in January 2018, he will have a year to scope out a possible primary challenge in 2019. Alternatively, he could spy an opening in a state office (he once served in the House of Representatives) and launch a campaign in the spring primary.

(Cont. Next Page)

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POLS on the STREET

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Woodruff Takes a Ride On Presidential Tweets

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Casey up, Trump Down in Latest F&M Poll

The latest Franklin & Marshall Poll brings good news for U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.). His approval rating reached a new high of 45%, with 17% strongly favorable and 28% somewhat favorable. Voters also said that Casey was doing an “excellent” or “good” job, to the tune of 37%, compared to 42% saying he is doing a “fair” or “poor” job.

Not stellar numbers, to be sure. But at least voters know who Casey is. The F&M poll found his primary potential opponent, Congressman Lou Barletta (R-Luzerne) is little known to 68% of the state’s voters.

Barletta has been a prominent advocate for President Donald Trump since early in the latter’s 2016 campaign. For better or for worse, he will be seen as a stand-in for Trump in 2018.

And although Trump carried Pennsylvania in 2016, the F&M poll found his support dipping as of Sept.

18. Of Keystone State voters, 53% said Trump is doing a “poor” job, while only 29% said he is doing an “excellent” or “good” job.

Gov. Tom Wolf’s approval rating chugs along at 36% favorable. The good news for the incumbent: His “strongly favorable” rating jumped

from 12% to 16%. The bad news: His “strongly unfavorable” rating soared from 19% to 36%. That may become a tool for his Republican adversaries next year, provided the electorate should find out who they are.

Woodruff Sides With NFL

It’s rare for a statewide judicial candidate to be able to take a free ride on a hot topic. But Pittsburgh Judge Dwayne Woodruff, who is running on the Democratic ticket for Pennsylvania Supreme Court, happens also to be a former Pittsburgh Steeler.

As President Trump floods Twitter with posts condemning National Football League players who kneel in protest during the national anthem – stirring entire teams to respond by kneeling or locking arms in solidarity – Judge Woodruff speaks with unusual authority on this subject.

And speak he did. “This past Friday, the leader of our country made disparaging comments, which only serve to push our country to become more divided and ultimately penalizes our 1st Amendment rights under the Constitution,” Woodruff said in a statement.

Woodruff, an African American, said the NFL players were acting in the tradition of the struggle for civil rights.

“The history of our country records the courageous efforts by people we now consider heroes, such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Muhammad Ali and Rosa Parks; they endeavored against great opposition, to gain/preserve rights and freedom for current and future generations. We must continue to be a country united in justice and equality for all,” Woodruff said.

Last weekend, the Pittsburg Steelers players remained in the locker room during the national anthem, except one. Alejandro Villanueva, a former Army Ranger who was deployed in Afghanistan, stood in the entrance tunnel with hand over heart during the National Anthem.

Teachers Union Endorses a Green Party Candidate

Jules Mermelstein, a Green Party candidate for Superior Court, was endorsed by the Pennsylvania State Education Association in his run.

“I am honored and humbled that PSEA, an organization of people serving the public through the education and health fields, has chosen to endorse me as their first third-party candidate for a statewide race.

As someone dedicated to public service, this endorsement means a great deal to me,” Mermelstein said.

Please join us in saluting Italian American Community!

Columbus Day Special Issue Next week - Oct. 5th Call Melissa Barrett 215-755-2000 Ext. 5

MARK your CALENDAR Sep. 28- State Rep. Pam DeLissio hosts Senior Expo at Roxborough Memorial Hosp., parking lot, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. rain or shine.

Sep. 28- State Rep. Joanna McClinton, State Sen. Anthony Williams & Lt. Gov. Mike Stack host “Pathways to Pardons & Expungements” at Myers Rec. Ctr., 5800 Chester Ave., 4-8 p.m. Resource fair on clearing records of minor past convictions. Free. For info: 215)492-2980.

Sep. 28- Councilman Derek Green hosts Cock-

tail Reception at Time, 1315 Sansom St., 5-7 p.m. Tickets $250, Supporters $500, friends $750, Hosts $1,000.

Payable to “The Green Fund,” P.O. Box 4984, Philadelphia, PA 19119.

RSVP: Kelly Bauer kbauer1122@gmail.com.

Sep. 28- State Rep. Jordan Harris hosts Town Hall Mtg. at Greater Phila.

Health Action, 1401 S. 31st St., 6 p.m. Legislative developments, Q &A For info: (215) 952-3378.

Sep. 28- Green Party of Phila. holds Membership Mtg. at Shissler Rec Ctr., 1800 Blair St., 7 p.m. Free a& open to the public. For info: (215) 843-4256.

Sep. 28- City Commissioner Al Schmidt hosts Fundraiser at Hop Angel Brauhaus, 7980 Oxford Ave., 6-8 p.m. Contributions $40. Payable to “Friends of Al Schmidt,” P.O. Box 18538, Phila., PA 19129.

Sep. 30- State Rep. Jason Dawkins hosts Community Health Fair at 4900 bl.

N. 5th St., 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Flu & shingles vaccines, health tests & fitness activities, giveaways. For info: (215) 744-7901.

Sep. 30- State Sen. John Sabatina, Jr. hosts Picnic at Cannstatter Volksfest Verein, 9130 Academy Rd., 12-4 p.m. Tickets $20, Candidates $100, Sponsors $1,000. RSVP: (215) 821-7606 or re.elect.johnsabatina@gmail.com.

Oct. 1- St. Nicholas of Tolentine Ch. Hosts Italian Festival & Procession of Saints at 1700 block S. 9th St., 12-9 p.m. Rain or shine. Free parking at Neumann-Goretti H.S., 10th & Moore Sts. For info: Rev. Nicholas Martorano (215) 463-1326.

Oct. 1- Councilman Mark Squilla hosts “Eagles vs.

Chargers” at Toll Man Joe’s, 26 E. Oregon Ave., 4-7 p.m.

Hail Mary Pass $2,500, Touchdown $1,000, Field Goal $500, General Admission $100. Payable to “Squilla for Council,” P.O. Box 37332, Phila., PA 19148 or

NOT ONLY Puerto Ricans of the diaspora paraded down the Ben Franklin Parkway last Sunday. Two state senators, Tina Tartaglione, seated, and Sharif Street, marched front and center to send a message that stateside Puerto Ricans and all Americans stand behind their fellow citizens of that devastated island. Photo by Bill Myers

online MarkSquilla.org. For info: Brittany@lperrygroup. com or (215) 893-4281.

Oct. 2- DA candidate Beth Grossman is hosted Olde City Fundraiser with Councilman David Oh at Han Dynasty, 123 Chestnut St., 6-8 p.m. Donations $50.

Oct. 3- Pa. Conference for Women features Michelle Obama as Keynote Speaker at Pa. Convention Ctr., Broad & Arch Sts. Oct. 6- State Sen. John Sabatina hosts Senior Expo at Nat’l Guard Armory, 2700 Southampton Rd., 10 a.m.1 p.m. Refreshments. For info: (215) 695-1020.

Oct. 6- Sheet Metal Workers Golf Tournament at Northampton Valley C.C., 299 Newtown-Richboro Rd., Richboro, Pa., registration 12 m., shotgun start 1 p.m.

Lunch, dinner, prizes. Golfers $100, Hole Sponsors $250.

Checks payable to “Local 19 Scholarship Fund.” For info: (215) 952-1999.

Oct. 6- Councilman David Oh hosts Green Beret Foundation Fundraiser at

Saigon Maxim Restaurant, 612 Washington Ave., 6-10 p.m. Guests include Gov. Ed Rendell & House Speaker Mike Turzai. Buffet dinner with live entertainment, auctions & raffles. Platinum $10,000, Gold $5,000, Silver $2,500, Bronze $1,000. Tickets $65, table of 10 $500. Payable to “Green Beret Foundation,” David Oh, City Ha. Rm. 319, Phila., PA 19107.For info: Donald Tippett (215) 686-3452.

Oct. 6- St. Casimir Ch. hosts Designer Bag Bingo at EOM, 144 Moore St., 7 p.m. 10 rounds; wine, cheese & desserts. Tickets $30 in advance, $35 at door. For info: Marge Petronis (215) 462-0464.

Oct. 7- United Republican Cl. hosts Shrimp Night at 3156 Frankford Ave., 7-11 p.m. Shrimp, hoagies, meatballs & more. Tickets $30.

Oct. 8- Americans for Democratic Action S.E. Pa. hosts Awards Celebration at USciences, 45th St. & Woodland Ave., 6-8 p.m.

Honoring civic leaders, community advocates and change agents. Gold Partners $1,000, Silver Partners $500, Bronze Partners $250. Payable to “Americans for Democratic Action SEPA,” 1735 Market St., Su. A495, Phila., PA 19103 or www.adasepa.org/partner.

For info: (215) 923-6865.

Oct. 12- State Rep. Angel Cruz hosts Police Recruitment Drive at 3503 N. B St., Unit 7, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

For info: (215) 291-5643.

Oct. 12- State Sen. Larry Farnese hosts Job & Career fair at Sheet metal Workers Ha., 1301 S. Columbus Blvd., 10 a.m.-2 p.m. 40 employers, résumé clinic, continuing-education programs. For info: (215) 9523121.

For Further Listing See “Calendar” Online At www.phillyrecord.com

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ORE than a week after Hurricane Maria dealt a devastating blow to Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands via torrential rain and winds that topped 150 miles an hour, it seems like relief efforts are moving with the speed and efficiency of an antique oscillating fan.

There are many reasons for the glacial momentum and mobilization to help the millions of U.S. citizens on these islands, once so lush with greenery before the storm, now starkly denud-

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as we have done for other disaster-afflicted communities. We saw it in force on Sunday at the Puerto Rican Day Parade; we see it in the organizing efforts of local politicians like state Rep. Angel Cruz and City Councilwoman Maria Quiñones Sánchez, and community nonprofits like Concilio’s Unidos Pa’ Puerto Rico – “United for Puerto Rico.”

And now, we need them to see us. It’s not enough to change your Facebook profile to a Puerto Rican flag.

It’s not enough to tweet thoughts and prayers. It’s not enough to assume that an understaffed FEMA will take care of everything.

It’s time to put our money where their pain is.

To donate through Unidos Pa’ Puerto Rico, call (215) 627-3100 or go to elconcilio.net.

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On an Island The News in Black & White

ed studies in brown. Damage to airports and docks meant journalists couldn’t get boots on the ground to report on the savagery of Maria. Damaged telecom infrastructure meant loved ones couldn’t get word out to family and friends of what they were enduring.

And a government focused on other hurricane recovery efforts – and base-friendly distractions – has only this week begun showing real signs of interest in helping our fellow citizens in their hour of need.

That’s why the city’s Puerto Rican community, some 121,000 strong, is marshaling its forces and resources to help the island’s 3.4 million residents – and why every Philadelphian, indeed, every American – should be doing as much and more to help our island brethren

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Tin Knockers on a Roll Against MS

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With the UNIONS

CHARITY is a huge component of organized labor. This team of Sheet Metal Workers cyclists, the Tin Knockers Militia, raised $12,000 as part of the Bike MS City to Shore two-day race, to support research into muscular dystrophy. Local 19 is all about smart use of muscles.

SE P T E M B E R 28 , 2017

L-R, A FAMILY runs with its star: Diane Silcox, wife of Tin Knocker Eric Silcox; Diane Silcox’s mother Roseanne Hartley; Diane’s sister Maria; and rear, Patricia Bush (married to Tin Knocker Bryan Bush), Bryan’s sister, Jacqueline Kinkade; Tin Knocker Local 19 member Darryl Williams; and Ron Bush’s wife, Tabitha.

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BRYAN BUSH, a Tin Knocker cyclist who holds down a day job as assistant business manager at Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 19, gets ready to run the 2-day adventure to help muscular dystrophy with his brother John – to Atlantic City and back.

THESE Sheet Metal Workers were ready to roll!

The Ouroboros Budget Even top city administrators who oversee key aspects of the Philadelphia District Attorney and Police Department’s budgets have long been kept in the dark about the forfeiture budget. The DA’s Office alone holds the purse strings to this discrete fund, which it splits with the PPD through a “60/40” arrangement. Finance documents show that, in practice,

baggies, wiretapping expenses, hundreds of thousands in cellphone and internet bills for staffers. Yet in numerous instances, expense records suggest the Philadelphia DAO bent the limits of these uses and covered its tracks to comply with threadbare regulation

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police get far less: about 27% of forfeiture revenues.

Asked by City Council during 2016 budget hearings to describe the nature of City forfeiture revenues, then-DA Williams pointedly declined to answer.

“The Forfeiture Act of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania really prohibits the district attorney from sharing with municipal funders what those totals are, out of the fear that municipal governments will de-fund prosecutors and law enforcement across the state for that,” he said.

It’s a dubious statement, Tack-Hooper says.

“There is definitely nothing in Pennsylvania’s forfeiture law – either the new version or the previous version – that requires DAs to keep their forfeiture practices or revenues secret,” she said.

There is, however, a statute dictating this money is only supposed to be used for drug enforcement, community policing efforts, witness relocation and blight mitigation.

Indeed, a great deal of money appears to be spent on investigative costs: evidence

contracting guidelines. While 9 officials insist there is a “multistep approval process for all goods and services purchased with civil-asset forfeiture funds,” they could not provide any other details.

Due to its controversial seizure of people’s homes, the DAO has become a major property owner. As a result, (Cont. Page 10)

SE P T E M B E R 28 , 2017

(Cont. From page 3) according to a report from the Institute for Justice. Meanwhile, big cities like Philadelphia continue to cultivate their own forfeiture juggernauts with little scrutiny.

Critics doubt whether the DAO and police can be trusted to administer the current, opaque bank accounts at all.

“There is no democratic check on how law enforcement uses forfeiture funds, and no oversight by any politically accountable body. The current law places very few restrictions on how they can use that money,” said Molly Tack-Hooper, of the Pennsylvania ACLU.

ers. They were spending it on military-style weaponry in a department that should be less militarized,” said Democratic DA candidate Larry Krasner, a longtime critic of asset forfeiture, who has suggested that if elected, he would hand over forfeiture proceeds to the city’s general fund.

Forfeiture expenditures do not follow the city’s typical

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– using virtually none of its forfeiture income to bankroll drug and crime-prevention programs, according to its own annual reports.

“There is a need for community policing, for drug treatment programs, for safe injection sites. But they weren’t spending it on any of that – they were spending it on machine guns and lawn-mow-

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DAO Takes Free Ride With Confiscated Cars (Cont. From Page 9) it has spent about $184,000 on sealing and maintaining this real-estate portfolio. One of its building contractors, NorthEast Construction Inc., is owned by April Slobodrian, the wife of DA staff detective Joseph Slobodrian – despite city employees being barred from benefiting, directly or indirectly, from city contracting.

Joseph Slobodrian joined the DAO in 2012, after spending many years stationed in North Philadelphia’s drugplagued 25th Police District.

Since then, his wife’s company has won at least $14,000 worth of home repair contracts for properties managed by the DAO’s forfeiture unit. On Slobodrian’s own online resume, he lists himself as a manager at NorthEast Construction.

He did not respond to a request for comment, although a relative acknowledged Slobodrian’s involvement with

both the DAO and NorthEast Construction.

“In light of your suggestion that he ‘serves as a manager at Northeast Construction LLC,’ we are now conducting an internal investigation to see if that is true, and if it is, we will take the appropriate action,” DA spokesman Cameron Kline said.

However, the Mayor’s Office, the Police Department and the DAO declined to answer specific questions about the unvetted contractors paid through forfeiture accounts.

Citing the ongoing class-action lawsuit filed by Geiger and others, the city offered only praise for the oversight purportedly enforced by the two prime beneficiaries of forfeited assets.

“Expenditures made during the timeframe you asked about involved a system of checks and balances between the police department and

the District Attorney’s Office,” said Andrew Richman, chief of staff for the city solicitor.

“Part of this oversight included making sure that expenditures made from the narcotics account had a nexus to narcotics enforcement.” Yet how much went toward actual narcotics work remains unclear.

Spending from this stream more closely resembles an ouroboros – a snake eating its own tail – as almost half the money brought in seems to have been funneled back toward costs associated with the forfeiture program itself.

Some $2.2 million was paid in salaries between 2012 and 2016 – scarcely enough to cover the costs of nine attorneys who staffed the DA’s two forfeiture offices during those years. Another $217,000 went to car repairs or to maintain or seal the properties it has seized over the years. Another $192,000 went to other

law enforcement agencies that assisted with drug raids.

Some $120,000 was spent to lease a garage on State Road for the storage of seized but yet-to-be-auctioned vehicles.

More than $14,000 was used for cash-counting machines to bundle street money. A suburban courier company called MedEx Logistics was paid $70,000 out of forfeiture accounts to handle related subpoena services – notifying people that their property was being seized by law enforcement. Some $30,000 went to internal “audits.”

Still more was paid to Barry Slosberg & Co., an auction house that helps liquidate some of the private property seized by the DA. It billed anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000 monthly in unspecified “advertising costs.”

“When forfeited property is sold at auction, there are also advertising costs associated

with the auction,” Kline said.

“The amounts vary as the need and frequency of advertisements in the Philadelphia media market varies.”

The Campaign Manager Forfeiture accounts also paid large sums in the form of a salary for lawyer Bryan Lentz between 2011 and 2013. A former state representative and respected attorney specializing in white-collar crime, Lentz had managed Williams’ failed 2004 campaign for the office and remained a loyal supporter throughout the now-disgraced former DA’s political ascent. The relationship may have prompted Williams to select Lentz to fill a lingering vacancy at the city’s Regional Gun Violence Task Force in late 2011.

Similar task forces across the state are funded by the state attorney general and ad-

ministered by county DAs, with the aim of sweeping illegal guns off the streets. For reasons still unclear, Williams directed his finance department to cover Lentz’s salary with money from the forfeiture account – some $275,000 over approximately a year and a half, cutting untaxed biweekly checks that were stamped “Drug Forfeiture Account.”

Lentz says he didn’t know where the paychecks were coming from and could not recall his exact salary.

The DAO affirmed Lentz’s salary was later reimbursed.

Joe Grace, a spokesperson for Attorney General Josh Shapiro, noted the DA is permitted to exercise his own discretion in how to pay for these personnel costs.

The DAO also refused to explain why Lentz was compensated in such a manner, but Kline insisted a predecessor (Cont. Page 13)

EVERYDAY PEOPLE

BY DENISE CLAY HAT IS the plan?

That’s the thought I had in my head as I got on the bus last Friday to head to Washington, D.C. for the Congressional Black Caucus’s annual Legislative Conference.

After years of avoiding this gathering because I heard more about the parties than I heard about the substance, I decided to head to D.C. for this year’s gathering because I wanted to see how the CBC was adjusting to the Trump Era.

W

CBC to get past the Republican firewall that Trump has in the House of Representatives.

While Trump hasn’t been all they wanted him to be as president, he has the chance to be Speaker of the House Paul Ryan’s best friend if he signs one of those “starve your granny” budgets he’s always passing and a tax cut that’ll allow Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to get his wife a bunch of Birkin bags.

I got a better idea of what the plan might be through the workshops I caught.

Securing voting rights for folks was a big part of it. So was drilling down on issues like mass incarceration, health care and involving young people.

That said, I was hoping for more. The 2018 midterms are around the corner and people need to pay attention to that.

I hope the Congressional Black Caucus understands that. Because it has to.

BY JOE SHAY STIVALA TATE REP. Vanessa BROWN made news in the dailies again. Reporters say her case has been delayed three years. And that it is unprecedented. WAKE UP! Precedent is not important; should it be expressed to PLEASE THEM? Does justice HAVE A TIME LIMIT? Reporters say during these three years she has voted on 1,100 bills. Is the reader supposed to GASP at that point? How long have the reporters lived in Ameri-

S

CITY HALL SAM

D

EMOCRATS need to connect on veterans’ issues. Many Democrats served in the military but it seems Republicans get all the credit or identification for fighting for our fighting men and women.

JUDGE PAT DUGAN has served as a judge advocate general and as an infantryman in Afghanistan and Iraq. He started the first Veterans Court in all of Pennsylvania. He has had amazing success presiding over the Veterans Court in Philadelphia. The recidivism rate for veterans

Consultant Eleanor DEZZI 11 was on hand.

A newspaper feature said that the U.S. learned the wrong lessons from Vietnam. WRONG – it is the lack of institutional memory that plagues government and the military. Ask a reporter commenting on war where they served IN UNIFORM…. A lot of omissions in the Burns VIETNAM series, including non-mention of Communism.

JUDGE WALTER OLSZEWSKI got unfairly zapped in the press twice over the same adoption case regarding placing a child with either a blood relative or one who is no relation.

Judge “O” did not place the child; it was placed in a dependency hearing by another judge. In matters of adoption, the rights of both blood relative and nonrelative are evenly balanced and consideration of all evidence is reviewed. What is (Cont. on Page 12)

who go to Veterans Court is roughly 1/5 the regular rate of repeat offending. Dugan, of course, is a Democrat.

There are now 20 veterans courts across Pennsylvania. LT. GOV. MIKE STACK has a task force for veterans and is trying to bring veterans courts to the entire commonwealth. He is also a Democrat. JUSTICE DEBORAH McCLOSKEY TODD is the key person on the Supreme Court for veterans’ issues. Her husband, JOE, served for decades as an army reservist and is a Desert Storm veteran. She has been working with Stack and Dugan to make sure that all the issues that those who serve suffer are given the best possible attention.

The key person on the Supreme Court before Justice Todd was SEAMUS McCAFFERY, who retired. Justice McCaffery also made it a point to visit the Veterans Guard at Graterford Prison to stay present. Graterford

is a really tough prison but has a number of lifers who are part of the military Veterans Guard. These prisoners still maintain a military structure and discipline and meet regularly.

One of them, THURMOND BERRY, had a life sentence commuted. The Pennsylvania Board of Pardons, chaired by Stack, voted unanimously to release Berry from prison. Berry attends Pathways to Pardon workshops on a regular basis as an inspiration to people trying to clean up their criminal record.

STATE SEN. ANTHONY WILLIAMS and STATE REP. JOANNA McCLINTON will be joined by Stack to host a Pathways to Pardons event this week at Myers Recreation Center in Southwest Philadelphia.

Stack will also join STATE SEN. ART HAYWOOD for a Pathways to Pardon event at LaSalle University this week.

(Cont. on Page 12)

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I also wanted to figure out if the CBC, a group of legislators that represent people who have no time to waste on dumb stuff, had a plan for the 2018 midterm elections.

Maybe I didn’t stay long enough or I was too busy trying to attend workshops, but I’m still trying to figure both of those things out.

Sure, they had some ideas. For example, Congresswoman Maxine Waters of California, or “Auntie Maxine,” as the millennials that gave her a standing ovation whenever she walked into a room call her, summed up her idea with one word: impeachment.

If President Donald Trump is going to be brought to account by the American people through Congress, it’s going to take the members of the CBC to do it, Waters said.

There’s just one problem with that. There aren’t enough members of the

WALKING the BEAT

ca? BROWN is NOT CONVICTED and therefore ALLOWED to vote! The critics remark at the cost of the case over three years. Remember, the prosecution started the MESS by the SLEAZY SLIME-SCAM. That cost big bucks. The prosecutor says public officials should have a speedy trial. Why did he not try to get a bill on this considered in the Legislature?

Why should the trial move ahead if you have a VALID MOTION? Jim JENKINS has U.S. flags flying over City Hall for the first time in years!

Thanks to Deputy Mayor Rich Lazer’s intervention.

Jenkins is leader of the 10,000 U.S. FLAGS OVER PHILADELPHIA, and a correspondent to The Public Record from Local 8.

PNC Bank Vice President Sal PATTI won the Variety Club Humanitarian Award!

No greater choice for sure.

Sal would stop living if he stopped giving. Popular

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AST WEEKEND, a group of Philadelphians wandered up the Pennsylvania Turnpike to attend the fall meeting of Pennsylvania Republican Party’s State Committee meeting. This is the first full meeting of State Committee after the election of new CHAIRMAN VAL DiGRIGORIO. Sub-group meetings were held on Friday afternoon. The most interesting was Philadelphia CITY COMMISSIONER AL SCHMIDT’S presentation

NO, CRAIG STEDMAN, WADE KAGARISE and MARY MURRAY. The group is rounded out by Commonwealth Court candidates CHRISTINE FIZZANO-CANNON and PAUL LALLEY. PAGOP is still smarting from the appellate-court losses in 2015, when the Republicans did not take any of the five seats up that year. The theme of the weekend was “7 for 7,” with a secondary theme of beating GOV. TOM WOLF next year. SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE MIKE TURZAI was clear that Wolf is a hindrance to getting needed legislation through.

The Saturday business meeting had no surprises.

Typically, there is a federal update from both the US Senate and House of Representatives. U.S. SEN. PAT TOOMEY could not make it as he was trying to save the health care bill. CONGRESSMAN and Senate (Cont. on Page 12)

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on voter irregularities, with emphasis on the details of his recent announcement that hundreds of legal but otherwise ineligible immigrants registered to vote in the last decade (half of whom voted). PennDOT apparently has allowed legal permanent residents to register to vote at kiosks when they applied or renewed for driver’s licenses or registrations as part of the Clinton era “motor voter” rules.

Non-citizens are not eligible to vote, but those here legally are can obtain driver licenses in most states.

PennDOT does not know the extent of the problem. A Department of State review has been initiated.

The usual Friday night dinner did not have a special keynote speaker, but rather highlighted the seven statewide judicial candidates: SALLIE MUNDY for Supreme Court along with Superior Court candidates EMIL GIORDA-

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WALKING the BEAT (Cont. From Page 11) NOT BALANCED might be if press intervention causes unfair advantage or would mislead the public (?). And why is the reporter interested? The reporter should take the LSAT and invite me to attend.

City Commissioner AL

SCHMIDT made a cogent explanation on how non-citizens got to vote.

State and federal agencies scramble to enroll any person they assist on other matters. NEGADELPHIANS and wine-andcheesers cannot blame Philly on this.... On a similar tack, the nabobs of the negative rush to condemn DEMOCRATIC Philly officeholders, but overlook

Court of Common Pleas Phila. County Civil Action – Law No. 160804284 Notice of Action in Mortgage Foreclosure Nationstar Mortgage LLC d/b/a Champion Mortgage Company, Plaintiff vs. The Unknown Heirs of Samuel Lewis, Deceased, Tyrone Ferguson, Solely in His Capacity as Heir of Samuel Lewis, Deceased, Reginald Lewis, Solely in His Capacity as Heir of Samuel Lewis, Deceased & Sandra Scott, Solely in Her Capacity as Heir of Samuel Lewis, Deceased, Mortgagor and Real Owner, Defendants To: The Unknown Heirs of Samuel Lewis, Deceased, Mortgagor and Real Owner, Defendant(s), whose last known address is 1710 Waterloo Street Philadelphia, PA 19122. This firm is a debt collector and we are attempting to collect a debt owed to our client. Any information obtained from you will be used for the purpose of collecting the debt. You are hereby notified that Plaintiff, Nationstar Mortgage LLC d/b/a Champion Mortgage Company, has filed a Mortgage Foreclosure Complaint endorsed with a notice to defend against you in the Court of Common Pleas of Phila. County, PA, docketed to No. 160804284, wherein Plaintiff seeks to foreclose on the mortgage secured on your property located, 1710 Waterloo Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122, whereupon your property will be sold by the Sheriff of Phila. County. Notice: You have been sued in court. If you wish to defend against the claims set forth in the following pages, you must take action within twenty (20) days after the Complaint and notice are served, by entering a written appearance personally or by attorney and filing in writing with the court your defenses or objections to the claims set forth against you. You are warned that if you fail to do so the case may proceed without you and a judgment may be entered against you by the Court without further notice for any money claimed in the Complaint for any other claim or relief requested by the Plaintiff.

You may lose money or property or other rights important to you. You should take this paper to your lawyer at once. If you do not have a lawyer or cannot afford one, go to or telephone the office set forth below. This office can provide you with information about hiring a lawyer. If you cannot afford to hire a Lawyer, this office may be able to provide you with information about agencies that may offer legal services to eligible persons at a reduced fee or no fee. Community Legal Services, Inc., Law Center North Central, 1410 W. Erie Ave., Phila., PA 19140, 215-227-2400/215-981-3700. Phila.

Bar Assn., One Reading Center, Phila., PA 19104, 215-2386333. Michael T. McKeever, Atty. for Plaintiff, KML Law Group, P.C., Ste. 5000, Mellon Independence Center, 701 Market St., Phila., PA 19106-1532, 215.627.1322.

12 convicted GOP lawmakers in the COMMONWEALTH, including a Supreme Court justice.

Somerton residents Hal & Sue ROSENTHAL spent the holy days in Israel. They visited the city of ARAD, which was the first Jewish settlement in FLIGHT FROM EGYPT. They had dinner in a Bedouin cave and tried to float in the Sea of Galilee.

Thanks to the GLOUCESTER CITY Fire Department and a young fisherman for their efforts to save DITTY, a 15-yearold dog who is deaf and blind. Ditty broke from his leash and fell into the Delaware River and a 15-knot current. His master, Andy Daminak, is disabled, but prepared to jump in to save Ditty. He was halted by a fisherman who dove in, but the current swept him far from Ditty and Andy had to throw a line to pull him ashore. Andy called for help. The Gloucester Fire Department found Ditty ALIVE in the deep channel two miles downstream. DITTY was paddling along, cold but unfazed. The dog beat the odds, and first responders showed humanity!

The Philly ZONING BOARD did not approve a conversion from factory to apartments at 9th & Poplar Streets. They said the applicant had not made his case. We empower the board to decide, since they are professionals. The writer said NEARLY 2/3 of the City is nonwhite. Cute; but I count 54%. The writer says the Zoning Board

ELEPHANT CORNER

(Cont. From Page 11) candidate LOU BARLETTA (R-Luzerne) gave the US House update. STATE SEN. and possible candidate for lieutenant governor DAVID ARGALL (R-Schuylkill) gave the State Senate re-

CITY HALL SAM (Cont. From Page 11) It’s interesting how the national-anthem protests have evolved into opposition to DONALD TRUMP. When the protest began by former NFL quarterback COLIN KAEPERNICK, there was a split down the middle between those who thought it was correct and those who found it offensive. But it seems to have turned into a truly American story.

Americans fought and died so that people could protest peacefully for anything they wished. The 1st Amendment is worth fighting and dying for. So now many Americans are saying that although they don’t necessarily agree with the protest, they believe players should be able to protest however they want.

That is the greatness of America. Americans are often divided and in an acrimonious manner, but over time, historically, they have usually unified. WINSTON CHURCHILL said democracy was an awful form of government but it would do until something better comes along. Nothing better has come even is union-controlled – yet writes that ONLY TWO members ARE FROM A UNION (?). Then the writer tells us how City Council President Darrell CLARKE should be thinking on this matter. Did she STUDY UNDER KARNAK?

port. Argall was particularly critical of Wolf’s taxing and excessive regulatory mentality that chases businesses out of the commonwealth. Argall closed by quoting his colleague CAMERA BARTOLOTTA (R-Washington), who said, “Wolf is the best governor Ohio ever had.”

close.

STATE TREASURER JOE TORSELLA has been rocking on the sorry state of the Pennsylvania budget process. He has stated publicly numerous times that the bond rating of Pennsylvania is heading toward junk. On the other hand, GOV. TOM WOLF first warned this rating was in tremendous danger and now says he can work with whatever situation he is given by the legislature.

The only thing that’ll

understanding BANKRUPTCY

BY MICHAEL A. CIBIK AMERICAN BANKRUPTCY BOARD CERTIFIED UESTION: What are four steps to a successful Chapter 7 bankruptcy?

Answer: A Chapter 7 bankruptcy can be easy or difficult. Here are four steps to making it go quickly and smoothly: 1. Hire a competent knowledgeable bankruptcy attorney that you can talk with. Provide your attorney every piece of information and all of the documents asked for. Remember that the attorney is on your side.

2. Communicate with your attorney. Make sure they have all the answers to all of their questions.

Playing “hide the ball” or “forgetting” to tell them something will only make life harder, your paperwork inaccurate and can potentially be catastrophic.

A good attorney will recognize the weak spots of your case, and discuss what

Q

force the legislature, i.e., the Republican House, to finish a budget will be public-school funding getting reduced or cut off. Once the individual people who receive funding from nonprofits and government begin to get hurt, that’s when SPEAKER MIKE TURZAI, a potential gubernatorial candidate, will push his folks to vote for something that at least funds most of the programs. It’s an awful way to do business and it needs to be changed. can and should be done.

Sometimes it is as simple as waiting a couple of more weeks or months to file and the problem will go away.

But if the attorney isn’t told about the issue, they won’t be able to advise you competently.

3. Attend the 341 hearing after reviewing the bankruptcy paperwork and discussing any potential issues with your attorney. While there, answer all questions fully and honestly. If the trustee believes you are hiding something, they will get suspicious and start looking for problems. If you are honest and forthright, everything will go easier.

And if you have told your attorney everything, you’ll be prepared for what the trustee will ask.

4. Follow up with your attorney after the hearing.

They will know if there are any issues or any more information that the trustee needs. Help the trustee in any way you can to get anything needed to close the case. Make it as easy as you can and the case will be concluded much quicker.

Most Chapter 7 bankruptcies go smoothly and quickly. It’s the ones where the lawyer isn’t fully informed or the debtor is hiding something, which linger on. Make your case easy: tell your attorney everything.

Next Week’s Question: What is a conventional Chapter 11 business bankruptcy?

The Company Car While some DA staffers were, in essence, being paid out of accounts flush with purported drug money, dozens of forfeited vehicles, likewise the former property of accused drug offenders, were being repurposed as de facto company cars.

Vehicle logs, expense records and emails show staffers and top deputies at the DAO routinely drove vehicles confiscated through civil-asset forfeiture proceedings. Associated main-

sored legislation to reform forfeiture practices across the state.

The DAO confiscated 72 vehicles in 2014, nearly all of which ultimately headed to auction. But about 22 other vehicles confiscated through forfeiture over the years remained directly managed by the DAO, according to city fleet records.

Inter-office emails obtained through a right-toknow request captured one exchange between former deputy Tariq El-Shabazz concerning his use of a seized 2012 Toyota Tundra.

In one exchange, the former deputy emailed the office asking for the city to fix a flat tire he detected while driving the pickup truck home, on a weekend. A spokesperson for El-Shabazz said he needed 24/7 access to a vehicle to respond

to the site of police-involved shootings, per new protocols he helped establish.

However, the police department said there were no police-involved shootings during the month he reported the flat tire.

A high-level source in the DAO stated it was a long-standing “tradition” for the first assistant and other top officials to have constant access to a vehicle, forfeited or otherwise. The use of the vehicles is clearly widespread: Fuel logs show other forfeited vehicles consumed 2,200 gallons of fuel at municipal gas stations between August 2016 and February 2017.

In addition to these forfeiture vehicles, the DAO also has access to a fleet of conventional city-owned cars, as well as a massive rental-car budget that racked

up more than $660,000 in leasing expenses from forfeiture accounts over five years.

Former DA Lynne Abraham defended the practice of having a flexible supplement of forfeited cars, saying vehicles critical for casework were sometimes tough to come by for tasks like transporting traumatized victims or hesitant witnesses, attending community meetings and the like.

“But I don’t know what anyone would need a truck for,” Abraham said, referring to El-Shabazz’s use of the Tundra. “Was he moving?”

Internally, some sources stated that Williams had at times attempted to crack down on the too-casual use of forfeited vehicles during his reign, apparently softening his stance in

the years leading up to his indictment on felony corruption charges. But among the dozens of wide-ranging corruption charges leveled against Williams, federal prosecutors said the DA had himself misused grants intended for the High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Program to acquire vehicles for personal use.

These abuses seem to extend to forfeited vehicles as well. Several former DA officials recalled, in 2011, that Williams had ordered the repurposing of a forfeited Harley-Davidson motorcycle emblazoned with a license plate reading “DA-2,” according to Grossman.

Reportedly, Williams wanted Chief of County Detectives and former highway patrolman Chris Werner to give him lessons so (Cont. Page 15)

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tenance costs were covered with forfeiture cash. The cars also enjoyed taxpayer-funded gas from municipal refueling stations and assigned private parking spots at the DA’s downtown garage.

Former DA Lynne Abraham and Republican DA candidate Beth Grossman, who used to oversee the DA’s forfeiture office during her 21-plus years there, both acknowledged the long-running practice.

“The statute permits it – the cars can be used. But the rule of thumb is they must be used for official purposes only,” Grossman said.

The DAO refused to answer any questions about the use of seized vehicles.

“As described, it’s an outrageous practice,” said State Sen. Daylin Leach (D-Montgomery), who has spon-

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(Cont. From Page 10) had been similarly compensated with forfeiture money.

Yet no other task-force employee has been paid in a similar fashion since, or as generously.

The current task-force head, criminal prosecutor Caroline Keating-McGlynn, earns $102,000 annually.

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the WAFFLE MAN

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Y

O! HERE we go again.

A man is driving down the road and his car breaks down near a monastery. He goes to the monastery, knocks on the door, and says, “My car broke down.

Do you think I could stay the night?” The monks graciously accept him, feed him dinner and even fix his car.

As the man tries to fall asleep, he hears a strange sound. A sound unlike anything he’s ever heard before. The Sirens that nearly seduced Odysseus into crashing his ship come to his mind. He doesn’t sleep that night. He tosses and turns, trying to figure out what could possibly be making such a seductive sound.

The next morning, he asks

the monks what the sound was, but they say, “We can’t tell you. You’re not a monk.”

Distraught, the man is forced to leave. Years later, after never being able to forget that sound, the man goes back to the monastery and pleads for the answer again.

The monks reply, “We can’t tell you. You’re not a monk.”

The man says, “If the only way I can find out what is making that beautiful sound is to become a monk, then please, make me a monk.”

The monks reply, “You must travel the earth and tell us how many blades of grass there are and the exact number of grains of sand. When you find these answers, you will have become a monk.” The man sets about his task.

After years of searching, he returns as a gray-haired old man and knocks on the door of the monastery. A monk answers. He is taken before a gathering of all the monks. “In my quest to find what makes that beautiful sound, I traveled the Earth and have found what you asked for: By design, the world is in a state of perpetual change. Only God

knows what you ask. All a man can know is himself, and only then if he is honest and reflective and willing to strip away self-deception.”

The monks reply, “Congratulations. You have become a monk. We shall now show you the way to the mystery of the sacred sound.”

The monks lead the man to a wooden door, where the abbot says, “The sound is beyond that door.” The monks give him the key, and he opens the door. Behind the wooden door is another door made of stone. The man is given the key to the stone door and he opens it, only to find a door made of ruby.

And so it went that he needed keys to doors of emerald, pearl and diamond. Finally, they come to a door made of solid gold. The sound has become very clear and definite.

The monks say, “This is the last key to the last door.”

The man is apprehensive to no end. His life’s wish is behind that door! With trembling hands, he unlocks the door, turns the knob, and slowly pushes the door open.

Falling to his knees, he is utterly amazed to discover the source of that haunting and seductive sound....

But I can’t tell you what it is, because you’re not a monk.

The War on Forfeiture

The expenses traced here from the city’s forfeiture accounts shed light on but one corner of the vast, shadowy apparatus that is the forfeiture program.

In its one-page financial report submitted to the State attorney general for Fiscal Year 2012 – its bare-bones form

been seeking discovery of forfeiture expense reports through the lawsuit, but did not obtain the expense records until presented with them by reporters.

This summer, Geiger sat at an outdoor café and recounted the Kafkaesque experience of spending months trying to reclaim his cash and his car from police custody. He learned he was not the only falsely accused individual fighting back, and emphasized that if he hadn’t found pro bono legal representation, he might have joined the majority of those who stopped trying to regain their possessions. According to a 2012 City Paper investigation, around 90% of people who have had their property taken away abandon their reclamation efforts during the first stage of the forfeiture process.

“In Philadelphia, the

overwhelming majority of people who have their property seized give up on trying to get it back,” Frommer said. “Even if they’ve done nothing wrong, it’s simply not worth it. That’s why we’re involved.”

Geiger eventually did get his car back – albeit years later and minus some $500 in storage fees. But it was a point of pride for him. As for the $580 in cash he lost that night in 2014, he was never made whole, and assumes his money long ago made its way into the forfeiture coffers.

Meanwhile, concerns surrounding the city’s forfeiture program have become a recurring theme of the Philadelphia DA’s race. Democrat Larry Krasner has vowed to end the program altogether, while Republican Beth Grossman remains defensive of her former office, pointing out the program allows law enforcement

to get dirty money off the street and quickly seal drug houses.

“The forfeiture act remains on the books and has never been declared unconstitutional. It has been used as a tool to prevent drug dealers from ruining neighborhoods,” she said. “What gets lost is the impact a drug house can have on a neighborhood. It decreases property values and quality of life. However, if elected, I’m open to looking at all ways of evaluating the forfeiture process.”

The Republican also distanced herself from actual spending decisions made while she worked at the DAO. “I never had any decision-making authority or otherwise participated in how that money was spent,” she said.

“The forfeiture statute as written does provide for funds to be used in crime-fighting and community initiatives. Those are the proper uses for the funds I would like to see, if I

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get elected.”

But her opponent, Krasner, said there was no “proper” use of the funds under the current system. Krasner said Grossman herself was to blame.

“The bottom line is: it all happened on her watch,” he emphasized. “This is what she did.”

If successful, the class-action suit Geiger is involved in may very well change the way the City handles asset forfeiture. Tellingly, the plaintiffs are not seeking damages or compensation for their life-changing encounters with the City’s forfeiture machine. For Geiger, a law-abiding family man, the damage has already been done. But he worries about his children running into police.

“My daughter is starting to drive,” he says. “I don’t want her to get pulled over and get harassed by cops, or have them take stuff from her just because they can.”

T HE P UB L I C R E CO R D

of transparency – the DAO reported spending $7.3 million in forfeiture proceeds.

But expense records from the two forfeiture accounts reviewed in this investigation only account for roughly $1.5 million in spending in that time frame. There were similarly gaping discrepancies in reports for the following years. But the Mayor’s Office, the Law Department and the DAO all declined to offer explanation – once again citing the ongoing lawsuit. This investigation reviewed records from two forfeiture-related bank accounts; it remains unclear if there are additional accounts used to maintain the program.

Robert Frommer, an attorney representing Nassir Geiger at the Institute for Justice, noted the city has long safeguarded these forfeiture-expense documents from the eyes of outsiders. Frommer’s team has

SE P T E M B E R 28 , 2017

(Cont. From Page 13) he could participate in the Hero Thrill Show, an annual police motorcycle rally and fundraiser.

Grossman said she objected to the frivolous use of a forfeited bike, at the time.

“I don’t know if Seth Williams ever rode it or not, but eventually the motorcycle was auctioned off,” Grossman recalled.

He didn’t, according to Jimmy Binns, a lawyer who organizes the Thrill Show.

The license plate was pried off the bike and later given to Grossman.

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Has Civil Asset Forfeiture Gone Too Far?

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