Kensington Tour

Liberty Bell - Welcome to Philadelphia

Philadelphia promotes itself as an up and coming city, back from the edge of bankruptcy. Over the past ten years the city has poured hundreds of millions of dollards into the downtown area, financially backing the construction of a Convention Center, new hotels, and expensive places to shop and eat. The Republicans chose Philadelphia as the site of their convention for these reasons.  These improvements will be used to show the nation and the world that American policy is working - our economy is strong, our people are employed and our quality of life is the best in the world.

This tour of Kensington - a neighborhood where people live and raise their kids, like any other neighborhood - will challenge that perception. And Kensington is only one of thousands of neighborhoods across the country where people are struggling to survive in the "booming economy." Almost 25% of those living in and around Philadelphia live below the federal poverty level, and 1/3 of the children. Many more are "working poor," often working several low-wage jobs but barely able to pay the bills. As Philadelphia raises money for new hotels and sports stadiums (the new stadiums will cost over a billion dollars!) thousands of houses are falling into disrepair. There are some 30,000 abandoned homes in this city.  At the same time, at least 25,000 Philadelphians are homeless during a given year. This number does not include the many families who live doubled and tripled up because they cannot afford to pay rent or to buy a home on their own.

As the Republicans come into town to select their presidential candidate, we look back at the recent mayoral election in Philadelphia.  Only 44.8% of registered voters participated. Our democracy is sold as a shining example for other countries to follow - and yet our candidates do not inspire even half of the population to participate. In Kensington, the neighborhood we are entering now, only 17% of the registered voters participated - with good reason, given the two options set before them.

Next: American Street: History of a Neighborhood