Urban Memorials

If you drive or walk up 5th street on the way to our house, there are a number of urban memorials. In fact, if I did not understand the way South Philly streets worked I would be very nervous about the area we live in. Safety differs so drastically from street to street. I've seen side streets in "wealthy" and "safe" areas that are very dangerous, and streets like the one I live on, a "safer" street in a generally more dangerous area.

But anyway back to the memorials. If you come up 5th street, there is a good stack of stuffed animals in an empty lot. Ironically there is a recreational vehicle in that lot as well. I've never seen it move and I've never seen anyone come out of it. If you continue up the block a bit. You'll see a picture of a girl on a telephone pole, smiling. She looks like she is in middle school. Its probably more elaborate than most memorials, and I've been told about her story. She was innocent, a bystander. Most of the deaths have some sort of reason behind it. The people were involved in some sort illegal activity and paid for it with their life. But there are the cases like recently in Chester, a city south of Philadelphia, where a two year old was killed by a stray bullet in the head while he was playing inside. Or a couple years ago an immigrant father was killed coming out in the morning around the corner some where on 5th street.

That girl's picture/portrait is starting to flake off. It won't last much longer.

There are also countless temporary or mobile memorials. You will see cars that have written the name and dates and RIP on the back windshield for a untimely death in the hood. Or perhaps a tee shirt with their picture, dates and RIP on it.

Wax on the Pavement

Yesterday I took a group of high school and college students on a cheese-steak expedition through South Philly. After I had explained how quickly the neighborhoods change from safe to dangerous, we passed by a large park. I told them how safe the park was generally speaking. Though now as I remember it, I have heard of early morning assaults and robberies in the park.

As we passed on the south side we came to a corner where in the early spring there had been a group of middle school kids hanging around, weeping, playing music, and holding candles. It was one of these urban memorials, of which there are far too many just south of where I live. I debated in my mind, do I expose these students to the full reality of the city, or do I just let it pass. I normally, even if it freaks them out, tell outsiders about the full reality of the city.

So just as we stood on the spot I looked down and saw the candle wax baking in the 97 degree sun. It had melted. I explained that probably a middle school or high school kid, younger then any of them had been killed on the spot. I didn't really prepare them, just told them while they walked over the spot.