Lt. Thomas Macartney of the 2nd District addresses Castor Garden residents at Monday's Take Back Your Neighborhood meeting. Photo/Erin Dungee

At Monday’s Take Back Your Neighborhood meeting in Castor Gardens, a group of 40 met to discuss local affairs at the Max Myers Recreation Center.

Lt. Thomas Macartney of the 2nd District addressed the group, as did  mediator Jonah Roll from the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations and Fair Housing Commission.

Jared Solomon, the group’s leader, had a member introduce the group’s mission and began the meeting discussing the bylaws, which are to be voted on July 16th. The meeting’s main topic was the rising tide of drug use in the community.

Macartney addressed the crowd about the 6600-block of Castor Avenue, where it meets with Magee, as being a hotspot for drug sales. continue reading »

Former Philadelphia City Controller Jonathan Saidel at Take Bake Your Neighborhood meeting Oct. 17.

On Monday, Castor Garden residents met for their monthly Take Back Your Neighborhood meeting to discuss issues within their community. About 30 residents met inside the Max Myers Recreation Center to come together as a neighborhood.

Jared Solomon started the meeting by welcoming new members, and reiterating the organization’s mission, as seen in the video below.

“This organization does not mean getting together and griping about the problems of the neighborhood,” Solomon said. “Our mission is to make tangible improvements to our community.” continue reading »

Michele Belluomini tells a story to children at the Northeast Celebration. Photo by George Mai

Saturday, Aug. 27 was the first-ever Northeast Celebration. Organized by the Castor Gardens-based Take Back Your Neighborhood group, the day-long event featured Northeast history lessons, food, music, face-painting and more.

Check out the slideshow below with photos by George Mai. continue reading »

Members of Take Back Your Neighborhood plan for next weekend's Northeast Celebration.

Jared Solomon wants to make one thing clear: “this is not a water-ice-and-dash” event.

Solomon and the Castor Gardens-based Take Bake Your Neighborhood have been working for the last few months to put together a “Northeast Celebration” to expand their group’s membership and the Northeasts’ residents knowledge of their home. continue reading »

Residents packed Max Myers rec center for a Monday night Take Back Your Neighborhood meeting. Photo by Danny Donnelly.

Last evening, 30 Northeast residents crowded into a classroom in the Max Myers Rec Center with one mission: to get their neighborhood back.

“Take Back Your Neighborhood” is a grassroots organization started by Jared Solomon, a former resident of the Northeast.  The main goal of the organization is to get back the neighborhood local residents once loved.

“I’ve realized this isn’t our grandma’s Northeast anymore. We’re developing, we’re diverse,“ Solomon said. “When I made the transition and moved into Center City, my mom was going to be by herself.  She’s a single mom and I wanted to really provide a network that could band neighbors together and make the Northeast work again.”

The organization not only works to bring neighbors together, but also to tackle issues including illicit drug activity, trash on the sidewalks, noise violations, landlord and rent issues and vacant properties. These issues, which were printed on the organization’s bright green flyers and posted throughout Northeast nearby neighborhoods, caught the eye of Noelle Monk. continue reading »

By Shannon McDonald

School is just about over, so it’s about that time for public pools to open. But with the city’s budget crisis, pools were one of the first thing to be cut. Thanks to Mayor Nutter’s Splash & Summer FUNd, the city is able to keep 46 of its 73 public pools open this summer.

With the help of generous donations, nearly $600,000 was raised for the fund, which had a $1.2 million goal. Check below to see if your neighborhood pool made the cut. continue reading »