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Castor Gardens is taking steps to prevent an issue many Northeast neighborhoods deal with – truck parking.

The large trucks parked on residential streets that block views and act as an eyesore are a perennial problem brought up at civic association meetings, including the Take Back Your Neighborhood meetings in Castor Gardens. continue reading »

Business on and around commercial corridors (like this one in Lawncrest) balance the pros and cons of those avenues' high traffic. Photo/Laura Robb

This is the second of a two-part look at three Northeast Philadelphia business corridors, the areas and around them and how those businesses impact their communities.

A community without businesses is a community failed. Businesses promote employment, provide services or goods and enhance other economic freedoms helping communities to flourish. Typically, these positive outcomes distract residents from any real concern.

However, occasionally businesses can attract the wrong kind of clientele. Amid the shoppers, strollers and neighbors can also be loiterers, criminals and drug dealers.

At June’s Take Back Your Neighborhood meeting in Castor Gardens, Lt. Thomas Macartney of the 2nd Police District spoke about some of the reported problems along Castor Avenue.

“One of the things we’ve been working on is the 6600-block of Castor Ave.,” Macartney said. “Between two stores on the corners at Castor and Magee, there has been some gang-related activity, including residents buying drugs.”

We compared statistics from CrimeReports.com of five blocks each of three commercial corridors in Northeast Philadelphia, examining police reports from Jan. 1 to June 23 of this year to determine how those avenues – all in the 2nd Police District – stack up. continue reading »

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 »

Photo by Flickr user echoman.

Castor Gardens residents and the Take Back Your Neighborhood community group have been championing an effort to get Big Belly trash cans along Castor Avenue.

The group is branching out and looking for more volunteers to help solicit signatures for the solar-powered trash cans. TBYN member Sandra Gregg will meet with others every Wednesday on the 6000-block of Rutland Street to collect signatures. Residents interested in volunteering can contact Gregg at sgregg3754 AT yahoo.com. 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 »

Joann Corte Grossi

Pennsylvania has more people with pre-existing conditions signed up for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

That’s good news for Pennsylvania, but how does it affect you?

Joanne Corte Grossi explained it Monday night at the monthly Take Back Your Neighborhood meeting in Castor Gardens. In her alotted 10 minutes, she ran down eight impact items she wants Pennsylvanians to be aware of about how the federal health care reform will affect the Commonwealth. 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 »