PNN’s mission is to engage, educate and empower our neighbors to make our City a better place to live. Here’s what’s coming up in each of these areas:
Engage: Sign Up to Buddy Canvass!
Educate: Why Philly Needs a Bullhorn Mayor, Endorsements & Recommendations
Empower: Mail-In Ballots are On Their Way! Arts Show for Seth Anderson-Oberman
Why Philly Needs a Bullhorn Mayor
Helen Gym has been under relentless attack by the corporate bosses of the Philadelphia Inquirer for weeks now. But their national reporter, Will Bunch, decided to take a look in his own backyard and found that for the sake of our City’s future we MUST ELECT GYM MAYOR. So no one would doubt his sense of urgency, he headlined his article: "Philly needs a bullhorn mayor to slice through decades of status-quo baloney.” (You can also read his article here.)
Then Bunch got to his main point about a campaign pitting one fighter for change against a go along/get along crowd desperate to keep our champion out of City Hall: "In a crowded Philly mayoral race, Helen Gym is fighting for the city's poor and neglected. No wonder status-quo elites are so desperate to stop her. . . . In the debates and on the campaign trail, Gym has set herself apart as the only candidate who fully grasps the root problems in the most desperate neighborhoods — and who wants to go big to actually address them. How many times can we hire more cops or return to “stop-and-frisk” policing with the same tired results? That’s why Gym is the leader in pushing for trained responders to replace cops on mental-health calls — hugely successful where it’s been tried — and is the only candidate who agrees with the majority of Philadelphians who twice elected Larry Krasner as DA, that some criminal-justice reforms were long overdue."
Bunch quoted our own Stan Shapiro, PNN’s Vice-Chair as summing up nicely the case for rejecting the piecemeal approaches of the other candidates and electing Gym. 'She is rising to the moment, which is a moment of crisis for our city,' "[Shapiro] told me before the rally." 'It’s not a time for the status quo, for business as usual, for just keeping the lights on. There aren’t enough lights. There aren’t enough rec centers. There aren’t enough health centers.’"
If you’re looking for transformation of our City, but no more “status quo baloney,” vote for Gym and the entire rest of our ticket that supports her big plans. And, if you can squeeze out just a couple of hours to spread the word, come out to canvass with us for Helen and the others by clicking the link in the canvass section below.
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Buddy Canvass this Weekend!
Saturday, April 29th, 11AM, outside Lovett Library, 6945 Germantown Ave
Sunday, April 30th, 1PM, the Studio at 5535 Lena St.
Join us one afternoon this weekend to Buddy Canvass for Helen, Seth Anderson Oberman and our Fab Five at-Large candidates - Erika Almiron, Rue Landau, Amanda McIllmurray, Katherine Gilmore Richardson and Isaiah Thomas.
This weekend, the weather threatens rain both days; however, you can meet up with us to collect your materials and pick a canvassing partner and go out to knock doors at a mutually-agreed time. With only three (3) weekends left before election day, and a very tight race for mayor and a real chance to elect progressives to the 8th District and at-Large seats, there's no reason not to knock doors with a friend.
Is Buddy Canvassing Fun? You Bet!
Buddy Canvassing is a great way to try activism without a lot of pressure, especially if you've never canvassed before.
You'll Get Trained On the Conversation. We'll go over how we'll frame our conversation with our neighbors (what to say and why), and then buddy up to hit some doors to talk about PNN and our progressive slate of candidates.
You'll Learn About the Candidates. As you know, PNN goes through a pretty rigorous vetting process before we endorse our candidates. We share what we've learned with you and show you how you can share it with your neighbors.
You'll Buddy Up. We've learned a few things about canvassing over the past eighteen years. The primary one is that people prefer to go out in pairs rather than alone. We agree. It's more fun, you've got someone to talk with, and share the conversation at the doors. If you're new to this, or still a bit uncomfortable, no worries - we'll buddy you up with one of our veterans!
It Starts with a Click: Take a moment to commit your time to "knock a shift" for Helen, Seth and our Fab Five. Click on the link below and sign up for a shift this weekend.
If this weekend doesn't work for you, then break out your calendar to see where you might have a free Saturday (11AM-2PM) or Sunday (1PM-4PM) to knock doors before the May 16th Primary Election.
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PNN Endorsements & Recommendations at a Glance
The City Commissioners have sent out mail-in ballots to everyone who asked for one. Check out PNN's endorsements and recommendations as you complete your mail-in ballot. Please note the order of the Ballot Questions. Each candidate's ballot number follows their name. For more information on the reasons for our endorsements, please visit our webpage.
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Performing Arts Fundraiser for Seth Anderson-Oberman
Sunday, April 30th, 4PM-7PM, 5015 Wayne Ave
Join State Rep Rabb and our friends for a Performing Arts Fundraiser for Seth Anderson-Oberman. Come enjoy performances by musicians, poets, and artists as we give creative expression to the change our communities are fighting to achieve.
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This Week in History
April 29, 1854 – First Black College in U.S. By an act of the Pennsylvania legislature, Ashmun Institute, the first college founded solely for African Americans, was officially chartered. Today, it is known as Lincoln University.
April 30, 1993 – Birth of Internet. On this day, CERN researcher Tim Berners-Lee released the source code for his dream of a "linked information system" which would become the World Wide Web.
May 4, 1970 – Kent State Murders. The Ohio National Guard open fire on antiwar protesters at the university, killing four and wounding eight. Famous musicians wrote a song about it.
May 5, 1961 – First American in Space. Navy Commander Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. became the first American astronaut to travel into space.
Thanks for your activism!
Tim Brown, Organizing Director
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