This is the Mac Daddy of West Philly porch sales. Actually, it’s more of a warehouse sale. The organization Penn Moves is once again collecting all of the stuff departing Penn students would otherwise leave behind – on the sidewalk or in the dump – and selling it for charity.

OK sure, so there might be too many mouse pads and God knows how many pairs of Uggs, but there could always be a hidden gem behind that tiny little refrigerator.

This year the sale will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 4 at a warehouse Penn owns at 3401 Grey’s Ferry Ave (see map below). You can get in for a sneak peak at 8 a.m. for $5.

Goodwill Industries International Inc. will handle the sorting and transportation of the myriad items students donate, which range from cocktail dresses to cocktail sauce and coffee makers to coffee tables. One striking image at last year’s sale at the Class of 1923 Arena was a wall of microwaves.

All the proceeds from the sale go to Goodwill. Last year that was $22,000.

Penn Moves will collect items through May 18 near college houses and through May 31 at Sansom Place  (3600 Chestnut St.)

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Penn’s student move-out began Saturday and will continue through May 18. The key days to keep in mind are Tuesday and Wednesday, May 10 and 11, when Spruce Street will be closed between 34th and 38th Streets from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Penn Public Safety says that authorized vehicles (parents etc.) will be allowed to access Spruce Street at 38th and must exit Spruce at 34th.

The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia reminded us that bikes will have access down Spruce on Tuesday and Wednesday.

A public discussion on race and racism at the University of Pennsylvania has emerged in recent days following an opinion piece in the Daily Pennsylvanian last week from a black student who was the victim of racial slurs by drunk white students.

The first line of student Christopher Abreu’s piece is perhaps the most damning for the university. He writes:

I’m no stranger to racism. Being a minority, it comes with the territory. However, because of a recent experience, I cannot in good faith recommend that minorities come to Penn.

City Paper expanded the story today and raised the issue of how Penn students deal with their surroundings in majority black West Philadelphia. The article doesn’t really dig too deeply into relations between students and the community. Any thoughts? Leave a comment below.

Penn’s Chinese Music Society is holding their annual spring concerts on Saturday and Sunday from 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m. in the Bodek Lounge in Houston Hall (3417 Houston Hall) on Penn’s campus.  Fifteen percent of the proceeds from the “Resonance of Spring” concert will go to the Japan Relief Fund.

Tickets for the concert are $7 at the door, $5 if bought from a vendor on Locust Walk this week or $4 for groups of five or more.

Penn’s student newspaper, The Daily Pennsylvanian, has a story today on the McDonald’s at 40th and Walnut Street, which Penn officials characterize as a scourge in the neighborhood around campus.

The article’s author, Rachel Baye, writes:

Those involved with past and present development of the corner say McDonald’s is a hot spot for crime and a source of malnutrition. Getting rid of it, they say, will bring economic growth and make the neighborhood safer.

Baye quotes many Penn officials as saying that they would love to oust McDonald’s and add more upscale housing and shops. McDonald’s, apparently, is not interested in moving. The Daily Pennsylvanian included an article last week on the problems with public transportation near campus as well. Race and class, of course, are at the heart of the conversation in both stories.

This car, which police say was jacked near 50th and Arch early Sunday, crashed into a barrier at 40th and Locust. Police shot and killed one of the car’s occupants after he fired at them.

Police shot and killed a man early Sunday morning near the corner of 40th and Locust after gunshots were exchanged, according to Penn’s Division of Public Safety. The incident began as an armed car jacking near 50th and Arch.
Philadelphia police chased the vehicle, a silver Cadillac, until it crashed into a barrier near the Penn campus. One man fired at police as he fled the crash scene. Police returned fire, killing the man. Another man who fled was later apprehended. Neither man has been identified. More information as it becomes available.