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Some residents near African Cultural Center say they have had enough

May 31, 2012

africanculturalcenter

Several residents who live near 50th and Springfield are taking their complaints about the African Cultural Center (Facebook page), a banquet hall that hosts everything from baby showers to raucous late night dance parties, to police tonight.

Residents say they have been complaining to police, the Liquor Control Board and the District Attorney’s office for several months about problems of noise and public urination at the center, which sits between residential homes and the train bridge that crosses Springfield Avenue. The Center includes an 8,000-square-foot banquet hall, with a stage and sound system, and a 1,700-square-foot reception hall with bar, both of which are frequently rented out for large events. These events include biweekly parties that run from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m., require a $10 admission and include “tight security,” according to advertisements. Many of the large gatherings are organized by promoters who are not directly connected with the African Cultural Center.

Tonight some of these residents plan to take their complaints to a public forum at the Philadelphia Police Department’s 12th District headquarters at 6448 Woodland Ave. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m.

Phone calls to the Center’s owner, Murphy Orji, were not returned.

 

27 Comments For This Post

  1. Christina Says:

    Well at least it’s not a Subway!

  2. Andrew Says:

    Established venue…..then white folks move in. Sure is a lot of this on here.

  3. Charles Says:

    That didn’t take long.

  4. Stewie Says:

    Why are residents who live 3 blocks away at Baltimore complaining about something at 50th and Springfield???
    Why aren’t they complaining about Dock Street, etc.?
    Elitism?

  5. Renee Says:

    This place is a problem to the immediate neighbors and has been for years. It isn’t just a new problem but finally enough people are fed up with it to work towards a better relationship with the center.

    We all have a right to live in a safe neighborhood with shared respect from our community. In this context, respect means not hosting un-permitted, unregulated parties where people spill out of the venue, screaming, fighting and drunk driving at 3, 4, and even 5am every weekend.

    The problem is not that the Center exists, or that is hosts family and wedding receptions. The problem is the underground parties that affect the neighborhood and that is our primary concern.

  6. Wale Says:

    For what it’s worth, there are a fair number of persons (of various races) on that block (50th/springfield) who aren’t exactly enamoured with that venue either.

  7. Mike Lyons Says:

    @Stewie The folks actually do live near 50th and Springfield. That was a brain cramp. We fixed it.

  8. fred walton Says:

    well, i live at 51st and springfield, i am a white dude, and i have no problems with the place. I see it hopping when i walk home late on the weekend nights. seems no louder then the trains that run past it. definitely not at loud as fireworks, gunshots, and atv that i hear when trying to sleep

  9. Wale Says:

    I think everyone is rightfully entitled to their own opinion on this, but over the past few years, several of us have been kept awake at odd hours and have had to pick up litter left outside our homes by patrons of the center on numerous occasions.

  10. Maryte Says:

    I live right at the corner and trust me this club is louder than the trains, fireworks and gunshots. The music, screaming and honking of car horns has kept me and my family up numerous nights and mornings.
    I’m not against a club/ banquet hall being in the neighborhood. I’m against the partying, noise and fighting out on the street that lasts until 5am. It has been going on for a couple years.

  11. Sean Says:

    They’ll have to do a whole lot better than public urination to get the police to care.

    It sucks to live so close to noise, since it’s unavoidable, but it’s unlikely this venue will be shut down as long as they’re up to code and nobody is shot (which still probably wouldn’t get them shut down, unless the owner was the shooter)

  12. Kelvyn Says:

    Gotta love west philly politics, its one of the few places where you get branded as a racist gentrifying interloper for asking that a business be up to code, pay its taxes and play nice with neighbors.

    Here’s some facts to go along with the overblown charges of racism and elitism:

    Seven of us attended the 12th District PSA#4 meeting last night, along with the ACC owner, Chima Orji, State Rep Jim Roebuck, and a representative from his office.

    This is a brief take on the meeting and I expect others who were there will chime in as well to correct any misstatements and add their own impressions.

    We talked for about an hour and a half, and the conversation while slightly heated, was always civil. Several folks who live closed acknowledged the positive history and the general intentions of ACC, which Mr. Orji leaned on very heavily.

    But when presented with details of more recent vintage, Orji was polite, incredulous that anything’s awry, and evasive when pressed for specifics.

    Example: We showed him a flyer advertising liquor sales, and a party from 10pm-3am. He laughed it off as a stunt to “get people in the door.”

    We asked him if he had a liquor license, he admitted that he did not and said folks at these events BYOB, so that’s ok, right?

    The Lt. who chaired the meeting was quiet at first, but was eventually agreed to have officers pay a bit more attention at the next scheduled party, Friday 6/8. He asked Orji about permits and inspections, and again there was no substance to his replies.

    I asked the Lt. about the Premises History (coptalk for a list of incidents tied to a specific address) which showed quite a few calls that, in defense of Mr. Orji were not all tied to his facility but to the apartments directly behind him. There’s some confusion around the address and the police coding of incidents which I won’t belabor here but will continue to explore with police and other interested parties.

    We all have an interest in him doing the right thing at his property, getting answers about permits, etc is part of that conversation. This is what an involved community does BEFORE noise and trash turns into a critical incident. I would be willing to cut the man some slack, but he seemed too disconnected from what’s actually happening to inspire confidence.

    Orji was slightly more contrite by the time we wrapped up, but still didn’t offer much more than a general promise to clean up his act, which is par for the course from what I’ve been told by others who have had previous dealings with him. We agreed to meet again at the district’s PSA meeting to see where things stand.

    I’d like to thank Jim Roebuck for always showing up in person or sending a staffer to far-flung meetings like this. Other pols in this situation would offer platitudes or grand pronouncements, but Jim simply listened which spoke volumes for me.

  13. Jorge Meowsman Says:

    Stewie,

    Get over yourself. Dock Street closes around 1:30am, keeps its party/ trash inside, and is closed on Sundays. You can not compare that to a place that is unlicensed for liquor and has loud parties in a residential neighborhood, especially parties that go until 4am…. There is no elitism… Stop with the NPR rhetoric and/or white guilt and get real. Not every dispute is racial or classist.
    Sometimes people complain because others are inconsiderate. Crazy, right?

  14. m Says:

    THANK YOU JORGE

    yeah, why let a little reality get in the way of a good old fashioned dogma?

  15. Stewie Says:

    @ Mike…Thanks for pointing out the adjustment. Then I agree its fair for those neighbors to complain.

    @Jorge…you’re obviously a slacker posting on WPhilly Local at 1:30ish…but don’t be a nitwit. The original article stated that people living on Baltimore avenue complained about this joint. I thought that was ridiculous until the article was corrected to state that the complainants were neighbors who lived at Springfield.
    Plus Dock street is the epic center of slacker nitwits who are willing to buy overpriced beer for the ambiance. Real men hang out at Dahlak…

  16. Bill Hangley Says:

    FYI, this story came to mind just now – residents of South 51st St. just learned that the owner of a neighboring property has put in a zoning request to turn 5103 Pentridge (currently a garage, zoned commercial I believe) into a “banquet hall” with permission for DJs, catered events etc. The sidewall of the Pentridge property is directly adjacent to about six private homes that face 51st, and obviously we’re concerned about having the same sorts of problems described at the ACC.

    Part of what I take away from the ACC story is that even if a banquet hall landlord is well-intentioned, the sorts of parties and promotions that such venues attract can get out of hand and have a major impact on the quality of life in the immediate area. We’re in the process of learning more about the landlord’s plans and our neighbors’ thoughts on the matter.

  17. Wale Says:

    ^^Aw man, that sucks.

  18. Bill Hangley Says:

    Just a little update – got the landlord on the phone and he says he’s not interested in a banquet hall, wants to rezone the space so that it can be occupied by a local nonprofit; he says he wants “a long term tenant that won’t cause trouble” which is certainly what the neighbors would like. We’ll keep an eye on the situation.

  19. Gordon Says:

    I know this is a dead thread…but does anyone on this thread have Chima’s phone number? bill?

  20. jshadaci Says:

    This thread does seem dead – but as a new resident of this intersection, I’ve been up at 3am for many Saturdays this year, been woken up by gunshots and honking and screaming drunks. The police eventually break it up – but did nothing ever happen from these meetings? The last update was from August 2012, and the issue is still at hand.

    I signed a two year lease before I knew about these parties. It’s infuriating.

  21. Wale Says:

    Welcome to the neighborhood. Most of us have been dealing with this for a number if years with no significant change. The nicer the weather is, the more raucous the parties get (not to mention litter the next morning). It’s pretty obvious that the owner doesn’t care because he doesn’t have to (try to) sleep next to the venue. I don’t think he’ll make a serious effort unless his pockets feel threatened in some real way.

  22. jshadaci Says:

    Is there anything to be done concerning zoning or permits? There’s literally a party going on right now. It’s so frustrating! I’m very close to the corner on St. Bernard. Did anything happen after the meeting last year?

  23. Bianca Says:

    Jshadaci… your neighbors are organizing against the ACC as you speak. You will want to attend this meeting if you can.

    “Kelvyn let us know that this month’s Captain’s Town Hall Meeting will be held on Wednesday April 10th @ 7pm, at the 12th District HQ, 65th & Woodland. Please try to attend if you’re available. This is an important chance to voice our concerns to Capt Moroney. I believe the more of us attend the better.

    In addition a 311 ticket has been started. The link to it is below. It would be very helpful if you would go and add your comments to it, to make it clear that this an important issue to many of us, not just a few. You will also learn that you are not alone in your concerns by reading your neighbors’ comments.”

    https://www.publicstuff.com/pa/philadelphia-pa/other/possible-l-i-violations-102003

  24. jshadaci Says:

    Thanks so much for letting me know about the meeting, Bianca. I will be there.

  25. Pinto Says:

    It was yesterday admitted and proven by 18th District that a next door neighbor fired the shots that were heard weeks ago to make a statement.
    Black people don’t shoot in the air, they fire at people and get it over with.

  26. krowseye Says:

    Just checked, and no police district has “admitted” or “proven” anything about that incident, Pinto’s comment is pure nonsense. First of all, the ACC is in the 12th District, not the 18th. This is the same word-for-word anonymous comment posted yesterday on a now-closed 311 thread complaining about the ACC. Instead of engaging in a useful discussion, posters who support the owner have resorted to personal attacks and typical race-based intimidation tactics. Sad, undignified and unproductive.

  27. Wale Says:

    Let’s try to refrain from conjecture about what all black people (as a group) do or don’t do. Such statements are rarely necessary or accurate. Just the facts, please.

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