Paul Davis: Free parking, frequent crime in South Philly

Parking is difficult in South Philadelphia as there are far more cars than parking spaces.

I recall going on a ride-along with a young policewoman from the 3rd district in South Philadelphia some years ago. The policewoman, like me, was born and bred in South Philadelphia. She told me that she chewed out another cop who gave out a string of parking tickets in a South Philly neighborhood late one Saturday night. 

“He’s not from South Philly,” she said to me. “He doesn’t know what it is like to come home at night and not be able to find a parking space. I told him this is South Philly and we park where we can, and traditionally we cops kind of look the other way when South Philly people get creative about parking.”

One South Philly neighborhood is lucky to have an area of free parking. One can park free on Front Street underneath I-95 in the Pennsport section of South Philadelphia. But one local resident reached out to me and told me that although there are free parking spaces under I-95 when he comes home late in the evening from work, he never parks there. 

“It is dark and deserted under I-95 and it looks like a mugger’s dream area,” he said. “I would rather drive around for an hour or so looking for a parking space.”

He also noted that cars were not safe in the lot from thieves.

In this usually low-crime South Philadelphia neighborhood, residents have become alarmed about a rash of late-night muggings as well as auto-related crimes in the lot under I-95. Those who do park free under I-95 are angry and quite vocal about the rash of stolen cars, stolen wheels, and car break-ins. 

One can see the broken glass from smashed car windows and cars that have had their tires stolen underneath I-95 in Pennsport. Discovering that your car is gone, or has smashed windows, or it is parked without wheels and engine parts, is a rough way to start your day. 

“So many cars in the lot have been stolen or broken into. The thieves will break a car window just to steal the small change a driver has left in the car,” the local resident told me. “I love South Philly and this neighborhood, but lately we see more and more crime. 

“For the first time in my life I’m fearful of walking the couple of blocks from my parked car to my house. I never worried about being robbed here. I have a license to carry a gun, and I keep my hand on the gun as I walk home.”      

He went on to say that his neighbors are also concerned about the uptick in crime. He said he and his neighbors all think the police, the district attorney and the courts should do more to rid the neighborhood of the criminals who are terrorizing the residents. That’s why, he noted angrily, they pay taxes. Public safety should be the number one priority of the city government.      

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel spoke to the angry neighborhood residents earlier this month at a Community Crime Meeting. He addressed the rash of strong-armed muggings that has angered the residents. 

Bethel noted that two juveniles were arrested for their role in the muggings, and the police are looking for other juveniles they suspect are committing the strong-arm muggings.   

Strong-arm robbery is defined as a criminal offense that involves the taking of property from another person by means of force or intimidation, without using a weapon.

Bethel assured the angry residents that the police were increasing their presence in the area. The increased patrols will deter thieves or catch them in the act of committing crimes.

“I’m confident that the chief inspector and captain can get this under control,” Bethel told the residents.

Bethel told reporters that the police strategy to improve safety in South Philadelphia and other parts of the city is to strengthen community policing. He said that he learned over the years in his police career that a major part of community policing was getting out and meeting the community residents and hearing their concerns. 

Hopefully, the increased police presence and the alertness of the angry residents will quell the rise in crime in South Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Police ask that those with information on the muggings in South Philadelphia call the Philadelphia Police Department at 215-686-TIPS (8477).

Paul Davis’s Crime Beat column appears here each week. He is also a contributor to Broad + Liberty and Counterterrorism magazine. He can be reached at pauldavisoncrime.com.