guns: Philadelphia Metropolis

Murder, Inc.

Just when you think you have a problem under control, it slips from your grasp. Mayor Nutter is probably regretting his rhetoric over lowering the homicide rate, At least he is getting frustrated at the trend lines, using the word... (Comments)

New-Wave Street Gangs: Armed and Violent

Longtime anti-crime activist Greg Bucceroni wears a three-inch-long scar on his forehead, a souvenir from the June 5, 2008 evening when more than a dozen members of the heroin-dealing "Bart Simpson" gang - named after the brand of dope they peddled - backed him against a concrete wall in West Kensington. Bucceroni wore a blue polo shirt inscribed with the words, Philadelphia Police Youth At-Risk Program that night as he walked toward the home of a troubled teenage boy he was mentoring. (Comments)

The Custodial Mayor

Michael Nutter will be sworn into a second term as mayor of Philadelphia this week. In this Cover Story, senior editor Tom Ferrick offers an appraisal of Nutter's first term and looks forward to the next four years. In Part Two, we examine the broad forces at work that will define Philadelphia during Nutter's second term. (Comments)

Tales of the Freegan Dumpster Divers

Why pay for food when so much of it is free -- if you are willing to go diving for it. Meet John and Samantha, the Philadelphia couple who get most of their food from the dumpsters of area markets It's not easy. And it can be slimy. The couple say they are doing it for a higher cause. Reporter Ada Kulesza reports on a night in the life of dumpster divers. (Comments)

The Battle of Point Breeze: Part II

There is a touch of espionage when it comes to people in Point Breeze talking about their neighborhood. Everyone uses code words. Property developers and their supporters aren't building to make money, they're "revitalizing a community." Opposition to development is guised as a fear of "rising property values", instead of a fear of racial change. (Comments)