AltWeeklies Wire
Pa. Abortion Bill 732 is Bad Medicinenew
Journalist Steve Lopez once wrote that Philadelphia is a city without pretense in a state without shame—and that was long before Harrisburg legislators stooped low enough to exploit murdered babies to push a bill into law that would result in what critics call a “back-door ban” on abortion in Pennsylvania.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Tara Murtha |
10-26-2011 |
Policy Issues
I Can't Stop Reading Philly.com Commentersnew
Calling black people animals, references to monkeys, phrases like "welcome to the jungle, baby" and "That’s how it go in da hood" are all standard comments beneath crime stories on Philly.com when the perp is black. And we haven’t even gotten to the anal rape fantasies that regularly litter sexual offender and police corruption stories. So why do I read them?
Philadelphia Weekly |
Tara Murtha |
10-19-2011 |
Commentary
Occupy Philly Says the Anti-Big-Bank Revolution is Comingnew
Neither pepper spray nor mass arrests have put a halt to Occupy Wall Street—if anything, it’s galvanized and intensified the 2-week-old movement. But if you think New Yorkers are pissed off, just wait until Philadelphia, the original cradle of the revolution, shows the world how it fights the power.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Michael Alan Goldberg |
10-03-2011 |
Business & Labor
Tokin' Femalesnew
While pop culture has been connecting women and weed for a few years now—there’s Showtime’s Weeds, of course, and a smattering of articles in women’s glossies with titles like “Stiletto Stoners” and “Marijuana Moms”—the organized campaign to change drug laws has also been bringing women and weed together: Welcome to the first meeting of NORML's new program for recruiting women in Philly.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Tara Murtha |
09-28-2011 |
Civil Liberties
Mob Attacks Terrorize Philadelphia Neighborhood, Retaliation Threatenednew
About an hour after police disperse kids after a fight some say was racially motivated in a Philadelphia park, a mob of 50 - 75 teens crossed paths with 37-year-old Mark Lavelle. He says one kid swung a gun in his face, as others kicked in his door and beat him with pipe in front of his wife and kids. The next day, another mob--possibly the parents-threatened him. That night, more assaults that end with a cop shooting a man.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Tara Murtha |
09-14-2011 |
Crime & Justice
Sister Pact: Finding Strength After Convictionnew
With just charm, drive, nickels and dimes, reformed ex-on Michelle Simmons has mustered up a program that is accomplishing what the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections—with its bloated budget of $1.8 billion—states as its No. 1 goal: reduce the recidivism rate of ex-offenders.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Tara Murtha |
08-11-2011 |
Crime & Justice
Organized-Labor Pains: MilkBoy's Union Saga, Continuednew
MilkBoy Coffee owners Tommy Joyner and Jamie Lokoff are mild-mannered artists-turned-entrepreneurs building a new concert venue in Philadelphia. The landlord didn't hire all-union labor, and they found themselves caught in the middle of a public debate about the role of unions in the U.S. "Honestly, we feel like we’re being picked on by a large, highly funded, highly organized organization, not to be redundant," says Joyner. There’s just no way to get back at them because you think you’re getting somewhere, and [then] your place gets lit on fire.”
Philadelphia Weekly |
Tara Murtha |
08-04-2011 |
Business & Labor
A Photographer Seeks to Emancipate the Modern Slavenew
For most of Middle America, black men are little more than the images projected from popular media outlets—a tattooed, incarcerated (and unintelligible) Lil Wayne, irresponsible fathers on Maury, and faceless men that fill prison beds at an alarmingly high rate. But for one gay white man, the black man is a source of elegance and beauty and a reminder of our larger cultural history.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Darren White |
07-13-2011 |
Art
Reality Check: Pennsylvania's Rape Laws Perpetuate the Mythsnew
It’s easier to get away with sexual assault in Pennsylvania than anywhere else in U.S.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Tara Murtha |
06-22-2011 |
Policy Issues
Philadelphia Editor Spews Vile Rape Commentarynew
Dan Rottenberg, editor of online arts mag Broad Street Review (and way back, editor of this publication when it was Welcomat) wrote an editor’s letter last week that’s drawing criticism from national media watchdog outlets like Women’s Media Center—and deservedly so.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Tara Murtha |
06-15-2011 |
Civil Liberties
Megan's Flaw: When a Sexual Predator Isn't One in the Eyes of the Lawnew
Two and a half years after Derrick Cook almost killed Katrina Mansfield, she sits quietly in a courtroom, alone, awaiting what the justice system considers fair trade for what she calls her life sentence. By any reasonable definition, Cook is a violent sexual predator—except, after a drawn-out and botched hearing to determine the status, in the eyes of the law.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Tara Murtha |
05-25-2011 |
Crime & Justice
Man Seeks Answers 44 Years After Witnessing Brother's Deathnew
Charles Stecker was only 4 years old when he saw his foster mother kill his 2-year-old brother Eddie, but he remembers it like it was yesterday.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Tara Murtha |
05-11-2011 |
Crime & Justice
Nation's Leading Pro-Marijuana Group Is Too White to Succeednew
Image is everything, and the absence of minorities within NORML has created the perception that the organization is primarily working to ensure that the white pot smokers of the world can get high without worry.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Michael Alan Goldberg |
04-25-2011 |
Policy Issues
Tags: NORML, Marijuana Reform
Blunt Assessment: The Need for Legal Weednew
A look into the policies and practices behind marijuana prohibition reveals a gully scheme in which weed culture is supported by the very agencies charged with eliminating it. The result? The increasing criminalization of just one demographic: inner-city blacks.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Nina Hoffmann |
03-02-2011 |
Race & Class
For Americans in the Sex Trade, Still Little Hopenew
Want to know how much sex with a teenager costs? Just ask Mimi. It cost her everything.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Tara Murtha |
02-09-2011 |
Crime & Justice
Tags: Prostitution, Trafficking
