Vickson Korlewala in the office of his company, Empower Liberia. Photo by Charles Mostoller/Metro

Metro reporter Sam Newhouse contacted us this morning to share his story about Liberian immigrant Vickson Korlewala, 58, a chemist and entrepreneur who lives near 55th and Market and who was wrongly arrested last year on robbery charges.

Korlewala and his wife Lorpu spent weeks in jail until charges were finally dropped. Both were arrested based on surveillance footage that shows a man who is clearly not Korlewala. He opens up to Newhouse about the experience.

“When I realized that it was not a joke, that I was in jail, it was the most fearful thing that ever happened to me in my life. Because it was wrong,” Korlewala said. “I’ve never been arrested in my life. I could see my whole future just went blank.”

Read the rest of Newhouse’s story here.

Over the past 42 years, The People’s Emergency Center has served the West Powelton, Mantua, Belmont, Mill Creek and Saunders Park neighborhoods to provide comprehensive support services to homeless women and their children with temporary and permanent housing and services. The non-profit organization has invested over $57 million in quality-of-life improvements for West Philadelphia residents.

Kathy Desmond

The PEC board of directors appointed Kathy Desmond as the new president of the organization effective July 1. Desmond has been with People’s Emergency Center for two years but has previously served families in the area as CEO of BestNest for 14 years. She holds a Master of Social Work from Temple University. Desmond’s first order of business will include an analysis of where the organization stands and refining PEC’s strategic plan, to better serve the neighborhoods in the area.

We had the opportunity to speak with Desmond who shed light on what she intends to do in her new role.

– Do you have any ties to the areas that PEC serves?

I have worked for PEC for two years in several capacities in the social services department, focusing on serving mothers and children experiencing homelessness. In my previous role as CEO of Best Nest, a foster care support services agency, I did work with families in the neighborhoods served by PEC. I am excited to be in this new capacity at PEC, where I can impact all of PEC’s programs so that we can continue to nurture families, strengthen neighborhoods and drive change.

– How do you plan to improve services to the communities you serve?

PEC’s role in the community is to be an amplifier to the strengths and voices already present in Belmont, Mantua, Mill Creek, Saunders Park and West Powelton. PEC’s activities are currently guided by the resident-driven “Make Your Mark” neighborhood plan. We are particularly pleased that the planning process engaged and brought together the very diverse communities we serve, which we couldn’t have achieved with the leadership of the civic groups and residents in each of our neighborhoods, the creative implementation from Interface Studios, and financial support from Wells Fargo Regional Community Foundation.

Going forward, we are pledged to continue to work with our neighbors to build on the community’s assets and to amplify their voices to the institutions, agencies and market forces that impact where they live. As we develop PEC’s next strategic plan, our community development work will continue to respond to the issues raised in the “Make Your Mark” neighborhood plan, such as quality of life, education and increasing affordable housing stock. PEC’s work in these areas so far include the Bigham Leatherberry Wise Place development, the LISC-supported Financial Opportunities Center, and working with the Philadelphia Promise Zone collaborative.

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Asali Solomon (Photo from haverford.edu)

West Philly native and Haverford College professor Asali Solomon will read from her highly-acclaimed novel “Disgruntled” and sign copies at two local venues this Thursday (June 11).

First, Solomon will be at Bindlestiff Books at 4530 Baltimore Ave. for a signing from 6:30 to 7 p.m. Copies of “Disgruntled” have been available in the store for a few weeks now, and will be available at the event.

Then, starting at 7 p.m., Solomon will be reading from her novel at Little Earthquakes, as part of the “Still Untitled” series. Little Earthquakes is a group house at 4710 Warrington Avenue that hosts many events.

In addition to Solomon, New York City poet Ely Shipley will be a guest at Thursday’s salon at Little Earthquakes. Shipley’s first book, “Boy with Flowers,” won the Barrow Street Press book prize, the Thom Gunn Award, and was a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award. His chapbook, “On Beards: A Memoir of Passing,” is forthcoming from speCt! books. The event is free and open to the public. Please email littleearthquakesphilly@gmail.com for more information.

As a reminder, “Disgruntled” is a coming-of-age novel set in West Philadelphia. Solomon invites readers into the journey of protagonist Kenya Curtis, an African immigrant, as she navigates childhood in West Philly. We meet Kenya as a fourth grader at Henry C. Lea School where she tries to fit in but is confronted with her and her family’s Afrocentric identity. The novel is partly autobiographical. Here is a great review of “Disgruntled” in the Los Angeles Times. By the way, Solomon still lives in West Philly.

Here’s a roundup of some of the latest news and events in the area.

First Lay Principal for West Catholic Preparatory High School

James P. Gallagher

The Office of Catholic Education of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (OCE) has recently announced the appointment of Mr. James P. Gallagher as Principal of West Catholic Preparatory High School in West Philadelphia effective July 1st. He is the first lay principal in the 98-year-old history of the school. Mr. Gallagher’s appointment follows the January 2015 announcement that Sister Mary Bur, IHM, will retire at the end of the 2014-2015 academic year after 21 years as principal and 27 total years of service to the school.

Mr. Gallagher holds his Masters of Education Degree in Curriculum, Instruction, Technology, and Education from Temple University. He has taught for several years at Lingelbach Elementary School for the School District of Philadelphia and most recently has worked as an Instructor of Teaching Social Studies in the Elementary Classroom at Saint Joseph’s University.  Continue Reading

Café Renata owners Kate Steenstra and Yasser Aiq (archived photo).

Great news for Café Renata regulars and everyone who appreciates good coffee, enjoys food with Mediterranean flavors and supports local businesses: Nearly two months after the devastating fire that shut down the popular café’s storefront at 43rd and Locust, owners Kate Steenstra and Yasser Aiq are sharing the news that they are reopening their business at a new location – the former Subway restaurant space at 4533 Baltimore Avenue. Last month we reported that the space that had been vacant since December was available for rent.

The new lease was already signed, and Katie and Yasser’s plans are under way at full speed to get up and running again. They have started moving their equipment to the new location and upgrading the space.

Morning after fire at Café Renata at 43rd and Locust.

It wasn’t an easy decision for Renata owners to give up Locust St that worked great for them. However, after considering the pre-existing structural issues with the building that were exposed by the fire, the amount of time they had left on their lease and the timeline projections on rebuilding that space that their previous landlord gave to them, they decided that the best option for them and their customers was to give Renata a new long term home.

After the fire a lot of support poured in for Renata owners from the community members and local businesses. A fundraiser for Renata took place in March at The Bar(n) on Baltimore.

“The easy part for us was deciding that there was no way we were going to quit all together. And that 100% came from all the support and encouragement that our customers and neighbors showed us after the fire. We couldn’t have asked to be in a better neighborhood. We’d like to thank everyone for all their continued support, it means so much to us to be a part of this great community!” Katie wrote in an e-mail.

We’ll keep you posted on an opening date, which is expected this summer.

Café Renata is relocating to the former Subway restaurant space at 4533 Baltimore Avenue.

Police are asking for the public’s assistance in locating two teenage girls who recently went missing in the area.

Lajaida Beverley

Lajaida Beverly, 15, was last seen on Thursday, April 9, at her residence on the 5800 block of Cedar Avenue. Lajaida is  5 feet 7 inches, 120 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair. She was last seen wearing a black/gray leather jacket, black pants with leather front and white sneakers. She may have run away with other female juveniles, according to police.

Jannat Williams is also 15, and she is from the 5700 block of Delancey Street. She was last seen at school (Freire Charter, 2027 Chestnut Street), on Thursday, April 9, at approximately 4:30 p.m. Jannat is 5 feet 2 inches, 120 pounds, and has green eyes and brown hair. She was last seen wearing a gray shirt with white block writing, black jeans, a black hooded jacket, and multi-colored Muslim garb.

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of these persons is asked to contact Southwest Detective Division at 215-686-3183/3184 or call 911.

Jannat Williams (Photos from Philly Police Blog)