Grid Magazine June 2021 [#145]

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Camden’s flooding problem is only just beginning

Lavender lovers and their local suppliers

Agriculture grad pulls up with Blackgrown goods

p. 24

p. 22

p. 12

JUNE 2021 / ISSUE 145 / GRIDPHILLY.COM

T O W A R D A S U S TA I N A B L E P H I L A D E L P H I A

POLICING THE POLICE

Can a new oversight commission hold law enforcement accountable?

clean water. it starts with land.

The next time you pour a glass of water from the tap, remember that protected open space helps our rivers and streams run clean and pure. Fifteen million people rely on our region’s waterways for drinking water.

Natural Lands has been protecting land and water in our region for nearly 70 years. natlands.org/support.

land for life. nature for all.

Wawa Preserve, Media, PA | 98 acres Photo by Mae Axelrod

Colin Colin Colin Pezzano Pezzano Pezzano Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA PA PA colinpezzano.com colinpezzano.com colinpezzano.com @colinpezzano @colinpezzano @colinpezzano TELL TELL TELL US US US ABOUT ABOUT ABOUT YOURSELF YOURSELF YOURSELF I am I am I am a awoodworker awoodworker woodworker based based based out out out ofofSouth ofSouth South Philadelphia.

Philadelphia.

Philadelphia.

I graduated I graduated I graduated from from from the the the University University University OfOfthe Ofthe the Arts Arts Arts with with with a aBFA aBFA BFA ininCrafts inCrafts Crafts and and and Material Material Material Studies.

Studies.

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During During During my my my winter winter winter art art art residency residency residency atatNextFab, atNextFab, NextFab, I worked I worked I worked ononon ananan installation, installation, installation, including including including a acarved acarved carved reclaimed reclaimed reclaimed door door door along along along with with with Gates Gates Gates ofofParadise ofParadise Paradise other other other small small small objects. objects. objects.

I was I was I was inspired inspired inspired bybythe bythe the bybyLorenzo byLorenzo Lorenzo Gheberti.

Gheberti.

Gheberti.

Through Through Through my my my research, research, research, I discovered I discovered I discovered the the the Gates Gates Gates ofofParadise ofParadise Paradise was was was commissioned commissioned commissioned bybythe bythe the city city city ofofFlorence ofFlorence Florence tototo celebrate celebrate celebrate the the the end end end ofofthe ofthe the Bubonic Bubonic Bubonic Plague.

Plague.

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As As As a areflection areflection reflection ofofthe ofthe the past past past year, year, year, I combined I combined I combined current current current events, events, events, pop pop pop culture culture culture references, references, references, and and and personal personal personal narrative narrative narrative totocarve tocarve carve a astory astory story into into into the the the panels panels panels ofofaofa a reclaimed reclaimed reclaimed door. door. door.

WHAT WHAT WHAT INSPIRES INSPIRES INSPIRES YOU? YOU? YOU? Comic Comic Comic books, books, books, personal personal personal experiences, experiences, experiences, and and and historical historical historical woodworking woodworking woodworking processes. processes. processes.

I’ve I’ve I’ve had had had a alot alot lot ofofreally ofreally really great great great and and and rewarding rewarding rewarding moments moments moments ininmy inmy my practice, practice, practice, and and and am am am just just just very very very thankful thankful thankful totobe tobebe doing doing doing it itinitinthe inthe the first first first place. place. place.

I think I think I think the the the relationships relationships relationships and and and opportunities opportunities opportunities totomeet tomeet meet other other other makers makers makers are are are the the the best best best parts. parts. parts.

WHAT WHAT WHAT ARE ARE ARE YOUR YOUR YOUR GOALS? GOALS? GOALS? I would I would I would like like like totofurther tofurther further my my my career career career and and and show show show my my my artwork artwork artwork both both both nationally nationally nationally and and and internationally. internationally. internationally.

With With With this, this, this, I would I would I would like like like totodevote todevote devote more more more time time time totomake tomake make for for for my my my own own own practice. practice. practice.

InInmy Inmy my process, process, process, the the the previous previous previous object object object always always always informs informs informs the the the next next next and and and that’s that’s that’s asasas far far far asasas I’m I’m I’m interested interested interested ininseeing. inseeing. seeing.

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EDI TO R ’S NOTES

managing editor Alexandra W. Jones associate editor & distribution Timothy Mulcahy tim@gridphilly.com copy editor David Jack Daniels art director Michael Wohlberg writers Bernard Brown Constance Garcia-Barrio Siobhan Gleason Shari Hersh Gabrielle Houck Randy LoBasso Emily Rodia Brion Shreffler Royal Thomas II Lois Volta Ron Whyte Emma Wu photographers Drew Dennis Caleb DuBose Milton Lindsay Rachael Warriner illustrators Woody Harrington Sean Rynkewicz Lois Volta published by Red Flag Media 1032 Arch Street, 3rd Floor Philadelphia, PA 19107 215.625.9850 G R I D P H I L LY. C O M

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alex mulcahy

Knowing Our Past, Changing the Future

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ven our roads reflect our racism.

In December 2018, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) issued a report called “Crashes and Communities of Concern in the Greater Philadelphia Area.”

They undertook the study as a means to investigate anecdotal evidence suggesting that people of color were more likely to be victims of severe car crashes. They cited Dr. Thomas LaVeist of Tulane University, who argues that “race determines place, which determines health.”

The numbers bore out their hunches.

People who fall into the following four categories are more likely to be victims of severe traffic crashes: racial minority, ethnic minority, disabled or low-income.

Why? Car ownership is one reason.

People living in poverty are less likely to have a car, so they are more likely to be pedestrians or bicyclists or, in the words of the study, “vulnerable users.” Vulnerable users make up 11.6% of the population, but 21% of the people who are severely hurt or killed in accidents. Another byproduct of poverty can be serious health problems, which can result in a disability. The poor are also more likely to live near wide roads with fast-moving traffic.

When we see videos of or read stories about Black and Brown people being brutalized by the police, it is repulsive, but it’s a logical extension of the racist history, policies and systems of this country. Even when crossing the street, people of color are more likely to die.

In 2019 The New York Times published The 1619 Project, which “aim[ed] to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the very center of the United States’ national narrative.” It’s not

a flattering look at our country, but it is infinitely more honest.

Several weeks ago, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, who spearheaded the project, was slighted by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She was hired as Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism at the Hussman School of Journalism and Media, but was offered a fiveyear contract rather than tenure, which is typical for Philip H. Knight endowments.

The decision smacked of racism, and also served as a reminder that people in power don’t want the narrative of the country to be changed, facts be damned.

A sobering book about climate change worth reading (if you can handle it) is “The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities and the Remaking of the Civilized World” by Jeff Goodell. Goodell reports from around the world, in historic cities like Venice, places with coveted real estate like Miami, and less affluent towns that border water in New Jersey. Everyone will feel the effects of climate change. As Billy Brown reports in his story about Camden’s flooding (pg. 12), some are feeling it now.

Racism and climate change: two urgent matters that cannot wait another day, and yet we move so slowly. We can’t wish them away, and incremental change is not enough. It’s high time for radical change— before the water comes.

ALEX MULCAHY Editor-in-Chief alex@gridphilly.com COV E R IL LUSTRATIO N BY WO O DY HARR I NGTON

I L LU S T R AT E D P O R T R A I T BY J A M E S B O Y L E

publisher Alex Mulcahy

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TH E VO LTA WAY

by

lois volta

DEAR LOIS,

How can men make amends for domestic inequality?

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are is the home that is not affected by the undercurrents and expectations of gender roles. Domestic oppression is a symptom of patriarchal programming. Even some of the most progressive couples struggle to challenge ingrained domestic roles.

Let’s pretend for a moment that there are two poles of gender: the Divine Feminine and Holy Father. Visualize an arch from one pole to the other, forming infinite degrees of human experience. Gender is a spectrum, and its history should be deconstructed to create a new type of human relationship: equality.

Those who associate more with the Divine Feminine are often taken advantage of in the home by someone who suffers from toxic masculinity—an imbalanced relationship that is hard to change.

The first step to mending this problem is for men to listen, self-reflect and apologize for the damage done. As an exercise, I have constructed a reflection and apology from one partner to another:

You love me, care for me and want the best for me. You’re strong enough to fight for my well-being. I’ve exploited the energy that you spent to make things healthier for the sake of my masculinity.

I’m sorry that I dismissed you and the way that you want to live. I can see how that behavior can erode self-esteem and can make a person feel small and trapped. I can see how I diminished who you are. I made you an enemy in my mind to avoid the work I need to put forth to be part of the healing process.

I was not able to see how blinded I was by my masculine societal upbringing. I see it now: I haven’t done my equal share.

I can see how I pushed you away every time I showed how uninterested I was by your concerns. That must have made you feel terrible and rejected. You are so beautiful and don’t deserve to be treated like that.

You matter to me and I trust your heart.

You continually live in fear of what could happen if you speak up. Will you be confronted with my apathy, condescension or anger? I’m sorry that I was not peaceful and harmonious. I will listen now and be a supportive and respectful person in your life. I want to be a collaborator.

I should have listened from the beginning.

I’m sorry that I distanced myself emotionally. I was afraid that I would have to change, grow and consider you as an equal.

I made you feel alone when I should have been lifting you up. I pushed you away as though you were trying to invade my personal will. It felt threatening to be reminded that I was not treating you as an equal.

It has been easier to put you down than do the work. I know you’ll do the heavy lifting either way. I see now that that is not okay. I exploited you until there was

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P O R T R A I T BY J A M E S B O Y L E

Dear Divine Feminine, I’m sorry that I didn’t see how bad things got. You warned me time after time that [insert concern] was wearing on you, and I dismissed it because I didn’t respect you.

I see how that caused you to feel dismissed and unworthy.

I painted you as a nag in my mind, loathing every word from your mouth that alluded to your attentiveness. I devalued how you took charge and called me out as a slacker.

IL LUSTRATIO N BY LO IS VOLTA

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Gender is a spectrum, and its history should be deconstructed to create a new type of human relationship: equality.”

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nothing left of me to be proud of, and nothing left of you that I hadn’t already knocked down.

I can now see how I pigeon-holed you into a role and devalued your humanity.

I want to say “thank you” by learning how to be a better human, not only for you but for myself and everyone else. I will learn and show you my heart through my actions.

These actions will be my way of saying that I love you, respect you and want to do right by you. You have cared for me in ways that I have not acknowledged. I want to listen, learn and love with you. You have shown me your love through your actions with the strength of forgiveness.

If I slip, please be gentle. I am a work in progress and aim to be progressive. I am here now and I am ready to address where I have to grow.

I believe in mercy, grace and reparations.* With love, Toxic Masculinity

*Can be paid through housework

lois volta is a home life consultant, artist and founder of The Volta Way. Send questions to info@thevoltaway.com.

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sponsored content

In the male-dominated world of construction, these women are showing how it’s done

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onstruction managers bring buildings to life. Without them, nothing happens “We orchestrate the construction process,” explains Gulbin Ozcan-Deniz, the director of Construction Management On-Campus and Online Programs at Thomas Jefferson University.

“So we’re not designers, but we work with designers. We work with architects and engineers. We take their design and make it live at the construction site.”

To turn an empty lot into a building takes an exceptional eye for detail. “We have to find the cost of items. How many of each item do you need? What’s the schedule when each item is needed? When you get your crew in, how do you track them and is everything safe?” says Ozcan-Deniz.

Kimberlee Zamora, who worked in the construction world for over 20 years prior to becoming a professor at Jefferson, approached the job from a very frugal standpoint.

“The owner’s money was like my money,” says Zamora.

One of the best ways to save money is to minimize waste, and that can take many forms. Things as simple as making sure that equipment isn’t idling and that tools are used properly, can drive down the emissions of a site.

Of course, recycling materials is also key.

“Putting your wood somewhere, your steel still somewhere, you can set them aside to be recycled instead of going to the landfill. That’s one of the biggest contributions we can make.”

Avoiding waste altogether through ordering the proper quantities of materials is another way a construction manager can improve the bottom line and limit the negative environmental impacts at a building site.

“If you calculate better, you have less waste,” Ozcan-Deniz says.

As you might expect, managing an undertaking as large as a building requires

Gulbin Ozcan-Deniz (top) directs Jefferson’s Construction Management program, while Kimberlee Zamora is assistant professor, specializing in sustainable construction and waste management.

Jefferson’s College of Architecture and the Built Environment is to educate the next generation of design and construction professionals to create an equitable and sustainable future.

Learn more at Jefferson.edu/Grid.

THE MISSION OF

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P H OTO BY I S TO C K .C O M /A Z M A N L

From Plans to Reality

well-honed organizational skills.

“One of my construction mentors used to say that you have to have just a little bit of ADD to be able to get this job done because you’re just in so many different directions.

But you need to have structure to keep all the plates spinning.”

And you also need confidence.

“It’s not glamorous when you’re fighting with somebody [on site]. You’re like, ‘No, I told you that the trench needs to be here, so guess what, you’ll get the machine and put it here.’ You have to be sure of yourself.”

Construction management has been a male-dominated field, but Jefferson’s Construction Management (which includes an ABET accredited BS and one of the topranked MS programs) has Ozcan-Deniz as its leader and Zamora on staff, and they plan to hire a third person soon. Therefore, women will comprise at least two-thirds of the department.

Zamora recounts stories how, as an intern, someone asked her if it was “Bring-YourDaughter-to-Work Day.” Or another time when a colleague got her a pink hard hat, which she refused to wear. But Zamora is not bitter, and thinks things have improved.

“Ultimately, it’s just a matter of doing a good job, knowing your stuff, and then that paves the road for the next generation.”

Ozcan-Deniz agrees. “In our profession, we need a lot of organizational skills, management skills, etc., so anybody with those skills can bring that forward. It’s more the characteristics and mindset—if your mind is ready to do what a construction manager does, if you enjoy it. Each project is unique, you usually make more money than other construction jobs. There are different opportunities, you can work locally, and you can go and work in an international location.”

If you have that kind of excitement for buildings, and the right set of skills, construction management might just be your calling.

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bike talk

Rage Against the Machine PA passed a law to allow delivery robots on our sidewalks— here’s why it’s bad news by randy lobasso

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hile it seems like just yesterday, it was six years ago that a world-famous hitchhiking robot was smashed in Philadelphia.

The robot—dubbed hitchBOT—was originally created by a Canadian research team. It “could carry a limited conversation” and “took a photo every 20 8 GRID P H I L LY.CO M JU NE 2 0 21

minutes,” according to the Associated Press. HitchBOT had previously made its way across Germany, the Netherlands and Canada. Its next trip was to be around the U.S., but after making its way down from Boston, it was vandalized overnight in Philadelphia, just 300 miles into its American journey. Its battery was never found.

To me, this was a lesson about allowing robots to occupy pedestrian space. But it appears to be one our state has already forgotten.

Last year state lawmakers approved and passed a bill supported by FedEx that allows so-called “personal delivery devices,” or PDDs, on sidewalks in Pennsylvania.

PDDs are automated, wheeled devices that deliver items to consumers and businesses.

The Pennsylvania General Assembly passed the bill quickly, with most Democrats opposed, and created one of the most lax PDD laws in the entire country. Operating on sidewalks, PDDs are allowed the same rights as pedestrians. They can travel up to 12 miles per hour and carry 550 pounds of cargo. (If that sounds heavy to you, that’s because it is; the State of Washington’s PDD law allows for cargo up to 120 pounds.) Through 2022 the PDDs must have operators within 30 feet of their travel. But after that they’re free to roll about on their own.

This legislation had a lot of money behind it, there wasn’t much debate over it and there was little fanfare to stop the legislation until the day before it was signed. Still, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and BikePGH signed onto a letter, alongside accessibility groups, opposing the robots, that was ultimately ignored as Governor Tom Wolf signed the bill into law.

The quick passage of the legislation left several issues unaddressed, many of which are being left up to PennDOT to decide. The pro-business legislation could lead to many problems on crowded sidewalks in the state.

One of these PDDs ending up like hitchBOT is the least of our worries.

People Over Robots As it stands now, Pennsylvania’s deliveryrobot law prioritizes machines over human beings. Since they are classified as pedestrians, PDDs are not banned from multi-use trails for deliveries. While it seems unlikely a multi-use trail would be part of a delivery route, more trails are being built in Philadelphia and throughout the state, and they are being done so in a way that connects people to businesses (like the Delaware River Trail extension, which goes directly to the Rivers Casino in Fishtown).

IL LUSTRATIO N BY S EAN RY NKEWI CZ

How Autonomous Are We Talking?

These vehicles, like FedEx’s Roxo, the same-day-delivery robot, are built to go out on their own, similar to the Killbots in the 1986 horror comedy “Chopping Mall.” But how much function do we expect Roxos to have? That’s unknown, too.

Sure, it may be able to get out of the way of people walking, but what about people in wheelchairs, dogs and children? Right now, the Bloomfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh is set to undergo a six-month robot pilot, which, as of now, doesn’t seem to have many answers for concerned residents.

The Democratic state senators and

representatives who opposed the law last year often referred to these new robots as “job killers” and were backed by teamsters in their opposition.

In addition to the obvious safety and space concerns posed by the robots, the delivery cyclists that have kept us all fed and safe at home around Philadelphia are potentially at risk with this legislation.

Food delivery apps have boomed in the past year, keeping many bike messengers employed during the pandemic and allowed others to take on part-time jobs on their own schedule. Those are the sorts of jobs that would be affected quickly if these robots were allowed to operate in Philadelphia—but they aren’t the only ones.

While using robots for deliveries may seem like a convenient way for companies to increase profits—we have to ask: what price will Pennsylvania’s citizens have to pay as a result?

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Local Control Over PDDs The legislation in question does not specify what, if any, control municipalities have when setting guidelines for PDDs on sidewalks. You might think a robot delivery service would have all sorts of room on the wide sidewalks alongside JFK Boulevard or Market Street, but combine that with rush hour foot traffic and you’re in for a bad time—especially if one of these things is going 12 miles per hour, which is about as fast as I bike to work.

An ordinance is required to do almost any-

thing in Philadelphia, especially on public property like a street or sidewalk. But it’s unclear if a local ordinance is required to allow a company to begin utilizing PDDs, or if a law can be passed that bans them. This is another rule that will have to be set by PennDOT.

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PennDOT should ban these 550-pound PDDs on trails—that’s a given. But what’s more concerning is that legislation is being considered that would ban e-bikes weighing more than 100 pounds from multi-use trails—including electric cargo bikes with children in tow. People on bicycles and e-scooters are additionally banned from riding on sidewalks at the same speed as PDDs.

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urban naturalist

Luke Smithson hunts for mushrooms from Charles McIlvaine’s book “One Thousand American Fungi” along Cobbs Creek.

Missing Mushrooms Citizen scientist seeks to track down fungi discovered by an illustrious Philadelphia mycologist by bernard brown

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bout 120 years ago a nature enthusiast named Charles McIlvaine explored the Angora Woods of West Philadelphia hunting for mushrooms. While most of the Angora Woods have long since been built up, a fringe of the area remains along Cobbs Creek.

It was there that I met up with a modernday fungi enthusiast, Luke Smithson.

We walked down to the creek, stopping to take note of fungi as we went—Phellinus 10 GR ID P H I L LY.CO M JU NE 2 0 21

robiniae growing out of black locust trees like wood-colored hockey pucks, and black-ruffled wood ear fungi on a fallen log, similar to the mushrooms you might find in a bowl of hot-and-sour soup. It was easy to imagine a mushroom hunter in an earlier century doing the same: checking tree trunks and turning over rotting logs as he made his way toward the water.

Along with Angora, McIlvaine explored other areas such as Fairmount, Wissahickon,

The Woodlands Cemetery, in addition to locations beyond Philadelphia, like Mount Gretna in Lebanon County.

He sampled mushrooms as he went, behavior rightly regarded as reckless today as well as in his own time. The naturalist held tight to the belief that such was justified “to personally test the edible qualities of hundreds of species about which mycologists have either written nothing or have followed one another in giving erroneous information,” he once wrote.

“While often wishing I had not undertaken the work because of the unpleasant results from personally testing fungi which proved to be poisonous, my reward has been generous in the discovery of many delicacies among the more than seven hundred edible varieties I have found,” McIlvaine continued.

The product of all his hunting and daring taste-testing was, for its time, a monumental book about North American fungi: “One Thousand American Fungi.”

Smithson first heard of McIlvaine and his book from a speaker at a mushroom festival.

Later, a fungus expert suggested he reexamine the author’s findings.

“She recommended that a good amateur project would be to dig into old records and see what’s still there. Something clicked and I said, ‘I have this old book here—I wonder how much of this stuff is still out there.’”

Smithson says.

Both McIlvaine and Smithson got into mushroom hunting through their taste P HOTO G RAP HY BY RACHAE L WARRI NER

Phellinus robiniae (left) grows out of the trunk of a black locust tree; an inky cap mushroom (right) from the trunk of a fallen oak.

I said, ‘I have this old book here—I wonder how much of this stuff is still out there.’”

— luke smiths on, fungi enthusiast

buds. McIlvaine writes that while he was living in West Virginia he rode his horse through forests full of beautiful mushrooms. “It occurred to me they ought to be eaten,” he wrote.

Smithson, as a chef, met a mushroom hunter at the restaurant where he worked.

The chance encounter made Smithson think back to when he himself had sold foraged mushrooms to restaurants as a teenager. Inspired, he headed out into the woods again and didn’t stop.

Although Smithson has been hunting the same places McIlvaine did, a lot has changed in fungi, and in Philadelphia, in 120 years. McIlvaine collected his fungi samples in the countryside at the edge of the city.

Since then, the countryside has been built up, so that the pastures and oak woods have largely been replaced by densely built row houses and apartment buildings.

The woods that remain, including their fungi, are also different.

The mushrooms we notice on the surface are the fruiting bodies (reproductive parts that release spores) of organisms that mostly live as networks of thread-like structures called hyphae. Some grow into and feed on decaying wood, but others grow in concert

with trees, sharing nutrients through their roots. Many trees that McIlvaine knew have since disappeared. Chestnuts and elms, for example, have been mostly wiped out by invasive pests. They took their fungi companions with them.

The actual organisms that do remain might be the same, but not in name.

Scientists have since realized that some species named separately are really the same thing, so they get lumped together and only one name is kept. A researcher like Smithson won’t necessarily find the old name mentioned in newer texts. In the other direction, some species have since been recognized to actually contain multiple fungi that should each be elevated to the status of species. The original species gets split up, with new names given. The result is a mess that has to be reconciled with the current taxonomy.

“The biggest part of the project is just modernizing those names and figuring out what he was talking about,” Smithson says.

“From 120 mushrooms for which McIlvaine provided specific locations, I whittled it down to 94 that are specifically Philadelphia. Of those 94, 15 are still completely unintelligible.”

That has left 79 to track down. Smithson invited other local fungi enthusiasts to take part in the hunt. He set up a project page in the citizen science platform iNaturalist to organize modern observations of McIlvaine’s fungi and organized outings with the Philadelphia Mycology Club (PMC) starting last year.

“We did about a dozen trips through the summer, focusing on Bartram’s Garden and Cobbs Creek,” Smithson says.

As of publication, Smithson’s project has tracked down 41 of the fungi they’re looking for in Philadelphia, including one that was first described as a species from specimens collected by McIlvaine.

“Last year when I expected it to be fruiting, I basically put up a wanted sign on the PMC Facebook page, and someone found it in the Wissahickon,” Smithson says. “It’s called Tylopilus badiceps.”

Smithson describes it as a large, porcini-like mushroom.

“A pretty impressive looking mushroom.

McIlvaine collected it 120 years ago and it still exists in the city.”

While it appears the names of some of the mushrooms have changed since McIlvaine’s time, one thing it seems has remained the same: the fervent enjoyment enthusiasts take in hunting for them.

As the 20th-century naturalist wrote, “the delights of a mushroom hunt along lush pastures and rich woodlands will take the rank of the gentlest craft among those of hunting…”

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water

The Coming Tide Camden’s flooding problem is daunting today. As sea levels rise and precipitation increases, it’s only going to get worse by bernard brown

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t was flooding in the Ablett Village public housing development in Camden’s Cramer Hill neighborhood. It had rained overnight from Saturday, April 24, into Sunday, April 25, and that brought water that pooled in driveways and on the sidewalks running between the area’s long, two-story brick apartment buildings.

This is not at all unusual, according to Tracey Fleming-Powell, the president of the tenants’ association.

“Sometimes you can’t see the sidewalk or can’t tell the difference between the sidewalk and the driveway,” says Fleming-Powell. She sent me photos taken on Monday, April 26, showing a lingering puddle that spanned a driveway and deep tire ruts in the adjacent grass left by cars that drove around to avoid the water.

Water also infiltrates Ablett Village from the tidal Cooper River, just to the west.

“We got water coming from the bottom and we got water coming from the top,” says Fleming-Powell.

There are multiple ways that Camden floods.

At high tide the surrounding waterways can flood low-lying parts of the city, and it is surrounded by water on three sides.

The Delaware River bounds Camden to the north and west; Newton Creek runs to the south; and the Cooper River runs through the city and into the Delaware, separating the northeast third of the city, including Cramer Hill.

Camden is not the only Delaware Valley community facing these problems, but it is one that highlights the disparate impact of climate change on low-income communities and communities of color.

About 74,000 people live in Camden.

About 40% are Black and about half are Hispanic or Latino. About 36% live below the poverty line.

Roughly 10 ,000 people live in the Cramer Hill neighborhood. About 65% are His12 GR ID P H IL LY.CO M JU NE 2 0 21

panic or Latino, about a quarter are Black and about 35% of residents fall under the poverty line.

The people I spoke with in the neighborhood all had stories about flooding.

Eduardo González has seen the flooding in his basement worsen over the 20 years he has lived on Farragut Avenue across from the Cramer Hill Nature Preserve.

“Every rain … my basement has a little flood. I have to have my pump on all the time,” he says.

Several people mentioned cars stalling out in floodwater. González says his son got his car stuck on a flooded street. It was a total loss.

Raul Rodríguez, owner of Raul’s Auto Repair Center on River Road, just east of the

Cooper River, sees two or three cars stalled out whenever the road floods.

“Most people see the water is deep and turn around, but some people keep on driving. And then you know what happens.

They’ve got to call a tow truck,” he says.

Heavy precipitation can also overwhelm

the city’s antiquated stormwater system, a problem exacerbated by high tides.

When this happens the water ends up in other places, says Meishka L. Mitchell, vice president of Cooper’s Ferry Partnership (CFP), a Camden planning and redevelopment organization.

“It backs up through the sewer system into the streets, into the parks and into people’s basements,” she says.

Every rain ... my basement has a little flood.

I have to have my pump on all the time.”

— e duardo gonzále z, Camden home owner

P HOTO G RAP HY BY D RE W DENNI S

Eduardo González has seen flooding in his basement gradually worsen for the last two decades.

He installed a pump (left) to keep the groundwater levels down.

J UN E 20 21 G R I DP HI LLY.COM 13

water swallow vehicles.

In 2015 a coalition of organizations including CFP, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority (CCMUA) completed a project to restore Baldwin’s Run and separate the stormwater drainage from the sewage system. According to Fleming-Powell, it still floods, but not nearly as badly as before.

A flooded road in Ablett Village public housing development in Camden’s Cramer Hill neighborhood.

Flooding is one of the top problems in several communities— and when it floods, they call.”

— jeffrey nash, Camden County Commissioner And it’s not just water that fills basements and obstructs streets. Like many older cities, Camden is drained by a combined stormwater and sewer system. When heavy rain overwhelms the system, untreated sewage along with stormwater comes out through overflow pipes in what is known as a “combined sewer overflow,” or CSO. It can then back up into streets, parks and basements.

Camden commuters also need to pay attention to the rain and the lunar cycles in ways most of us wouldn’t imagine. Tides are highest at the full and new moons. According to Camden County Commissioner Jeffrey Nash, the Ferry Avenue PATCO station parking lot is prone to flooding at high tide in rainy weather. “People know not to park there on a full moon,” he says.

Elected officials such as Nash hear about flooding regularly from their constituents.

14 GRID P H I L LY.CO M JU NE 2 0 21

“Flooding is one of the top problems in several of the communities—and when it floods, they call,” he says.

From 2007 to 2008, CFP partnered with a Cramer Hill community organization on a neighborhood planning process. At one session, residents were given pretend money to spend on neighborhood issues as a way of identifying community priorities.

“There were a lot of problems people could have chosen from, like public safety, potholes in the street, bad lighting, and the No. 1 issue in this neighborhood plan was to fix the flooding in Von Nieda Park,” says Mitchell.

The park, about 19 acres of playing fields, ball courts, a community center and a playground, was built in the early 1950s over a stream called Baldwin’s Run. Fleming-Powell recalls flooding on River Avenue through the park, deep enough to

poorly understood.

When I asked Scott Schreiber, the executive director of the CCMUA, where in Camden flooding is particularly bad, he said there is rarely more than anecdotal information to go on. Not knowing exactly what conditions result in how much flooding and where makes it hard to come up with solutions. That’s true for current conditions as well as for the higher tides and increased precipitation caused by climate change.

Although global warming has been recognized and studied for decades, its impact on the local scale has been coming into focus only recently. Global models of sea level rise and weather patterns need to be translated down to the local level to be useful for planners.

Even the best models present a range of possibilities, further complicating planning.

Should a city government use the most-likely, mid-range of sea level rise estimates, or should it prepare for a less-likely higher level?

“A lot of these cities, that’s where they are. They know they have to do something, but they don’t know exactly what to do because there’s a lot of variability in what the future could look like,” says Franco Montalto, civil and environmental engineering professor at Drexel University.

How communities prepare for a wetter climate also depends on their surrounding administrative landscapes.

For example, federal and state laws require local governments to reduce CSOs. The specific regulations governing how local governments need to do this require them to evaluate planned fixes relative to past flooding.

“So if they look at rain gardens or making sewers bigger, they’ll rerun [a year on record] and see how they would have done.

You have an outcome whereby they could implement a plan that’s compliant with the Clean Water Act but doesn’t look forward at all,” says Montalto.

P H OTO G R A P H C O U R T E S Y T R AC E Y F L E M I N G - P O W E L L

Flooding in Camden is both ubiquitous and

The CCMUA is currently in the process of

developing its next five-year plan to reduce CSOs for Camden County, Camden City and neighboring Gloucester City, whose stormwater and sewage treatment systems are interconnected.

“Once we figure out where and why it floods and how to fix it, we have to account for climate change,” says Schreiber. “We haven’t gotten to that point yet. We know that whoever designs that infrastructure has to take into consideration … river rise and design to those standards.”

Working with the CCMUA with federal funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Montalto has been developing models of local flooding solutions that take climate change models into account.

In Cramer Hill, PowerCorpsPHL members (in collaboration with AmeriCorps) are helping gather more data for the modeling project.

The PowerCorpsPHL members take pictures of flooding when it rains. That documentation of how much and where the neighborhood floods is helping develop computer models to predict precipitation in the short term as well as into our wetter future.

Montalto’s team then hopes to present Camden decision makers with options for gray (equipment and built structures like pipes and treatment plants) and green infrastructure (landscaping such as parks and rain gardens) that can reduce CSOs while also reducing flooding for Camden residents.

Greening Camden is already part of the solution. The Camden SMART Initiative, a collaborative launched in 2011 to address

stormwater and flooding problems, kicked off a wave of greening projects.

“There have been over 50 green and green infrastructure projects completed in the city of Camden since 2011, and those 50 projects capture about 60 million gallons of storm water a year,” Mitchell says.

A project manager with NJDEP, Frank McLaughlin points to several green projects along the waterfront that give residents more greenspace while soaking up water.

The 35-acre Cramer Hill Preserve that opened in 2019 converted an overgrown former sewage treatment plant into a waterfront park. The 62-acre Cramer Hill Waterfront Park is set to open at the end of this summer on the site of a former landfill, and the CCMUA is planning to install a living shoreline at the 5-acre Phoenix Park, using shoreline plants to absorb the energy of the tides.

Flooding is far from the only environmental

problem that Camden residents deal with.

The newly launched Camden Collaborative Initiative seeks to take the same collaborative approach that reduced flooding in Von Nieda Park and apply it to water issues as well as air quality, waste management and the improvement of public spaces.

Mitchell noted the importance of educating residents about the relationships among environmental problems and their role in solving them. Fighting litter can help ease flooding by cutting down on trash clogging up the stormwater system.

Camden residents have a role to play in adapting to climate change, but the infrastructure projects that are needed to

deal with flooding today as well as in the future will not come cheap.

“It is a very difficult problem because the causes are ever shifting, and the solutions are extremely expensive at a time when government does not have extra resources to devote to large infrastructure solutions,” says Nash.

A report, “An Equitable Water Future: Camden,” developed by a coalition of state and local agencies, prioritized the creation of a stormwater utility. This would be a fee charged to landowners for stormwater running off their properties. Making businesses pay for the impact of impervious surfaces such as roofs and large parking lots could motivate them to reduce runoff while also giving local government funds to build infrastructure to deal with flooding.

The Housing Authority of the City of Camden (HACC) is hoping to use grant funds to demolish Ablett Village and rebuild it out of the reach of floodwaters. According to HACC Director of Modernization and Development Charles Valentine, the new development would be at least two feet higher.

“We’re going to lift the site,” he says.

Larger-scale solutions to Camden’s flooding will take years to implement, and it remains to be seen whether the city can stay ahead of climate change. In the meantime, residents continue to bear the costs.

While Eduardo González has learned to live with the chronic flooding, he’s also got one eye on the future.

“It’s tolerable, but I’m thinking of moving,” he says. “And I don’t know how hard it will be to sell the house when there’s water coming inside the basement.”

J UN E 20 21 G R I DP HI LLY.COM 1 5

healers in the city

The Art of Healing Doctors gave this HIV+ West Philadelphia man a month to live.

15 years later, he leads creative, therapeutic workshops by constance garcia-barrio

S

ince ancient greece, and maybe earlier, humans have shared stories of wounded healers—people whose own injuries seem to confer upon them the gift of relieving other people’s pain. Multimedia artist Terrence Gore, 56, of West Philadelphia seems such a person.

“Doctors gave me 30 days to live at one point,” he says. “That was 15 years ago.”

In his 20s and 30s, Gore rocketed through life as a chef, hair stylist, interior designer, dancer and world traveler.

“I traveled with my backpack and rollerblades,” he says. “As an artist, I’m curious about other cultures. I’ve gone all over the globe, staying mostly in villages, and I’ve rollerbladed through New York, Paris, Madrid and London.”

Then in 2005 his life crashed to a halt.

“In dance class, I noticed numbness in my right toe,” he says. “I couldn’t balance.

I visited Dr. Shen, a Chinese acupuncturist and naturopathic physician I’d been seeing for years. He examined me and asked if I’d been tested for HIV. When I said, ‘Why would you ask?’ he said that the infection was in my brain.”

By February of 2006 a neurologist confirmed a rare brain lesion called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) caused by HIV. “By then, my whole right side was weak and I couldn’t work,” Gore says. Days later, he went into a coma that lasted nine days.

“When I regained consciousness, I couldn’t speak or move my right side, and I’d gone blind in my right eye. I looked like I’d had a stroke,” Gore recalls.

At first anger consumed him. “I wasn’t a floozy,” he says. “I thought it couldn’t happen to me.”

Hospitalized for a year, Gore gradually regained speech and some vision in his right eye. He asked friends to bring magazines. Right-handed but unable to use that 16 GRID P H IL LY.CO M JU NE 2 0 21

hand, he would ask them to cut out images and then he would use his left hand to place them to create a collage. “I dried out flowers visitors brought me and incorporated them in the collage.”

During his hospitalization, Gore did strengthening exercises and began using a walker, then a cane. He also confronted the challenge of what to tell loved ones. “Some friends advised me to say that I’d had a stroke, not that I was fighting HIV/AIDS,” he says. “I decided to tell the truth, so that young people in my life could make better-informed choices about their activities.”

Battling PML eventually led Gore back to painting and drawing classes, both of which he’d enjoyed as a child, at Fleisher Art Memorial in Bella Vista.

“Every time I thought about what I had lost physically, I would start an art project,” he says.

Like Black self-taught folk artist Horace Pippin (1888-1946), who lost some movement in his right arm due to a wound in World War I, Gore taught himself to paint with his left hand. “Creating art always lifts my spirits,” he says.

He’s had two one-man shows of his multimedia art. In 2017, a collage he created won first prize in The Woodmere Annual at the Woodmere Art Museum in Chestnut Hill.

Gore has lived more than 100 times longer than the usual prognosis of six months from PML diagnosis to demise. That achievement inspired him to start workshops called “The Art of Healing” in 2012.

“The workshops are designed to promote physical, emotional and spiritual well-being,” says Gore, who gave his first workshops at the Painted Bride Art Center in Old City. Some participants seek a spiritual tuneup while others have special needs.

“Some attendees have had depression, autism, gunshot wounds and other trauma or illnesses,” he says.

The series of three two-hour workshops

includes journaling, movement and collaging with recycled materials. In addition, the venues spill color and scent from flowers, fruits and organic edibles.

“I took a workshop with Terrence a while ago,” says Jeffrey Ford, 56, of Ogontz. “I’m a pretty to-myself kind of guy, and I wanted to go beyond my comfort zone. I left encouraged enough to start a venture that involved taking a busload of people to see a play in New York.”

Gabby Raczka, 32, of Germantown, is an engagement manager for Philly Counts, which supported the U.S. Census of 2020. She took the workshop for self-understanding.

“The room was decorated in a fantastical, beautiful way,” she says. “That was inspiring, and Terrence’s honesty about his condition made it feel safe. He invited us to take part in a meditation, and then ask ourselves what our body or spirit needed for healing.

There were lots of tools for self-exploration.

At the end I felt more peaceful.”

The workshops’ different media for art making and healing have piqued the interest of the Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics at the University of Pennsylvania, the first research center of its kind in the country.

Neuroaesthetics, an emerging area of neuroscience, looks at how the brain responds to aesthetic experiences, such as viewing a painting or a flower, and whether, for example, more beautiful hospital spaces could help patients heal faster.

“We appreciate Terrence’s multi-modal approach,” says neuroscientist Eileen Cardillo, 42, the center’s associate director. “Art isn’t one size fits all.” Cardillo and Gore have just begun conversations about converging interests.

On three successive Wednesdays (June 16, 23 and 30, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.), Gore will present workshops at Bartram’s Garden in Southwest Philadelphia, for seniors age 65 and older.

“Seniors have suffered so much loneliness during the pandemic,” he says. “I think

of my mother, in her 70s, who’s lived with restrictions to avoid COVID-19.”

As with past workshops, the June series will include meditating, journaling, movement and making collages, but the natural setting may also tap deeply into Gore’s heritage.

“My family members are Gullah/Geechee people from Sapelo Island, one of Georgia’s Sea Islands,” he says. “Healing through nature is part of our West African heritage.”

He hopes that the setting will heighten participants’ healing.

“We all have some ability to heal ourselves,” he says. “ ‘Garden bathing’ in the sounds and scents at this site and using materials from the natural world for collage making can help that happen.”

The June workshops are free. For more information about them and other upcoming events, visit terrencelgore.com, email aneye4it64@gmail.com or call (267) 304-3970.

P H OTO G R A P H C O U R T E S Y O F T E R R E N C E G O R E A N D Z E B R AV I S UA L

Terrence Gore is an HIV+ multimedia artist who leads healing workshops that include journaling, movement and collaging. Left and below, examples of Gore’s work: “Peace and Harmony” and “The One She Likes.”

CULTURE OF CREATIVITY The Gullah-Geechee culture arose on the Sea Islands of South Carolina, Georgia and northern Florida. Enslaved Black people from West Africa and the Caribbean raised rice, indigo and cotton on coastal and Sea Island plantations, land many whites deemed unhealthy. Scant interference from absentee planters fostered the development of a unique creole language, music, cuisine and crafts.

J UN E 20 21 G R I DP HI LLY.COM 17

the art of zero waste

TOSS IT ALL OUT

COVID-19 imploded the world we used to live in. Why can’t other earthshaking scenarios do the same? by shari hersh, ron whyte and emma wu

W

hile many people are experiencing pandemic fatigue, understandably eager for a return to normalcy, the COVID-19 crisis remains far from over.

India is experiencing a nightmarish second wave that has led to overcrowded hospitals and critical shortages of lifesaving medical equipment. In its neighboring country Nepal, the situation is also increasingly grim.

South America, too, continues to battle the virus, with relatively high positivity rates in Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina and Peru.

Pictured here, Trash Academy’s “COVID-19 + Climate Change” implosion project aims to remind people of the ongoing seriousness of the pandemic, while illustrating how the virus’s root causes are inextricably linked to climate change and overconsumption. The artwork questions the state of the world and asks how we can play a role in changing it for the better.

While unpacking and examining the root causes of these crises, we also explored how social and political systems have disproportionately negative impacts on BIPOC communities.

As we’ve seen in countries like New Zealand, Vietnam, Cuba and Rwanda, disaster is not inevitable; strong public health measures coupled with a deep commitment to following the science can help us weather the storm of both COVID-19 and climate change and support a just transition.

Interested in learning more about implosions and how they can be a creative, participatory research tool for building coalitions and exposing the hidden connections that fuel systems of injustice? Contact trashacademy@muralarts.org or book us to present our interactive implosion. See the full COVID-Climate Implosion Project at www.covidandclimate.com.

full project at om More than 129 billion disposable face masks and 65 billion gloves have been used per month during the pandemic’s duration. Industry used COVID-19 as an opportunity to delay plastic bag bans and expand the market for disposable products. Equally visible were overwhelmed municipal waste systems and glaring health risks to essential workers.

Led by: Margaret Kearney, Shari Hersh and Ron Whyte With Artists and Activists Co-Creators: Avery Broughton, Timell Floyd-Sherard Breighton Golphin, Chris Honahnie, Eurhi Jones, Gamar Markarian and Kyla van Buren Additional drawings by: Merletta Matthews and Adriana Moran Garcia Website Design: Donny Truong Funders: City of Philadelphia, Independent Media and JPB Fund Project Management: Margaret Kearney and Shari Hersh A project of the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Learn more and see the full project at www.covidandclimate.com 18 GR ID P H I L LY.CO M JU NE 2 0 21

ARTWO RK COURTESY TRAS H ACA DEMY

A dress rehearsal for

Our Waste?

J UN E 20 21 G R I DP HI LLY.COM 1 9

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The store offers art & craft from local and national artists, First Friday art openings and free gift wrap.

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J UN E 20 21 G R I DP HILLY.COM 21

PRODUCE PRESCRIPTION Philly Farmacy is on a mission to provide fresh fruits and veggies at a price that suits all story by siobhan gleason

K

halil steward first envisioned Philly Farmacy while working on a class project at Delaware Valley University.

“I had an idea for a school bus or old ambulance turned into a mobile produce store,” Steward says.

The mental image stayed with him, and he made Philly Farmacy a reality in 2019, a year after graduating from college. He currently runs the operation out of his pickup truck, making fresh produce deliveries to primarily Black and Brown customers.

He wants Philly Farmacy to be accessible so that customers can have fresh produce without using up too much of each paycheck.

22 GRID P H I L LY.CO M JU NE 2 0 21

He says that some food subscriptions are far too expensive for many Philadelphians.

“The CSA model doesn’t really work here. A lot of people can’t afford them,” Steward says. He operates Philly Farmacy by keeping the prices low, and his delivery schedule takes into account when Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cards (aka food stamps) are replenished.

Steward sources the majority of his produce from Black farmers in Philadelphia, which sets him apart from other grocery delivery services.

“I know most of the farmers here. I reach out to them or they reach out to me,” says

Steward, who connected with a lot of local farmers during his time at Delaware Valley’s School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.

Steward has partnered with Mill Creek Farm, Nice Roots Farm and even friends who grow produce in their backyards. Most other grocery services cannot compete with such hyperlocal sourcing. Steward likes to highlight the ingenuity and creativity of urban farmers, who make do with limited space and resources.

“Urban farming is kind of hard. You have to be creative because you have less space,” Steward says.

Steward currently works for the nonprofit Share Food Program as a receiving manager.

Before that, he held a variety of farming internships and jobs. He has worked for Carversville Farm in Mechanicsville, Life Do Grow Farm in North Philly and Harvest of Hope in Cape Town, South Africa.

Share has been providing fresh food to vulnerable citizens in and around Philadelphia for 30 years. It delivers food to seniors and those with disabilities and donates food to more than 100 partner pantries.

In early 2020 Steward used his connection to Share to help promote Philly Farmacy and connect with neighbors.

“When the pandemic started I was giving P HOTO G RAP HY BY M ILTO N LI NDSAY

Opposite Page: Khalil Steward of Philly Farmacy makes a produce delivery; Breah Banks of Share Food Program’s Nice Roots Farm donates leftover produce to Steward; Steward sells at a regular pop-up market at Franny Lou’s Porch.

The CSA model doesn’t really work here. A lot of people can’t afford them.”

— k halil steward, Philly Farmacy founder

out free food from Share and Carversville Farm. Then I told people I was about to start selling produce,” Steward says.

Breah Banks, farm and land manager for Nice Roots Farm, was happy to give Steward extra produce. Nice Roots, located in Allegheny West, is owned by Share. Half of the produce grown by Nice Roots is donated to those in need, while half is sold at farmers markets. The proceeds from these sales

directly support Share’s operating costs.

“Khalil was looking to showcase farmers and local growers in the city,” Banks says. “At the end of the market day I would have leftover swiss chard or bok choy that I would give to Khalil.”

Steward first began selling local produce at Franny Lou’s Porch at pop-up markets.

He reached out to owner Blew Kind, and they worked together to make the markets a community event.

“He emailed me. I gave him a call and we had a great conversation,” Kind says. “I said, ‘Khalil, people love coming out here.

Should I bring in more vendors?’ ” The Rad Love Market now happens every other week at Franny Lou’s. Featured vendors have included the Random Tea Room, Crystal Luxe and Black Soul Vintage.

Kind’s conversations with Steward inspired her to offer business advice to other Philadelphians. She likes to focus her help on Black and Brown business owners and aspiring business owners. “[Khalil] said, ‘You should charge for this kind of help.’ I started a side consulting business,” Kind says. “I have two one-on-ones.

I have a questionnaire: Where are you and how can I help you? I give some homework around starting a business plan and around starting costs. Having accountability and encouragement really helps with motivation.”

Steward now offers pop-up produce markets at Franny Lou’s and drop-offs at

Franny Lou’s and Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee & Books. He also does home deliveries around the 1st and 15th of the month. The delivery fee is $5 for those in Philadelphia and $10 for the surrounding suburbs. Each harvest bag costs $25 and includes two leafy greens, three vegetables and three fruits. “[EBT] kicks in at the first of the month,” Steward says. “Food insecurity is a big issue for me.”

Steward’s extensive experience farming and working in food-focused jobs has given him insight into marketing Philly Farmacy to customers. He helps farmers get their product to consumers without having to do their own marketing.

Steward uses his Instagram, @phillyfarmacy, to let customers know when the next harvest bag can be picked up or when to expect a home delivery. He hopes to form more connections with local businesses and chefs to promote his produce. He’s planning to partner with a chef at future pop-ups so customers can learn new recipes and ways of preparing his produce.

Kind appreciates Steward’s marketing know-how and his connection to the community at Franny Lou’s.

“Khalil is able to bridge the gap. A lot of farmers don’t have the energy to sell,” Kind says. “I’m really excited to [continue to] work with Khalil. When he’s not on the vending schedule, people are always asking, ‘Blew, where is he?’ ” J UN E 20 21 G R I DP HI LLY.COM 23

BUSINESS IS BLOOMING Pennsylvania’s lavender farms provide natural stress relief in troubled times story by gabrielle houck

A

s the beginning of the pandemic left people with sleepless nights and unending anxiety, many turned to a natural remedy to help with their dread and gloom: lavender.

Lavender sales surged internationally in 2020.

The farms that grow these little purple flowers in the Philadelphia area felt the newfound demand. It’s been a busy year for Joanne Voelcker, the owner of Mt. Airy Lavender in Coatesville. She says that with all of its natural benefits, she’s not shocked people have turned to lavender to help destress in these turbulent times.

“Lavender has so many calming and soothing benefits. You know with everybody being anxious with COVID-19 and

—

photography by rachael warriner

all those kinds of things, people are more apt to pick natural ingredients,” Voelcker says.

Patti Lyons, owner of Peace Valley Lavender Farm in Doylestown, says that customers reached out to her when the pandemic first began about how much they wished the store could be open.

“We were getting these emails from customers saying, ‘We consider you essential because we need our lavender’ and we laughed, but also it was so sweet that people were actually thinking that we’re essential,” Lyons says.

Voelcker says she saw an increase in online orders last year. She noticed that products like lavender hand sanitizer, hand lotion and essential oils were in higher demand.

Wendy Jochem, owner of Hope Hill Lavender Farm in Pottsville, also saw an increase in online sales. Admittedly not a

Lavender has so many calming and soothing benefits.”

— joanne voel cker, owner of Mt. Airy Lavender

24 GRID P H IL LY.CO M JU NE 2021

numbers person, Jochem says she noticed an uptick because she’s the one packing all of the orders. She also noticed something heartwarming while fulfilling orders.

“There were a lot of generous and supportive people sending gifts to their friends who are nurses in New York, and it was so touching to read some of the notes people were leaving on these orders that were going as far as Virginia or California,” Jochem says.

Voelcker also saw gift-giving to healthcare workers as well as loved ones in nursing homes, she says.

Lyons also took notice of this trend, and it delighted her to know her product was being gifted to those who needed calming the most.

“We believe in the power of lavender to calm and soothe, and so when someone is taking our product and passing it along in that way we feel really happy to be part of that moment,” Lyons says.

Like most businesses during the pandemic, these farms had to pivot and adjust.

Events, tours and workshops more or less came to a halt, but that didn’t stop any of these farms from having a successful year— and some of the adjustments are now permanent changes they have come to embrace.

Lyons credits the stay-at-home orders with some of the success.

“I felt like the reason we were so busy this year was in part because people were staying closer to home and doing local activities instead of, you know, going to the shore or going out of town,” Lyons says. “It also got a little stressful with the protocols because we’ve never had lines of people wrapped around the barn, but we had to limit the number of people indoors.”

At Mt. Airy Lavender farm, they usually host an open house and annual plant sale the first weekend of May, but with COVID-19, things had to be tweaked.

“We encouraged people to order their plants ahead of time, and we had people text us as they came down the driveway so we

Patti Lyons of Peace Valley Lavender Farm at her barn storefront in Doylestown.

could bring their orders to their car, and that was hugely successful for us,” Voelcker says.

A year later, Voelcker says they are still encouraging people to place their orders ahead of time on their website. She says it is very efficient for them because they can pre-package orders.

“It really is just so convenient, and it helps because this way people are never disappointed if they come to the store and we’re out of something. If they order ahead, it’s guaranteed they’ll get what they want,” Voelcker says.

Unfortunately, Hope Hill did take a hit when it came to their Mother’s Day plant sale in 2020. Jochem says that doing tickets

for the event hurt the overall turnout. However, ticketing farm tours turned out to be a welcome change.

“We found that 15 is actually a great number to take people out, because sometimes in larger groups, not everyone gets to learn, so we actually learned from the pandemic that this is better and we’re going to continue to do it,” Jochem says.

Peace Valley is also going to keep initiatives that came out of the pandemic, like curbside pickup. Over the last year they were able to perfect their pickup system and it gave them an opportunity to develop a new website where people could place orders as opposed to calling them in on the phone.

As more people become vaccinated and the 2021 bloom season approaches, these farms are hopeful for a return to some normalcy and more in-person shopping.

“I hope the season is good, but I also hope we can stay safe, and I know we can because we have a very scenic shopping experience.

We can leave the front doors open to our farm store and constantly have air circulating,” Jochem says.

Lyons is confident they will have a great bloom season—they always do. If the pandemic didn’t keep customers away last year, it certainly won’t this year.

J UN E 20 21 G R I DP HI LLY.COM 25

POLICING THE POLICE

Will the city’s choice of expanded oversight actually lead to change? story by royal thomas ii — illustration by woody harrington

T

he country’s reckoning with issues of racial justice reached a boiling point last summer after the murder of George Floyd. What followed was an onslaught of streets emblazoned with “Black Lives Matter” and corporate commitments to support equity and examine racial injustice. Notably absent were commitments to cut funding from police budgets and plans to divert those funds into places that create equity and foster racial justice.

In Philadelphia, city officials and councilmembers alike have expressed a desire for reform. And through a host of meetings, hearings and policy introductions, the main initiative that’s come out of the summer’s uprisings is the new Citizens Police Oversight Commission, or CPOC. Though final details of the commission are currently being negotiated, the goal is simple: to bridge relations between community and law enforcement.

“The main thing is increasing accountability. To restore the public’s confidence 26 GRID P H I L LY.CO M JU NE 20 21

in oversight in police misconduct, and also how police and community relationships work,” explains Councilmember At-Large Kendra Brooks. “And we really need to reduce the large payouts stemming from lawsuits over police abuse. Those are the things that are part of the conversation as they build out this effort.”

While it touts a new name and acronym, the commission is far from a new idea.

Philly’s Police Review Board—the first of its kind—was established in 1958 and dissolved in 1969 after a judge deemed it illegal.

In 1993, City Council overrode Mayor Ed Rendell’s veto and passed Bill no. 317, creating the Police Advisory Commission (PAC), which came to fruition the following year.

Plagued by budget cuts and drawn-out processes, PAC has long been seen as inefficient and ineffective at improving public trust in the system.

“We do a whole lot, but we do it with very, very few staff and not a whole lot of money,” says Anthony Erace, the commission’s acting executive director. PAC currently employs a

maximum of 13 commissioners and 10 staffers. Due to COVID-19, the commission saw staffing cuts that reduced its team from 10 down to 6.

“Just being able to fully staff a policy unit with enough people to conduct after-action reports and policy stuff like that … It’ll dramatically increase accountability and transparency of the police and Philadelphia policing,” says Erace.

But it’s never been that simple. More than 100 cities across the U.S. have their own form of civilian oversight, and still, problems over policing still persist. For Philadelphia’s CPOC to become the exception, it’s going to require careful construction.

Police Need Not Apply If history has revealed anything on the topic of police accountability, it is that the police are incapable of policing themselves.

In New York City, officer Daniel Pantaleo was on the other end of 7 disciplinary complaints and 14 individual allegations, before he killed Eric Garner in 2014.

RECYCLING

J UN E 20 21 G R I DP HI LLY.COM 27

Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin had 18 complaints brought against him. He was only disciplined twice before murdering George Floyd. If officers like these are investigated (and protected) by internal affairs departments and fellow officers, who exactly would police departments find unfit to serve?

In most major cities, civilian oversight just means current civilians, so their boards are often stocked with retired police officials, or, in the case of the Office of Police Accountability in Seattle, a mix of current officers and civilians. The NYC Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) even reserves three of the 15 appointed board positions to the police commissioner, with no restrictions on choices.

This cannot be the case for Philly, says Melanie DuBose, co-director of Live Free, a campaign by POWER Philadelphia— which tackles issues related to gun violence, mass incarceration and the criminalization of Black and Brown people in the city.

POWER has been holding town hall meetings since July 2020 with oversight and council officials across the country on the challenges of police oversight.

“One of the things we stipulated with the initial legislation was that there would be no mayoral involvement, and there would be no involvement with anyone who was a former police officer,” says DuBose. “We’ve recognized the control and the manipulation that the FOP [Fraternal Order of Police] has been able to usurp in various aspects of city life. And part of the stipulation was that citizens who are not in any way associated with the FOP be able to serve on this commission.”

With many oversight boards, the mayor appoints the majority of the positions. But for CPOC, as currently proposed, the mayor and city council would work to create a selection panel that would then create the commission. And while police involvement requirements are outlined for the selection panel, they are not outlined for Philly’s actual commission. Selection panel members cannot be current or former employees of either the city or state, nor can they have ties to the FOP or a political party. The panel of five will field applicants to the commission and select nine individuals who must then be confirmed by City Council.

Closed Doors and Secret Findings Transparency remains a major concern 28 GRID P H IL LY.CO M JU NE 2021

in the process of accountability. The findings of civilian oversight boards are largely inaccessible to the public. That means documented actions of officers, as well as board member procedures and rulings for a board that is denominated as civilian, is shrouded in anonymity.

In May 2021 The City, an independent New York–based nonprofit digital news platform, obtained an internal investigation memo from the city’s review board.

The document revealed a pattern of overturned misconduct findings by panel members between 2014 to 2020. Nearly 600

substantiated allegations of misconduct were overturned by the board during its final review processes. The analysis was written by the board’s then-director of policy and advocacy, who, along with four other board employees, were fired in November 2020. They have an ongoing lawsuit with the board over retaliatory practices.

For the incoming CPOC to gain the trust of the city, it has to open itself up. “[The] Philly community has to pull teeth to access information,” says Samantha Rise, program director of Girls Rock Philly and self-described movement supporter.

“We have to have outside investigations to have any understanding of what’s actually happening behind closed doors.”

This concession is one that will likely be contested. The current legislation grants the commission access to all citizen complaints of police officers in the department. For public record, the commission is required to hold public hearings once annually. An annual report, including summaries of each investigation by the commission, is also required to be submitted to the public “to the extent which the law allows.” All investigations by the commission are required to be published upon completion to the department’s website, where they will be permanently accessible.

For ongoing investigations, the commission is required to post any video captured within 48 hours of the alleged misconduct or articulate its rationale for not doing so.

Videos that are initially withheld must be posted within 14 days, regardless.

The Challenge of Disciplining Officers Without the ability to fire and discipline officers for their actions and with qualified immunity presenting a shield in civil suits, “accountability” can only be brought about via District Attorney Larry Krasner’s office in criminal cases. And while criminal cases have risen in recent years, convictions have not. In the U.S., only 7 police officers have been convicted of murder in fatal police shootings since 2005, despite almost 1,000 fatal police shootings occuring each year.

In the absence of a verdict in the criminal legal system, an oversight commission can at least be useful by taking disciplinary measures, or even firing officers from the department. But that is a fight that must be waged with both the Philadelphia Police Department and its union, FOP Lodge 5.

For the department in general, the ability to fire the police commissioner—a power that currently resides with the mayor— would give teeth to CPOC. The proposed

RISE, HELMETS: DREW DENNIS; DUBOSE: CALEB DUBOSE

“[The] Philly community has to pull teeth to access information. We have to have outside investigations to have any understanding of what’s actually happening behind closed doors.” — samantha rise

legislation only grants the power of non-binding disciplinary recommendations to the commission. All discipline must be confirmed by that of the police commissioner after the commission’s findings.

For the union, their power largely comes from Act 111, a 1968 law that settles disputes between the city and the union through binding arbitration. Disputes lasting more than 30 days between the parties are sent to arbitration, where, more often than not, the decision is ruled in the union’s favor. This acts not only as a barrier to meaningful contract changes and funding but also as protection for officers faced with disciplinary complaints or termination.

The police contract, which is set to expire June 30, will soon face arbitration between the union and the mayor, as they were unable to reach an agreement. So it’s unlikely similar changes will be met without opposition.

Until contracts, legislation and amendments are all settled, it’s going to be a waiting game, says DuBose.

“We’re waiting with bated breath to see the amended version of this and if City Council has allowed themselves to take all of the muscle out of the matter,” she says.

“Then we’re going to take them to task.”

From left: Samantha Rise speaks at a protest held last year.

Police riot gear sits idle near out-of-frame officers.

Melanie DuBose, of POWER Philadelphia, is working to keep the FOP out of the new oversight commission.

J UN E 20 21 G R I DP HI LLY.COM 29

LABOR OF LOVE

Self-taught macaron baker sends edible creations all across the country

I

f you pop into Olde Kensington’s Liberty Kitchen these days, a batch of colorful macarons in a glass display may very well catch your eye.

They are from Mac’n! by Mari, a one-woman macaron operation run by Mari Terise, a North Philly resident who hails from New York.

“It’s striking how many different flavors she can make at once,” Matt Budenstein, co-owner of Liberty Kitchen, says. “She’ll have a box with 12 different flavors, which blows my mind.”

Terise launched the business in 2018 with recurring appearances at vegan pop-up markets held at Tattooed Mom on South Street.

After operating out of The Dorrance H. Hamilton Center For Culinary Enterprises between 2018 and 2019, Terise moved to the commissary at Liberty Kitchen in January 2020 for more space after an uptick in sales.

Terise now sells her conventional and vegan macarons primarily online.

Before the pandemic, she sold her macarons at the East Falls Farmers Market and through partner bakeries like The Frosted Fox Cake Shop in Mount Airy and Flying Monkey Bakery in Reading Terminal Market. These direct sales were complimented by a steadily growing number of online orders.

Once she switched to mostly online sales, 30 GR ID P H I L LY.CO M JU NE 2021

she added her most popular option: a BuildA-Box that lets customers select 12 of her non-vegan macarons. Orders can be delivered to customers or they can pick them up on Fridays at Liberty Kitchen, where the macarons are also available for walk-up purchase.

One flavor available speaks to what inspired her love of baking: red velvet cake with cream cheese filling.

“It’s something that’s nostalgic,” she says of the confection. It’s a nod to a cake that her mother made for birthdays and special occasions. It was also this cake’s popularity that got her mother into starting her own side business, Ritzy Bakes, where Terise assisted with cake decorating.

“Helping her would always challenge me,” Terise says.

Her cousin left her business (Biggies Cakes in Connecticut) to make Ritzy Bakes a family triumvirate for a while. The family baking affair goes back to Terise’s grandfather, who sold pies wholesale to restaurants on Long Island. One of Ritzy Bakes’ top sellers, macaron drip cakes, eventually led Terise to macarons.

“My mother, although she would bake the majority of the items, had no desire to bake macarons because they’re finicky,” Terise explains.

So, in 2017, rather than continue to drive

over an hour to source the only suitable macarons they could find in Central Jersey, Terise began making them herself.

A one-day class on macarons at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in Manhattan helped smooth out any remaining kinks after so many hours of test batches while Terise taught herself the way of the macaron.

“Honestly, it’s all about technique,” she explains. “When I did the class at ICE, everyone’s macs came out differently even though it was the same recipe. It really is a testament to knowing your oven, understanding your process.”

She pivoted to baking macarons exclusively once the pandemic hit and her mother ended her baking business out of caution.

Both Terise and her mother work remote day jobs in public health.

Focusing solely on macarons has its merits.

“Macarons take a lot of trial and error and attention,” Terise says. Something as quotidian as a shift in humidity, for instance, can punish the inattentive baker. Besides ample patience, she says note-taking is key.

“Sometimes you don’t have that time [to be so focused] when you’re making a great variety of goods. Only selling macarons allows me to provide a better pastry,” she adds.

Her many repeat customers are a testament to the consistency of her macarons.

P H OTO G R A P H C O U R T E S Y F R E E A L I T Y P R O D U C T I O N S

story by brion shreffler

Mari Terise, founder of Mac’n! by Mari, bakes a great assortment of macarons—and ships them to your door.

Macarons take a lot of trial and error and attention.”

— mari terise , owner of Mac’n! by Mari

“The texture, that’s what’s really important,” says Stacy Levy, a recurring online customer from Morristown, New Jersey, who says she frequently has them shipped to others as gifts. “Soft inside but just perfectly crunchy, like a meringue cookie. Not too hard, not too soft on the outside.”

Shipping the macarons on ice packs and in cradling packaging enables Terise to fill orders from anywhere in the country. To keep their texture intact upon arrival, she stresses refrigerating for up to a week and, critically, letting them come to room temperature before serving.

But while the waiting may be the hardest part, she says the lag time in shipping aids an often overlooked aspect of macarons: the marriage of flavors between filling and shells as they mature.

What flavors, you ask?

Besides the red velvet cake, another nod to her mother’s business is the dulce de leche. Her love of Reese’s led to a peanut butter cup flavor, while an affinity for tea led to three flavors: caramel chai, matcha lime ginger and orange Earl Grey.

For her vegan macarons, she uses aquafaba (chickpea water) to stand in for the

IT’S NOT ‘TOMAYTO, TOMAHTO’ Like this writer, you may have found yourself using macaron and macaroon interchangeably.

A macaron (or French macaroon) is the merengue-based cookie that originally came to France by way of Italy during the Renaissance. In the ensuing centuries the macaron evolved into the sandwich cookie we know today. A macaroon, however, is the Italian cookie whose main ingredient is typically almonds or coconut and can come in a multitude of coatings and styles.

egg whites that normally form the basis of macaron shells. On offer are strawberry, passionfruit, s’mores, espresso, vanilla and chocolate ganache.

“They take three to four times longer to make,” she says of her vegan macarons.

“They’re very difficult. They’re actually a labor of love. I keep them on the menu mainly because I started doing markets in Philadelphia with my vegan macarons.”

If customers can’t choose between her 17 flavors (plus the additional six vegan options), they can do custom orders. Or they can go to Instagram, which Terise has turned to in the past for new flavor suggestions, including for her featured flavor of the month. Tiramisu was her favorite featured flavor of 2020.

Customer Erin Urffer of Roxborough attests she always orders favorites such as the pear brûlée, but seeing new options on Instagram keeps her ordering frequently.

“Every time I order, I try to get something I haven’t had before,” Urffer says.

Urffer, like Levy, found Mac’n! by Mari in the summer of 2020 while searching for Black-owned businesses to support.

“I’m pleasantly surprised that a lot of that business has been sustained,” Terise says, referring to customers brought her way by SHOPPE BLACK, a business development company that promotes Philadelphia’s Black-owned enterprises.

After removing any caps on ordering at the start of April, she hopes to expand production incrementally in the months ahead while eventually adding staff that she can mentor.

“I don’t necessarily have aspirations to have a retail location,” Terise says. “In the future, I’d love to have my own [production] kitchen and team.”

Order for delivery from mac-nbymari.com.

J UN E 20 21 G R I DP HILLY.COM 31

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