WPVI ran a story yesterday about the gospel concert fundraiser at the Monumental Baptist Church (4948 Locust St.). The concert was held in cooperation with the Walnut Hill Community Association, which has raised some $5,000 for fire victims, according to the story. That includes a $1,000 donation from Mayor Michael Nutter, who was on hand for yesterday’s concert.

Here’s the video:

Messages in support of Rocco on the City Kitties Facebook page.

The West Philly feline rescue group City Kitties is still hard at work trying to save at least one cat still inside the Windermere Court Apartments. A brown tabby named Rocco had been spotted in the basement. A demolition worker apparently captured Rocco, but the cat was able to break free and is back on his own. City Kitties is now reporting that crews had seen Humbert in the basement, not Rocco. Humbert was rescued this morning (see below). So the hunt for Rocco continues. If Humbert can make it out, there is no reason to believe that Rocco can’t.

Rocco has achieved rock star status on the City Kitties Facebook page, with fans cheering him on. City Kitties have set up humane traps in an attempt to rescue Rocco. City Kitties writes:

“Rocco is a front-declawed brown tabby with white paws, wearing a purple collar. No photo available at this time. If you see a cat matching this description, please contact City Kitties immediately. Rocco lived on the 1st floor, east end of the building.”

Humbert was rescued from the Windermere this morning.

Meanwhile, another Windermere cat has been reunited with his owner. Humbert was found this morning, some 37 days after the fire. His two sisters, M2 and Sadie, were rescued earlier.

City Kitties provides a complete guide on how to help the cats and voice your concern on their website here.

Here is an excerpt from the guide:

You can help by donating food (canned or dry), old towels or blankets, and bleach (for cleaning traps) to Project MEOW. Email projectmeow@gmail.com or visit their facebook page for details. Become a City Kitties foster home so that we can help as many of these cats as possible. Please do NOT place cat food in the area around the building, as this will discourage cats from entering the traps.

Residents seem to have been granted limited access through a third party to retrieve some of their belongings. But that information is still conflicting and confusing.

Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell’s office is reporting that it successfully petitioned the building’s owners to allow some access. A man, whose name is reportedly Tom Vail, will be on site at the building from noon to 3 p.m. this afternoon and from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. this evening. Residents should report to Vail to request that belongings be retrieved. They will then be bagged and turned over to the building’s security, Blackwell’s representative, Anjali Chainani, said by e-mail. Building residents themselves will still not be permitted to enter the building.

Resident representative J.B. Farley said the situation is still confusing and that he is still trying to determine how the plan to retrieve belongings will work.

There has been no indication that a search for surviving cats left behind during the fire will be conducted.

Meanwhile, a crew from PGW was at the Windermere building today to sever the gas lines in preparation for the building’s demolition, which is now scheduled to begin tomorrow (photo left).

Protesters stand near a backhoe on Monday to prevent it from being used to begin demolition of the Windermere Court Apartments. (Photo by Daniel Brown, Wide Eyed Pictures)

The story of the Windermere Court residents and their fight to get back into their building has touched a nerve with many of us. It has gone from a story about saving pets and belongings to a story about justice and the struggle of regular people against a large bureaucratic machine.

There are no street demonstrations today, but the rally is continuing. The demolition was put on hold until tomorrow, but residents have still not been granted permission to enter. Maybe now is a good time for reflection as we wait for more news. Filmmaker Daniel Brown and his production company Wide Eyed Pictures has produced a wonderful documentary on the experience of Windermere Court residents. Please pass this around as it does a great job in helping people understand what is at stake here.

Here’s what Daniel wrote:

I’m so worried about the animals in there. Of course I’m worried about  peoples personal possessions – photo albums, home videos, etc. But to  know that there are living, breathing pets in there who have their own  feelings and emotions – it just kills me. That’s the drive for me to shoot this.

When I go back Wednesday I plan to focus more on the undamaged areas.  I feel the first video shows a lot of the damaged top, and I want people to understand how much of the building is still intact.

What you can do to help:
Write or call the Mayor’s office and register your complaint about the scheduled demolition. The city is reportedly the driving force behind the building being torn down so quickly.

Here is the contact info:
michael.nutter@phila.gov and phone number is 215-686-2181.

Here is Daniel’s piece:

The protests at the Windermere Court Apartments seemed to have worked – for now. The demolition of the building has been put on hold until Wednesday.

Demolition crews began work on the west side of the building on Monday.

A judge is reportedly reviewing the Department of Licenses and Inspections decision to demolish the building before residents have a chance to retrieve their pets and belongings, which were left behind after the Jan. 10 fire.

It’s still not clear if residents or a private contractor or investigator will be allowed to enter the building to assess the possibility of residents legally reentering to assess the damage to their apartments.

Residents who have snuck into the building in the last few days have said that many of the apartments have been looted.

Demolition crews began work today on a large tree on the west side of the building. But late in the afternoon the crane that had started to work was parked quietly near the building.

Here are assorted news reports of the protests: Inquirer CBS NBC ABC

A few protesters from today’s rally camped out on a crane parked nearby that was brought in for the demolition. (Photo by Mike Lyons)

Residents and protesters are back at the Windermere Court Apartments at 48th and Walnut this morning to rally for permission to reenter the building. Unfortunately,  the demolition crews are there too.

Reports come out of the protests now are that the city is pressing for the demolition of the building and that the owners are lobbying to stop it. Several residents who have snuck into the building in recent days to retrieve their belongings have said that many of the apartments have been ransacked by looters.

Former residents want to get into the building to look for lost pets and belongings left behind after the fire. The city has declared the building “imminently unsafe” and the absentee owners, who have not communicated with residents, have ordered the building to be demolished.

Here is an interview with one of the organizers and a former resident, J.B. Farley: