Here is a chance tonight to stand with your neighbors against violence in the neighborhoods.

The Kingsessing Fifth Division Community of Neighbors is organizing a vigil at 6:30 p.m. at 1100 S. Divinity St., the site of multiple shootings earlier this week and last week. Here is a message from the organization:

“Violence has peaked its head once more as young men in our community are the victims of senseless violence. Come out on Thursday August 15, 2013 as we pray for peace in our streets. Come be with your neighbors, community leaders, and elected officials. We want to encourage our community that we still have work to do. Bring a balloon with you as we will release for peace.”

Many of our readers expressed concern about Cafe Renata at 43rd and Locust being closed last week. So here’s what happened – Renata owners, Katie and Yasser, were doing a little facelift and also installed a new counter. Katie said that they moved the bar out of the center of the room and Yasser, actually, built the new bar and a bunch of tables himself with recycled pieces of wood. After the remodeling the cafe space for seating has increased by about 30%. The new counter and long table were made from salvaged trees and Yasser did the finishing work.

“We couldn’t have done it without the West Philly Tool Library. I think we borrowed a zillion different thingamajigs from them for this project,” said Katie in an email.

Editor’s Note: This week we received a classified ad from neighbor Jena Laske, who was looking for a musician to take ownership of her father’s prized 12-string. We asked Jena to tell us more. She sent the note below.

Hi West Philly Folks,

I’m giving away my father’s 12 string Yamaha guitar. Just to let you know a little bit about my dad, his name was Thomas. He had a mass of curly red hair. When he was a teenager, he was quite a heartthrob and played and sang at small town bars around the Adirondack mountains where my grandparents had a cabin on Seventh Lake. He was only 22 when I was born and I have memories sitting on the floor as a youngster listening to him sing Jim Croce’s “I Got a Name” and an old folk song, “Froggy Went a ‘Courtin’.”

I remember going with my Dad to pick out this guitar. It came with a case that was bright red and furry inside. Unfortunately, the stitches rotted a few years back and I left the case on 49th and Cedar for someone else to refurbish – so the guitar does not have a case.

My father died from cancer at 30 around 1979 or ’80. Although I have wanted to play his Yamaha for a long time, I just never learned to do it well.  I would like to offer this guitar to someone who really loves to play. It still resonates well, although there are slight issues with the neck which make the strings tight and hard to hold down.

If you are interested, please write me a short essay about why you want this guitar. You agree never to sell it, but to pass it on to a musician should you decide to part with it someday.

As my father would say, Sat Nam

Jena

A jury convicted  the woman standing trial for the death of her 3-year-old godson in June 2011 at an apartment building near 49th and Chestnut Streets.

Prosecutors have said they will seek a lengthy prison sentence for Nadera Watson, 25. Watson was convicted of third degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, child endangerment and the possession of instrument of crime, according to court documents. The instrument was a small blowtorch that Watson used to burn Jaquinn Brewton’s buttocks during potty training.

Watson earlier turned down a plea deal that would have resulted in a prison sentence of 30 to 60 years. Her boyfriend, Marcus King, pleaded guilty earlier to third degree murder charges.

King testified that Batson repeatedly abused the child, who had speech and developmental delays. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 25.

More details on the Jaquinn Brewton case are available here.

UPDATE (8/14/13): Police said that they are still in the early stages of the investigation and couldn’t provide more details on the shootings. We also learned that a 19-year-old male was shot and killed on the same block just last week, on Saturday, Aug 10.

Four men were shot near Kingsessing Park Tuesday night, around 10 p.m.

NBC10 is reporting that the men were shot along the 1100 block of Divinity Street, which connects the 5000 blocks of Springfield and Chester Avenues. All four men were hospitalized. One is in critical condition.

Neighbors reported that police helicopters were in the area searching for the suspect or suspects.

Jaquinn Brewton. Photo from ABC 6.

Jurors will begin deliberations today in the murder of 3-year-old Jaquinn Brewton, the toddler who died after his caretaker said he fell down the steps in the apartment building on the 4700 block of Chestnut Street where he lived. A horrific story of systematic abuse emerged during last week’s trial.

Jaquinn’s godmother and caretaker, 24-year-old Nadera Batson, was charged with murder after paramedics responded to the apartment on June 29, 2011 to find Jaquinn unconscious with several bruises and lacerations. He was placed on life support and died two weeks later. Batson said he had fallen down the steps. Jaquinn began living with Batson after his mother moved into a homeless shelter.

Batson’s boyfriend, 25-year-old Marcus King, pleaded guilty earlier to third degree murder charges. He testified that Batson repeatedly abused the child, who had speech and developmental delays.

The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Mike Newell published a harrowing story yesterday that outlines the prosecution’s case. The story details routine abuse that included beatings and punishment involving a blowtorch.