Opinion
Stop Judging People for Going to Outdoor Events. The COVID Mandates Are Working.
As we all began to adjust to in-person gatherings this summer in the wake of vaccination requirements, I noticed a growing trend: social media doomsaying. […]
Philly Will Pay $2 Million to Settle a Police Brutality Case. It Will Also Give Cops a Raise. Why?
The saying goes “You gotta spend money to make money” when it comes to maximizing budgetary opportunities, but the city has officially proven that it […]
Philly’s Budget Treats Gun Violence Like It’s a Tomorrow Problem
Putting your money where your mouth is means nothing if you’re working with a bad script. Someone should tell that to the Kenney administration as […]
Why I’ve Decided to Stop Debating Vaccine-Resistant People
For many of the fully vaccinated among us who have spent much of the past year arguing with family, friends and colleagues who have refused […]
We Told Our Wedding Guests They Had to Be Vaccinated. Here’s What Happened Next
I was told that in the weeks leading up to my wedding, shit would get real. But I never imagined such a bombshell. Until very […]
Don’t Look Now, but the Mullet, History’s Most Maligned Hairstyle, Is Back
A few months ago, Chelsey Crawford, a 26-year-old buyer at Urban Outfitters, walked into Washington Square’s American Mortals salon and asked for a mullet. And […]
The Return of COVID Restrictions Proves That Unvaccinated Lives Matter
The rise of new COVID-19 cases caused by the highly contagious Delta variant — and the return of restrictions in their wake — has produced […]
If You Won’t Get Vaccinated, You Shouldn’t Be Allowed to Have Fun
In one of my all-time favorite films, Mean Girls, there’s a scene in which the alpha-female of her high school, Regina George, decides to wear […]
Here’s What Happened When I Turned the Tables on a Street Harasser
It was a Friday morning in Center City that was off to a good start. Then things got tense. I had wrapped up a monthly […]
The Worst of Philly 2021: From Fraudulent Hoagies to Headhouse Square to Ben Simmons
Every year since 1974, Philly Mag has published the Best of Philly: the people, places and things we want to lift up and celebrate. Things […]
Mayor Jim Kenney Doesn’t Care About Black People
In 2005, during the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, rapper Kanye West declared on national television that “George Bush doesn’t care about Black people.” It was […]
ICYMI, Philly Police Made Sure to Defend the Free Speech of White Supremacists
On the night before your July 4th cookout, nearly 200 masked white supremacists armed with shields, flags and banners flocked to Center City to throw […]
Philly’s New Budget Makes It Clear City Hall Will Never Defund the Police
As the saying goes, “Don’t believe the hype,” especially when it comes to the Philly police budget. After all that talk of criminal justice reform […]
Helen Gym and Kenyatta Johnson, Grandstand Less and Legislate More
Having grown up in the South, I’ve never forgotten a piece of wisdom from my elders: “Know your role, play your part.” In a democracy, […]
We Have a Chance to Create the Philly Pride Celebration We Truly Deserve
It’s very rare that community demands are met with swift and immediate action — but in a racial-uprising/pandemic era, the game has changed. A few […]