Great Expectations

Mr. George, my neighbor, asked more about my destination and why I was going there. What stood out to him as we talked about the event was the overall mission of the day and then the reward: Report your experiences and then get paid. How sweet. We had soon moved on to other things, such as the trip that he was taking to Harrisburg the next day, and before we could finish, the Convention Center had appeared.

Regrettably, I grabbed the stack of papers the wrong way when Mr. George handed them to me. No sooner had I stepped out of his truck than the binding popped, spilling them into the street. Luckily, no one was looking – or laughing – and I quickly scooped the papers up with my cold hands and rushed into the center. Upon entering the massive building, I found a security guard who pointed me in the right direction, although it occurred to me that this was unnecessary because signs were leading the way.

My first objective when reaching the end of the long hall was to locate Ms. Jodie Chester Lowe, who was organizing the bloggers, and to drop off the papers. I also wanted to take the opportunity to soak up the vast array of information about to come my way. After checking in, I was directed to the designated “bloggers table.” There, I neatly stacked my papers and waited to see if I could recognize Ms. Jodie. While looking around, the only thing that could be seen were empty tables or tables beginning to be filled for the information fair. Then again, what can you expect to see when you’re early?

Nevertheless, it was exciting to watch the owners of the tables take such pride in the completed displays. (Later, I even ran into a friend and supporter of the North Philly Metropolis, Bob Shipman, who just happened to be running one of his own tables.) After a few minutes, I found Ms. Jodie nearby. Once we’d introduced ourselves, she gave me a brief overview of how everything would run and, most important, where the lunch tables were.

Once I grabbed lunch (an Italian hoagie), I found a table just close enough so that I could hear the speakers. It hadn’t occurred to me that Michael Nutter was going to be there, although I had seen a picture of him by another blogger on the Great Expectations Web site. I felt even sillier when finally reading the agenda, where it clearly stated, “… after the opening plenary session and keynote address by Mayor-elect Michael Nutter, you’ll spend the bulk of the day in small breakout groups with other citizens discussing the Citizens Agenda for Philadelphia’s Future.”

Nutter arrived after the viewing of the short movie Prayer for Philadelphia. To me, the movie was asking and even left you wondering, “Philadelphians, why are you here in a city that’s nearly fallen apart and is filled with so much crime and death?” When presented with such a question, you really have to think why you are living in such a city. But, if there’s something you really love in the city and you believe that it can help you wipe out the Philly negativity, you’ll stick with it until the end no matter what.

But let’s get back to Michael Nutter. A great deal of people, including myself, believe that our mayor elect will make big things happen in our fair city of supposed brotherly love. Nutter spoke of turning dreams into reality, of how Philadelphians should get over themselves and think better of whom we are and what we’re all about. He talked about visiting other cities. He spoke of Chicago creating a green sustainable city. At this, I thought back to last October, when former president Bill Clinton mentioned an idea he had about green sustainable cities and eco-friendly neighborhoods. Nutter mentioned New York City and its public safety programs -- programs that have left New York with a 75 percent drop in the homicide rate.

Nutter also mentioned Chuck Ramsey, a man who he believes can help with Philadelphia’s crime problem and is who is “already on the ground and taking steps.” He noted how Philadelphians voted conscious and not color even though a millionaire was in the race. Despite all the issues that he was covering, two things stuck out the most. One was when he said “pay more attention to youth” because this was the reason for me taking part in the Great Expectations Citizens Convention. Too many adults can’t figure out that most problems that affect the city, and the world in general, involve and affect youth, too. The youth of Philadelphia are working to help change and shape the world of today, They need our help; let’s pay attention to them and see what they have to say. The second thing Nutter said that struck me was when he told us to “just say hello.” Common courtesy won’t hurt anyone. But it’s hard to “just say hello” nowadays because people are crazy enough to shoot you over just that.

When the speech was over, I wasn’t the only one with a notebook out. More than a hundred other people were doing the same. This truly amazed me because for a writer this felt like home, a true writers’ convention. And now it was time to choose from among 12 topics that we as Philadelphians want addressed. The topics consisted of Education, Transportation, Arts and Culture, Crime, Poverty, Budget and Taxes, City Services, Environment, Knowledge Economy, Neighborhoods in Flux, Planning and Zoning, and Reform and Leadership. It was hard to pick through all of these great choices because some of them were connected in more ways than one. I decided to first visit the talk on Poverty, not because I work for an organization that revolves around ending the cycle, but because the number-one priority listed in the agenda was to break the cycle of and zero in on at-risk youth. Another priority was to dramatically increase kids’ opportunities for safe, productive activities after school and to keep them busy with jobs.

Though the group I was with had very strong opinions and thoughts about nonprofits and jobs, it seemed that they felt their focus belonged more on living wages and jobs or the idea of housing centers where some of the problems that were being faced by the homeless could be addressed. This is a good topic and a strong one at that, but there could have been more talk about youth and how their needs also must be met. They need jobs, too, and centers that will ready them for the world of today and prepare them for college and the different types of technology.

My second discussion session was different. I chose crime because it is a hot topic that affects everyone. In the agenda, one of the near-term actions for crime was to focus on youth so I knew my voice could be heard there. My guess was correct. We talked about the stop-and-frisk policy that Nutter is planning on initiating and how it basically leads to racial profiling. My own thought: If it works and limits crime a bit, then why not give it try and see what happens? What was also understood is that in order to make things happen in Philadelphia, Nutter needs our help. New York City was brought up once again. We should really take a lesson from this city if they’re this good at finding ways to reduce crime.

Another issue was raised that I had never thought about in this context: mental health. Think about it for a second. Are there a lot of facilities that will help an individual who has these problems, teenager included? Wouldn’t it help if there were programs that not only aided youth with career choices or technology, but also assisted with problems that they are having trouble with? This led into the discussion of after-school programs, and whether the problem is trying to let people know that such programs are out there.

Now, it was time for my final gathering, Transportation. This was a topic that I had to go to because Septa has been a thorn in my side ever since I started taking it in middle school. The biggest question was: Customer service, why not give it a try Septa? There are some Septa drivers who are kind to their passengers. Being a passenger myself, I’ve witnessed this, but there are times when the drivers can be so rude and disrespectful. There also was concern that Septa refuses to meet with the Asian community despite the community’s attempts. People said Septa just ignored them. I wonder why Septa can’t provide more availability of some buses, like the Broad Street Line. It’s terrible the way you have to wait and all you see are buses passing you with the message “Not in Service.” Come on Septa, get it together.

As the day wrapped up, we were treated with a special guest appearance. She seemed to be a well-known comedian though I had never heard of her. She was funny though. After her act ended and prizes were given away to people with specially marked seats, I decided to leave. This was a great day because I learned a great load of things. I hope to return next year because the Great Expectations conference was just that -- great.