The Triangle

Issue date: 8/5/05 Section: Ed-Op

Media Credit: The Triangle

After our editorial last week, and the subsequent poll based on our editorial, the response from the student body and surrounding community has been tremendous. We got two angry Powelton Village resident writing in this week, including our illustrious columnist Vivek Thuppil, a couple of students supporting our position on the website, and a huge response in the online poll. Of course, the squeaky wheel gets the oil, so the loud voices of the loyal Powelton Village residents gets some unnecessary attention. Not only is the Powelton Village Civic Association (PVCA) in a fit of denial, but they also seem to be completely oblivious to the whole concept of property and common sense.

Let's start off with the pristine environment that is Powelton Village. Did I say "pristine?" What I meant to say was run-down, shoddy, dangerous, and abysmal. Sure, there are some nice parts of the area. There's also nice parts of Baghdad and Chechnya. Using the nicer areas of the Powelton Village to suggest that it is somehow a good community is like saying Iraq could be a good vacation spot. There's rapes, murders, bulgraries, and armed robberies on a regular basis. Automobiles are pristine targets for the friendly neighborhood crack-addicts.

A Powelton resident actually had the gaul to compare Society Hill's murders as "much worse than our biggest problem of 12 year olds on bikes harassing students!" Yeah. Was it a 12 year old on a bike that threatened my life for calling the cops on the drug dealers? I guess "harassment" includes robbing someone at gunpoint as well. Denial is a petty, petty thing.

Another defense from these people is that other sections of Philadelphia are in a crime wave and suffering higher crime rates. I got news for them. We don't live next to those "other sections." We live right next to Powelton Village, and the Mantua section. Admittingly, Mantua is in far worse off shape than Powelton (even though residents there deny it as well and have sued the University City District). However, using other sections to say "oh, it could be worse" is plain horse hockey. Don't tell Drexel students that they are lucky that they don't live elsewhere, because that is little comfort to those who are robbed of what little money they have. Rapes happen elsewhere in the city, yes. But when they happen at 34th and Powelton, as the one a few weeks ago, it is no excuse. And somehow I doubt it was a Drexel student commiting the crime.

Continued...

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