The Inquirer recently wrapped up a series about the struggles faced in Kensington and Philadelphia’s First Congressional District – the 2nd hungriest in the nation: “Hunger in the First”:
- Alfred Lubrano: “Inquirer spotlight on hunger spurs acts of generosity”
- Alfred Lubrano: “A struggle to make an honest living”
- Alfred Lubrano: “Nutritional challenges in a supermarket desert”
- Alfred Lubrano: “The Drugs Dilemma”
- Alfred Lubrano: “Scarred by violence, moved to take action”
- Alfred Lubrano: “Planting seeds of hope”
- Alfred Lubrano: “Hunger in Philadelphia: The Safety Net Is Torn”
- Alfred Lubrano: “Food that’s as poor as the family”
- Alfred Lubrano: “A Portrait of Hunger”
Following this series, no doubt brought on by the horror of the Kensington strangler, was a greater spotlight cast by the papers on the neighborhood that included a great set of independent articles:
- David Gambacorta: “No simple solution for prostitution, cops say”
- Jan Ransom & Natalie Pompilio: “In Kensington, residents united in fear”
- Daniella Wexler and Mohana Ravindranath: “Kensington neighborhood fends for itself after the snow”
- Hayden Mitman: “Beyond ‘Strangler’ panic, Kensington looks to long-term ills”
- David Gambacorta: “Kensington vigil draws a crowd in support of victims’ families”
All are worth reading.
An article that introduces us to a new news effort coming *from* Kensington deserves a special shout out because it is efforts like this that point us towards the future or news and maybe the neighborhood itself: “Philadelphia duo bring Internet attention to Kensington’s woes”. That duo is Richie Antipuna and Heather Barton and their video series can be found on Blip.tv.
I just had to round up these articles and post them to one page since the subject matter was so related. Now if there was a place to discuss these stories collectively. Reddit’s Philadelphia sub-reddit perhaps? That feels wrong. The stories need an official home someplace where people from the neighborhood and outside the neighborhood can discuss them collectively. Why do I care about that? Because when people connect over subject matter that is when ideas can take shape and action can take place.