The Return of the Frank Rizzo Statue
Maybe they'll finally open a Frank Rizzo museum.
The vandalized Frank Rizzo statue, prior to its removal in 2020 (Getty Images)
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The Return of the Frank Rizzo Statue in Philadelphia
If’s been more than five years since officials removed the Frank Rizzo statue from public display in Philadelphia amid the unrest following the murder of George Floyd. Since then, the city has been embroiled in a legal battle over what should happen to the statue, in part because The Frank L. Rizzo Monument Committee donated the statue to the city in 1998 and said the city didn’t have the right to just stick it in storage. And now the Philadelphia Art Commission has decided to give the statue back to that committee, but, and this is a very important but, the agreement reached stipulates that the committee can only display the statue on private property and out of public view.
So basically, they should all have just listened to me in the first place. In 2019, as controversy swirled around the Frank Rizzo statue’s constant presence across from City Hall, I proposed that all of the people who think Frank Rizzo was such a good guy put their money together and open a Frank Rizzo museum in Philadelphia, a natural final resting place for a Frank Rizzo statue. Actually, I suggested the very same idea in 2017 as well. Maybe now, they will take my advice. Hell, I bet you the current White House would just love to carve out some federal dollars for a Frank Rizzo museum.
Krasner to Trump: Stay Out
There’s been a lot of chatter over the last few days that Donald Trump intends to send National Guard troops to major U.S. cities, including Philadelphia, now that he’s deployed them in Washington D.C. Keep in mind that crime is down in Philadelphia (as it is in D.C.) and that we’ll likely end this year with fewer homicides than we’ve seen since the 1960s. But the president seems to think we need military intervention. Yesterday, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner held a press conference to tell Trump that we don’t need his help and that the troops need to stay out.
“I guess I never really thought that the preservation of the government of the United States would be an issue that I would have to face,” Krasner said. “I just never thought that a military invasion of America’s big cities with a fear-based racist agenda to pave a path for a military takeover is something that I would face. And I deeply wish I didn’t face it.”
To Fund Or Not to Fund?
That is the big question right now regarding SEPTA. Thursday is August 14th. And August 14th is when SEPTA says it will have to begin the process to institute drastic cuts across the system unless the agency gets funding from Harrisburg. The head of SEPTA claimed last week that there’s no turning back once they start making this transition, which feels like a laughable bluff to me.
By the Numbers
3: Age of a Havertown child who just died after her mom allegedly left her in a hot car for hours. Apparently, the mom told police that she got swept down a river, except her clothes weren’t wet when she returned to the car. Horrible.
$1,000,000: Amount I would have bet you that Wawa would not open the first Wawa travel center in, of all places, North Carolina. And yet…
500,000,000,000,000: Number of people it seemed like were talking about the strange object in the Philly sky last night. Alas, it wasn’t an asteroid throttling towards earth to put us out of our misery.
Local Talent
If you are in need of an unadulterated good time, I suggest the local party band Miss Cantaloupe, which is performing at PhilaMOCA on Thursday night. Not only do you get a concert, but you also get someone making you balloon animals and you can even get your face painted. Like I said, a good time. If you need convincing, check out their tune “Bestie” here. Catchy!
