Beau Zabel...23, tragic loss...a strike against phillys future...

another promising life lost to gun violence in philly...again...we cannot become numb to the endless tragic and SENSELESS violence.(see www.southphillyreview.org)Beau Zabel, 23 worked @ Starbucks @ 4th and South.He was new to philly...he moved here from Minnesota in early May to be a Phiadelphia Teaching Fellow. He was shot dead in the 800 block of Ellsworth on his way home from a 12midnight shift .His iPod was taken and his pockets were turned inside out. I am so sorry for him,,his family, friends a co-workers,for the children in Philadelphia's schools who will still need his bright enthusiasm...but I feel most ashamed that the mean streets of my city, Philly, took his young life before it even got a fair start.
My first apartment in Philly was at 10th & Ellsworth...I walked to and from Center City daily,nightly.
when I lived @ 16th & Pine the Center City Jogger ran past on her last 5am jog ever...her body was dumped in a stairwell in the 20 something& Pine area.The list of crimes floods my memory as I blog...some were people i knew and some were strangers but not for long as their untimly violent death sealed a belief in me that we are all in this together and a loss of a human being is undeniably tragic to us ALL.

Filthadelphia!

How did the clean up go on your block? It looks like they missed some trash around my way...

Goddamn Killagram! The House Blew the F*#$! Up!!!

The house on 6th and Bainbridge just blew!

Welcome to" KILLADELPHIA"!!!

The personal is political!
I feel concerned about all areas of the city whether it affects me directly or not!
But nobody is that lucky...the statistics are against us. In the last year in my life alone have been three incidents of violence affecting me and the people I love and care about.Two of these incidents were deadly. The most recent was an assault that nearly resulted in death and was especially disturbing to me personally not just for its horrific magnitude but because I suffered and lived through a very similar incident 22 years ago that happened to take place in the same area of the city.
I am just mad at myself that I could not have exited this hellish place earlier! I will get outta this place-if it's the last thing I ever do!!!!

OMG!!!

I heard the car speeding outside and I thought I was having a nightmare...I bolted upright and screamed ,"Oh My God!!", just as I heard an immediate thundering, monstorous CRASH!

I Encourage Comments From ALL ESPECIALLY South Philly

I really appreciate that some of you are acually reading this!!!My neighboorhood is going to hell in a hand basket! One comment reflected the racism inherent in our city...that this group or that group causes problems that sink our already sinking ship. Across the street and down my own street ALL the drug dealers are WHITE. Other races come and go...customers dealers enforcers etc., but the home owners are WHITE HONKIES!

Hit Da Floor!!!

I diligently read "The South Philly Review " every week and as far as crime in the city of brotherly shove goes their report is classic. Bottles used as weapons at bustops, teen muggers on bikes,rapists assaulting victims with weights, and various road rage incidents including teen on child incidents. I am not easily shocked. But one item last week blew my last gasket! The cops caught a guy walkin around near 5th and Reed with an Uzi....that's right A FUCKING UZI!!! ...with 25 in the clip!!!