Council Bans Safe Injection Sites, Calls For Numerous Hearings

In support of the legislation, Councilmember Lozada thanked her colleagues for “taking a very difficult and unpopular decision to co-sponsor my bill” and questioned the understanding of the issue by those opposed to the bill who do not live in Kensington.

“It is disturbing to me that those voices of the people who have to deal with the day-to-day trauma that our children and our community have to deal with… think their voices should be heard louder than those who walk those streets every day,” Lozada said.

The sole “no” vote on the bill, Councilmember Brooks, said safe-injection sites are a tool that could save lives, and any decision should be based on public health research.

“According to research, a third of Americans fear that someone in their family will die of an opioid overdose,” Brooks said. “For thousands of people in Philadelphia with addictions, and for the millions of people who love them, time is running out.”

According to information provided by Thomas, “Over the last decade, approximately 40 Philadelphians convicted of crimes have been exonerated and released from prison.” Those who have been exonerated and released often have few resources at their disposal when reentering society, and, while innocent of the crimes for which they were incarcerated, still carry the stigma associated with having been through the criminal justice system.

Thomas’ legislation consists of the following components:

Education: Access to Catto Scholarships at the Community College of Philadelphia expanded to allow for use in certificate and non-degree programs

Housing: Access to Office of Supportive Housing lists for housing vouchers as well as counseling to assist with outing placements

Employment: Amend Fair Chance Hiring legislation to include exonerated individuals to remove possible barriers to employment.

Justice for Exonerees Fund: Create an emergency reentry fund within the Managing Director’s Office to provide $500 to each exonerated Philadelphian upon release from prison

Reentry Support: Overall assistance with identifying and applying to appropriate support and benefit programs. Most notably, assistance applying to Medicaid for immediate and retroactive healthcare benefits and PHL City ID for photo identification.

Thomas hopes the legislative package will have an impact across the Commonwealth.

“As of right now,” Thomas said. “The guilty person has more sources than the person who was deemed innocent. Hopefully, that will change if my colleagues can support this bill.”

Speaking in favor of the bill were nearly a dozen recently exonerated Philadelphians, some of whom had been in prison for close to thirty years for crimes they did not commit.

“If we don’t take care of the little things, the big things happen,” Jones said. “When you invest your life savings into a business, and when you put your livelihood on the line, there needs to be support so that people don’t feel free to walk in and take what they want without consequence.”

“Most recently,” Bass said. “It was brought to my attention that the machines are compromisable…that the machines can be jammed. If (someone tries) to purchase a keycard and (is unable to do so) and is unable to get their money back, they are told to call SEPTA customer service.”

Bass said waiting to go through the SEPTA refund process can have a negative effect on some Philadelphians, as waiting for the return of their money can have a negative impact on their finances.

Regarding the Streets hearings, Bass said she has received numerous requests for speed bumps.

“It’s the result of people are just driving way too fast,” Bass said. “The 2700 block of North Broad Street has (had at least three traffic fatalities this year alone.)”

The resolution ties the historical practice of redlining to a decrease in “wealth and human capital over time for many neighborhoods as a result of poorly-funded schooling, lack of public resources, and the health and safety risks associated with low-income areas.”