Fire crews are battling a fire at 921 S. 49th St on Friday. (Photo by Jennifer Fang)

A fire destroyed the third floor of a three-story twin at 921 S. 49th Street on Friday evening. The fire began at about 7 p.m. and was under control by about 7:20. The cause of the fire is under investigation. No injuries were reported.

The 40th Street Artist-in-Residence program, which awards one year of free studio space to West Philly artists, is accepting applications for the 2014-2015 season. This is a great opportunity for local budding artists who need help spearheading their career. In exchange, 40th Street artists-in-residence give back to their community by organizing workshops and exhibitions and teaching classes in the area.

Deadline for applications is 11:59 p.m. on Monday, May 19. The residency begins September 1, 2014 and goes on until August 15, 2015. Click here to download an application. If you have questions, email: 40th.air.app – at – gmail.com.

By the way, one of the current 40th Street resident artists, Brenna K. Murphy, is participating in a new exhibition, “Home”, opening tonight at the University City Arts League (4226 Spruce St). “Home” is a three-person exhibition, which focuses on the concepts of “home, memory and nostalgia” and uses a variety of media, including ink-transfer, embroidery and sculpture. The exhibit is also Murphy’s first curatorial project; her goal was to bridge the gap between the often divided art scenes of West Philly neighborhoods with those east of the Schuylkill river. The other two artists participating in the show are Kay Healy from Center City and Emily Manalo Ruiz from South Philly.

The “Home” exhibit’s opening reception is tonight from 6-8 p.m.. It will be on display until June 20. The gallery hours are: Mon-Fri, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. For more information, visit this Facebook page.

Genza

A pretty cool thing happened last night that we wanted to tell you about. A West Philly Local reader, Holly, contacted us to tell us that her family found a large brown male dog with cropped ears near 49th and Chester. The dog was found around 7 p.m. He had a collar but no tags. He was docile, clean, and well fed, “clearly someone’s pet.” 

Just when we were about to share this information, we got a message from another reader, Sara, who was looking for her dog, a 13-year-old Mastiff named Genza who went missing from S. 47th and Kingsessing yesterday. The key words in Genza’s description provided by Sara were “large” and “cropped ears” so we immediately contacted Holly with this information. And guess what, Holly’s family had Genza! The dog was reunited with his family just after a few hours he was lost.

“Amazing!…This is one very loved dog and he had a lot of us worried sick,” Sara wrote us later.

We’re very happy for Genza’s quick and safe return to his family and want to thank Holly and her family. We have some of the best readers in the world!

Residents, community activists and even beat cops are hoping the recent tragic shooting of an unarmed pizza delivery driver in the Cedar Park neighborhood will fast-track the Philadelphia Police Department’s (PPD) efforts to become more transparent.

The shooting of Philippe Holland on April 22 near 51st and Willows by two plain-clothes police officers came during a Department of Justice review of “officer-involved shootings” in the city that will likely lead to recommendations for a public review of “officer involved shootings.”

Philippe Holland

Residents attending the monthly meeting with neighborhood police last night in the Calvary Center at 48th and Baltimore had questions about the shooting, in which Holland was critically injured after police shot 14 times at the car he was driving. Holland was shot in the head, neck and leg. Patty Bullack with the 48th Street Neighbors group read aloud a letter signed by about 130 community members asking the police to make public the findings of an ongoing investigation of the shooting.

Lt. Brian McBride, commanding officer of the PPD’s University City substation, said he was unable to disclose any details of the investigation, but hopes its findings will eventually become public.

“I can’t say anything about the case, but I can say that they’re looking at a lot of things about what happened that night,” McBride said.

Unlike departments in other big cities, Philadelphia’s famously secretive police department has never been compelled to publicly discuss officer-involved shootings in the past.

But McBride said that the department has made significant strides toward transparency under the leadership of Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, who became the top cop in 2008. One of Ramsey’s initiatives has been the posting of some details of officer-involved shootings online, which began last year. The posts do not include any details about the outcomes of formal investigations of the shootings.

Philadelphia’s police department doesn’t reveal those details. Yet.

“We have nothing to hide but it seems like we do because we’re stuck in an archaic way of doing things in Philadelphia,” said McBride, who added that he expects Ramsey to make the investigation into the shooting of Philippe Holland public. McBride said that many cops want details made public because “99 percent, probably more, of [police-involved shootings] are justified.”

But there are serious doubts, at least among members of the public, that the shooting of Holland was justified. Holland had finished his last delivery of the night and was walking back to his car when the officers approached him during the investigation of a recent shooting in the area. Holland, who may have believed he was being robbed, ran to his car and drove toward the officers. They opened fire. Holland, who was in critical condition for several days, is currently recovering at a hospital in Newark, New Jersey.

Kelvyn Anderson, a Cedar Park resident and executive director of the city’s Police Advisory Commission, said at last night’s meeting that the commission is pushing for a “public reckoning” of officer-involved shootings, which would include a public discussion of investigations.

“We think that is what is needed here,” he said. “We hope this will lead to some significant changes in the way we deal with things like this in the city.”

The Justice Department released findings of a similar investigation in Las Vegas in 2012 that recommended the release of several key documents any time the police investigated an officer-involved shooting. The same Justice Department official who led that investigation is currently reviewing procedures in Philadelphia.

There will likely be further discussion about the shooting at the Police Advisory Commission monthly meeting on Monday, May 19th at the Sweet Union Baptist Church, 1536 N. 59th Street (near 59th and Lansdowne) beginning at 6:30 p.m.

–Mike Lyons

UPDATE (5/16/14): The spring picnic in Cedar Park has been cancelled due to rain.

The “Love Your Park” week is coming to an end, but there are a couple of events left that we think you might love. Two great traditions started last year at Cedar Park and Clark Park. This weekend, both events are back and organizers are inviting community members to spend some quality time with their neighbors and friends, enjoy live music and try some food and drinks from local restaurants and breweries.

Friday, May 16

Spring Picnic in Cedar Park (49th & Baltimore)

The 2nd annual Picnic in Cedar Park will take place this Friday, from 6:00-8:00 p.m., so come out and say hello to your neighbors. BYO blanket and picnic or pick up a “picnic special” from one of participating local businesses: Gold Standard Café, Dock Street, Mariposa, Hibiscus Café, Taco Angeleno, and more! The event is organized by Cedar Park Neighbors. Check out the event’s Facebook page for more information.

Saturday, May 17

Party in Clark Park (43rd & Baltimore)

Also in its second year is the Party in Clark Park, which includes food trucks, live music, $1,000 in raffle prizes from local businesses, games for all ages and a Dock Street beer garden.  The party runs from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and admission is free. The food trucks on hand will include Foolish Waffles and Dapper Dog and the entertainment will include Disco Hootenanny (about 6 p.m.), Flat Mary Road, and Nicole Gauthier’s Temple University Dancers.

New and renewing members of the Friends of Clark Park get a free beer at the beer garden. The party will go down rain or shine, organizers say.

Renaissance Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center’s resident Fannie Mae Ausby with State Rep. James Roebuck (left), State Rep. candidate Algernong Allen, Renaissance staff and family at her 107th birthday party.

Renaissance Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, which is located near S. 47th and Chester, recently had a great celebration. One of its residents, Fannie Mae Ausby, turned 107 years old! On May 9, Ms. Ausby’s friends at Renaissance hosted an all-star gala in her honor, featuring music by local performer Jimmy Wells. Guests included members of the Ausby family, the staff and residents of Renaissance, Roger Harman of the Gold Standard Café, political candidate and community organizer Algernong Allen, and the 188th District’s State Representative James R. Roebuck.

Roebuck presented Ms. Ausby a citation from the State Capital. She also received a letter recognizing her birthday from Philadelphia City Mayor Michael Nutter.

When asked about how she felt to be going on to 107 she replied “Live right, eat right, love God and he loves you right back.”

Happy Birthday Ms. Ausby!

State Rep. James Roebuck presenting Ms. Ausby with a citation from the State Capital. (Photos courtesy of Renaissance).