Back To School section southphillyreview.com
DIFFERENCE MAKERS
■ The South Philly Review is seeking Difference Maker nominations. Who are the people who go above and beyond the call of duty to assist others? See page 4.
Vol. 66 NO. 33 ■ August 15, 2013
Page 21
Street smarts A Girard Estate resident created an awareness-advocating Facebook page after her son became a robbery victim.
NO RESERVATIONS ■ Dad’s Stuffing, 1615 W. Ritner St., opened its doors in 1925 and continues to offer many popular items including its Bread Stuffing. See page 33.
SPORTS
■ An East Passyunk Crossingbased basketball star is ready to compete in the ACC. communal accord.
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■ By Joseph Myers R e v i e w S ta f f W r i t e r
“M
aybe I’m guilty of being an idealist, but I’d thought my neighborhood was relatively safe,” Carol Lanni said Friday from her home on the 2600 block of South Bouvier Street. “I’d never thought something like this would happen, but now my eyes are fully open.” The 43-year-old Girard Estate dweller has been stressing similar safeguarding since her 11-year-old son Raymond’s Aug. 3 encounter with a thieving teenager. She addressed her angst the next day by creating Taking Our South Philadelphia Streets Back, a Facebook page that at press time had exceeded 2,000 likes, and is leading to calls for unified efforts against crime.
Using an image of Rocky as the page’s profile picture, Carol Lann is up for engaging in the fight of her life to salvage solid futures for South Philly neighborhoods and children.
her offspring and a 13-year-old “Since my child’s exfriend following their departure perience, I’ve become from Foot Locker, 2308 W. Ormuch more interested S ta f f P h o t o b y egon Ave. in understanding our K at h r y n P o o l e “If I observe something, I’m going communities,” the single to stop to help, but that wasn’t the immother, who also has two mediate case for my son,” Lanni said of daughters, said. “If we don’t act more diligently, the crime rate the incident with Raymond, whom a 15-yearwill skyrocket, and we’ll be living beold relieved of an iPhone 4 as peers ensured the boys hind closed doors.” could not escape by circling them. “When I saw him, Lanni has spent the last two weeks healing he looked as if he’d seen a ghost.” Raymond’s psychological wounds and analyzing The matriarch found herself equally spooked, and South Philly’s overall moral identity. She has ap- she and the boy remained at 1st District Headquarproached the former with the utmost care and has ters, 2301 S. 24th St., until 9:30 that evening, which seen the latter as a steadily declining facet of her yielded her little sleep yet ample ambition. Mindful future and that of other established or prospec- that adults commit the majority of South Philly’s tive families. That thinking’s genesis came shortSee TAKING BACK page 10 >> ly after she learned nine teenagers had accosted
South Philly residents are helping an LGBT theater Balance beams Fourteen 8 festival to address life’s somber and thrilling moments.