Live From ...

Ten minutes before noon: Nobody's here except for the media and Milton Street's setup crew. He said he'd quit his bid to be mayor if 5,000 people didn't show up for his noon rally. Not looking too likely.

Before the rally, Street stops to talk with a protestor. Quickly cameras and reporters crowded around. Later learned the Mohawked man was Larry West, who's also running for mayor. (See larrywestformayor.com.)

Street took the podium and admitted there weren't 5,000 people here. But, he said, he's been getting a lot emails and phone calls ... so there were a lot of people behind him.

I shot some video that will be posted later as he spoke of "black on black" crime as a problem the community has to solve, because no way politicians are going to tax and raise the millions it would take to fully police the streets.

Street mentions he has a website, too: tmiltonstreet2007.com.

New York has fewer killings than Philiadelphia even though New York has "quadtriple" the population.

To make his point, he has a casket wheeled near the podium

"You gotta have a passion for life ... that's why I' m here and that's why I'm running for mayor.... I saw to you without any fear of contradiction that I can clean up the killings in Philadelphia"

.. with the help of citizens. "I'm going to deputize 10,000 people in the neighborhoods." They can work together using modern electronic communications, so that drug dealer can't escape, he says.

When a heckler says, "You're going to jail," perhaps a reference to Street's indictment in December, Street says guys like that are the problem, even says people like that want black people to kill each other.

He leans over the casket and prays. "You told me Heavenly Father that if I had the faith of a mustard seed, an itsy bitsy little mustard seed, I could move mountains."

His booming voice begins a hymn ...."If I can help somebody, then my living will not be in vain ..." (At least I think he's singing "help.")

Lyrics here.

"I said I would not run [if 5,000 people didn't show] ... but THERE'S SOMETHING WITHIN ME! There's something within me! I gotta keep on going, I gotta keep on pushing. ... I know where I get my strength from ... Take your Bibles and turn to Matthew the fourth chapter. ...The spirit led the Savior to the wilderness .. he was out there 40 days and 40 nights ... then came Satan... 'Get now behind me, Satan! Man does not live by bread alone!' "

"I'm staying in this race. ... but I'm not running a campaign, I'm running a critical revival! ... I'm going to make it possible so your grandfather, your grandparents will feel safe walking down to the corner store"

"All I ask you to do is ... let me put my agenda before the voters, and let the voters make their decision.

Who could be against me? he says.

"I am" says the protestor with the Mohawk and the "Guns N Roses Appetite for Destruction" jacket. (Later he says his name's Larry West, and he's running for mayor, too. Has his own Website, larrywestformayor.com.)

"I've never had a home in Jersey," says Street, who was recently arrested for tickets in New Jersey. "So prepare yourself for the legal battle. I'm going to ask all of them, 'Where did you sleep last night?' "

He talks about his fun side and his spiritual side. "Thank you, God, for a sound mind... I have miracles in my life that you don't know about." Doctors told him he had multiple sclerosis, his mother started praying and he's been walking ever since.

"Hallelujah," says a sarcastic onlooker.

Street: "Don't tell God what He can do."

Warren Bloom takes the mike. Says Street is letting him talk, even though they disagree on issues.

"If you want to stop the violence, you have to stop violating yourself," says Bloom. Drinking, drugs, overeating,("I gotta watch that one," he adds) "intimacy outside of the marriage bond" ... "I want to bring this voting thing into the 21st century. You should be able to vote on your iPod."

"OK, that's it, thank you for coming," Street says. Sign the petitions, he says. And the dozens of people who stopped to listen start walking away, except for reporters interviewing people.

Alan: "We're friends of Milton. We cycle with Milton. I've known Milton for years. He's a friend. ... Obviously it's an uphill climb. ... But I'm not sure who the frontrunner is." He lives in Rittenhouse Square and says he'd vote for Milton. "The message itself was real. The presentation was entertaining."

David, laughing: "I think he ought to concentrate on his legal defense. And maybe letters to the editor. He's a nice guy. I have to get back to work."

Alan: "What's your rush? You're a city worker."

A story on the rally is already up on Philly.com. It's by one Inquirer City Hall reporter, Marcia Gelbart. Another, Michael Currie Schaffer, shares his own take on the Mayorpalooza blog.

Third-grader Bobby Cox of the city's Overbrook section got the surprise of his life a day early yesterday, when word leaked out that Donovan McNabb would be visiting his house and his school this morning.

Bobby was picked as part of JC Penney contest in partnership with the NFL.

I'm here at the school ... waiting for McNabb to arrive at the school.

Bobby won for the Philadelphia market, and the NFL picks the player. "McNabb has been so supportive," said Robin Caldwell, director of community relations and afterschool for JC Penney. She's here at the school along with school workers, media folks.

He's on his way, we're told.

McNabb arrives ... in a big black limo ... a passing driver yells, "Yo, Donovan!" ... He slowly gets out of the limo, not exactly hobbling but clearly being careful with his rehabbing knee.e

Because Bobby's class is on the third floor, the meeting with them has been moved to the first floor.

In classroom off the hall, little kids break into an enthusiastic "Fly Eagles Fly,"

McNabb fends off ESPN's questions with his usual deftness ... we can't hear the questions, but clearly he's asked about Jeff Garcia because McNabb talks of being friends and not wanting to get into side issues.

It's kind of a straightforward, perfunctary deal .... and when Bobby gets his moment, well, he can hardly speak.

Afterward the TV cameras go off, Bobby's mother says he's been kind of speechless all morning. Overwhelmed and "ecstatic." By meeting his favorite player.

A big pack of kids files into the room where the interview was held. Under an arch of green and silver balloons is a table with Cat in the Hat hats with Eagles logos.They crowd in, so quiet and well-behaved, and sing songs and chant a speech about destiny and walking tall and proud.

McNabb gives a great, heartfelt speech that really talks to the kids. About how he was the class clown and got in his share of trouble in school. Detentions. Interestingly, he talks about how he'd like to be a broadcaster someday and makes some crack about getting to be on the other side of the criticism.

Got video of the speech. It'll be up later on philly.com. Well worth seeing.

Mini interview with a student: Shakara White, 8: "He's a good football player! I think he's going to take them to the Super Bowl!"

Gotta be something green for the Eagles, right? And Dr. Seuss' birthday
was this week, so what could be more perfect than Green Eggs and Ham?

Running of battery now, so that's it for now. Will have video up on philly.com by lunchtime, I hope.

After reading the book, McNabb asked the kids about Bobby. Is he always this calm? No. Is he funny? Yes. Is he smart? Yes. Does he help you guys in school? Yes.

When McNabb answered kids questions, Bobby had one about draft day. McNabb simply said it was one of the most important days of his life, and he was proud to be there with his parents. Not a word about the infamous greeting he got from a sortie of yahoo fans, who rained on his parade (even if it was the organization they were booing, for not picking some running back).

After it was all done, Bobby was still quite in awe. He said he saw the ad on TV for the contest, and he and his mom went to Penneys and signed up. How did he feel? "Happy." And "good."

See some video highlights on philly.com.

It's 7:30 a.m., and as promised, the picket lines are already in place. Not a major gathering, just about 10 participants so far. ...

But that's only at the steps in front of big old building on Spring Garden Street (ex US Mint). The campus has assorted buildings and picketers so picketers are spread out.

Picket line coordinator Carol Klein starts talking to Action News, as a news chopper hovers overhead. The college administration is "insulting us" by spending more than $1 millon on "frivolous expenses" while some teachers earn near the poverty line, she says.

One of Philly's Finest does a U-ey to pull in front of the college. Gotta have keeping public order ... not that there's any disorder yet.

Talking with John Braxton, assistant bio prof and co-president of the union. "The plan for the day is just to demonstrate to the college that we're not going backwards in our economic goals." Negotiations are sticking mostly over health care. "Health care is the major driving force,yeah," he says, as chants begin: What do we want? Contract! When do we want it? Now!

Last strike about 9 years ago. Now there are 20 picketers, circling and chanting.

Starting salary here with a master's is $35,800 and that's "just not high enough to attract really good people ... That's gotta come up." Administration brags that some students graduated with associate's degrees and get jobs that pay more. Top teachers make somewhere in the low 70,000s, less than some teachers make in public K-12 schools.

The pickets have grown a bit ... especially in loudness. They marched to the West Building, Allied Health & Science it says on the glass near the door.

Actually, two women are the most vocal, chanting and stepping into the street, where a car goes by, honking and waving a picket sign out the car window.

Amen Brown, 19, freshman, says he'd like to be a teacher. "Can't go to class. All my teachers are out here. I just shook one of my teacher's hand. ... I wan't to learn, but they need to be treated right, so as long as we get our days back at the end that we miss, I'm all right with it." The Overbook High grad just bought some bagels at the vending cart.

Ty Briggs, 20, freshman, Saul High grad, studying liberal arts. "I think they got a right. Basically, the school budget is going to something that's insufficient to education. They can pay for Bill Cosby to come speak, but they can't sit down and negotiate with faculty and get us in class. Most of the kids, it looks to me like they're supporting the teachers." Says his teachers are pretty good, and one of his teachers explained what's going on.

They came here because they heard on the news the college would hold classes anyway. But no, without teachers, they're not going to class.

A picketer comes up and says the administration did that just to make the teachers look bad, but he's off before I can get his name.

The couple of dozen scattered students seem calm, watching, eating breakfast. The picketers are mostly calm, too, standing, displaying their signs, doing what picketers do.

College president Stephen Curtis, a distinguished looking man with a white beard, sits in a rotunda with a huge chandelier and light coming from large hemispherical windows overhead. It was the room where the Mint used to display its coins.

The college is "absolutely open" and monitoring classes to set if any are being held. No decision yet about officially cancelling. No replacement plan, not even temporarily. Just making classes available for those who want to teach.

"My first concern of course is the students. ... We're disappointed it looks like there will be a disruption." Wants to come to a "fair and equitable" settlement as quickly as possible. "Both sides owe that to the students."

Students will regularly get messages from the administration by email, and post any updates on their website: http://www.ccp.edu.

He arrived in 1999. "When I arrived, faculty were some of the strongest supporters for increasing visibility of the college in the city." The campaign is designed to do three things: build enrollment, create more revenue-generating training opportunities with businesses, and to "prepare for our first ever Foundation capital campaign. These are all efforts that will sustain the institution going forward."

Teachers are not being asked to take cutbacks. Final offer included an average of 3.6 percent in raises and health insurance premiums that are 100 percent-funded by the employers. "That's practically unheard of," he said. "We think it's crystal clear. We think this is an offer that shows we want to invest in our employees."

They have pensions, too, in which employees have to put in 5 percent of salary, and the college puts in 10 percent.

"Technically we're the largest college in the region in the total number of students.. ... You need to be sure potential donors have an awareness of the role that we play in the community." All of which benefits students, he said. It's based on research -- the college needs more people to know it exists and what it has to offer, he says.

The pickets continue. Twenty picketers circle outside the Mint building. Not sure what that chant means. "CCP works! We do!" Something like: This is a good college because we're good. "What do we want? Contracts!!! When do we want it? Now!!!"

Much better are the picketers around the corner at the West Building:

"No work!"
"Say what?"
"No contract!"
Give it up!
No contract!
Give it up!
No contract!
Say what?
Give it up!

They sashay side to side, arms in the air, bouncing, half-dancing, then cheering as beeping cars go by.

Across the street, another 20 pickets. Clearly, there are more than 60 picketers in three places now.

Michaline Mizeraczyk, 54, who's been at the college 25 years, working mostly in admissions, explains that the strike includes almost all of the office workers, too. Housekeeping, electricians, painters, maintenance workers, cafeteria workers, people who keep records, help with registration, etc. The Northeast resident is taking classes herself ... in math ... so she can get another associate's degree.

The ones who got here early are gone ... and now the sidewalks are fairly clear ... except the picketers.

"No contract, no work!"
Can't hear you!"
"No contract, no work!"
What you say?
No contracts, no work!"
Go ahead!
No contracts, no work!
Uh-huh!
No contracts, no work!

Should have gotten some video of this.
Oh, well, my battery's dying .. so signing off.... No longer live from... college strike.