Morning Headlines: Philly Apologizes to Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson, Brooklyn Dodgers’ first baseman, is shown at Ebbets Field, April 11, 1947. (AP Photo)
Good morning, Philadelphia. Here’s what you need to know today:
City Council is apologizing to Jackie Robinson for the racism he experienced here.
Robinson, of course, was the first African-American player in Major League Baseball. “Unfortunately in Philadelphia, Jackie Robinson experienced some of the most virulent racism and hate of his career,” Councilwoman Helen Gym, who introduced the resolution, told ABC News. “Our colleagues decided to introduce this resolution to celebrate Jackie Robinson.” The resolution of apology states that when playing in Philadelphia, Robinson “had particularly virulent racism directed against him, with a hotel refusing to provide him accommodations and the manager of the Phillies leading the team to taunt him to ‘go back to the cotton fields’ and calling him racial slurs.” Robinson will be honored April 15; his widow, Rachel, is expected to accept the apology.
Speaking of Philly and race: Mayor Kenney will be at a “stop and frisk” town hall on April 29.
Philly Mag’s Malcolm Burnley: A town hall focused around the issue of stop-and-frisk will take place on Friday, April 29th, at 7 p.m. at the New Vision United Methodist Church in North Philly. Mayor Jim Kenney, Commissioner Richard Ross, deputy legal director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania Mary Catherine Roper and Kelvyn Anderson, executive director of the Police Advisory Commission, will all be on stage. The event, which will be open to the public and not be ticketed, has been organized by interfaith network POWER and local media company Techbook Online, whose CEO, Chris Norris (one of the many writers who’s weighed in on Kenney’s alleged flip-flop on the issue of stop-and-frisk) expects some much-needed dust-settling to take place: “Everyone should walk away from this meeting knowing where everyone stands,” Norris says.
Is the “SEPTA Kids” mom owed an apology?
Philly Mag’s Victor Fiorillo: Since early this week, the city has been reeling over that viral video that shows a group of out-of-control young children on the Market-Frankford El. But new video — shot by Dwayne Ross, who was on the same train car when the original video was shot— has emerged that sheds more light on the incident. “The guy who was videotaping, he was definitely antagonizing those kids,” recalls Ross. “I noticed the kids running back and forth down the aisle, and then I see this guy videotaping them. The mom was trying to corral the kids, but he kept instigating them.”
Ross added: “I don’t think anything would have happened if this guy hadn’t been there. They were provoked. He was obviously agitating the children.” Watch the new video here and decide for yourself.
A baby kidnapped from the King of Prussia Mall has been found.
Fiorillo: According to the Upper Merion police, Ahsir Simmons has been found safe. Earlier Thursday, an Amber Alert was been issued for 7-week-old Ahsir Simmons after video showed she’d been taken from the mall. 6ABC adds: “We were able to go to a number of locations tonight in both Upper Merion Township, Malvern and eventually into Tredyffrin Township, Chester County, where we did locate the woman, who was seen on video leaving with the baby,” said Upper Merion Township Police Chief Tom Nolan. “The baby is safe and sound, but is getting checked.” Charges are pending, officials say.
Philadelphia is getting younger.
WHYY reports on the new “State of the City” report from Pew Trusts: “The country has been getting older. We hear that all the time: we’re a greying society,” said Larry Eichel, director of Pew’s research initiatives. “Over the last 10 years, the median age of the country has gone up by about a year. But in the same period, Philadelphia’s median age has fallen by a year and a half. We’re now about four years younger than the nation as a whole.” The age drop was caused by an influx of young adults, he said, not a baby boom.
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