State of the City: Mayor Parker reflects on first year in office, plans for future
PHILADELPHIA - Mayor Cherelle Parker delivered her first State of the City address at Temple University Friday touting her administration’s accomplishments on crime, clean and green initiatives and the Sixers arena.
In the heart of Philadelphia’s struggling Kensington community, the grip of illegal drugs still holds firm. Months after the Parker Administration swept the neighborhood of tent encampments the sidewalks remain mostly clear, but the misery remains.
Crystal Rojas of Kensington said, "it’s really rough. It’s really rough out here for me and everybody else. It’s just chaotic."
Rojas waited for a bus with her 7-year-old daughter Mckenzie. She also waits for a better day in Kensington.
The State of the City comes a day after Philadelphia City Council gave its final approval on a controversial plan to build a $1.3B Sixers arena near Chinatown.
Parker, who has backed the plan publicly as a way to reinvigorate Center City, said construction of the arena "extends well beyond basketball."
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Mayor Cherelle Parker, in her first State of the City address at Temple Friday, argued that with homicides and shootings dropping, that better day is coming. Parker said, "We cannot and will not rest until every neighbor and every neighborhood feels safe in their homes and on their front steps. Until every child can walk up to school safely, every senior sit on their porch and feel safe again."
Parker made public safety her top priority when she took office nearly a year ago. She was also focused on "clean and green," her plan to break Philly’s ugly nickname "Filthadelphia." With a city-wide clean-sweep and twice-weekly trash pickup she claimed she’s doing it. Parker said, "Through all of these clean and green programs we’ve cleaned over 40,000 city blocks and commercial corridors, and the number is going up every day."
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The literal sweep of Kensington Avenue yielded immediate results, with sanitation workers hauling away bags of trash and debris. The city removed homeless encampments set up along Kensington Avenue and provided outreach to those battling homelessness.
Under the Parker administration, Philadelphia has also seen a meaningful reduction in homicides across the city. There have been 255 murders in Philadelphia to date, which is over 150 fewer killings than 2023.
Back in Kensington, police walking a beat are seen on street corners. Large gatherings of those struggling with homelessness and addiction are also here. Maurice Weeks of North Philly is fearful of gun violence and said he is willing to stick with the mayor one year in. Asked how Parker is doing, Weeks said, "I think she’s doing the best she can with what she’s got. I think it’s going to take a minute."