Philadelphia denying block parties over public safety threats
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The city has denied dozens of block party permits, citing public safety threats leading into the summer.
Why it matters: Philly’s block party culture is robust, builds relationships among neighbors, fosters community pride and, some research has shown, helps deter crime.
- Plus: It allows residents to find fun, creative ways to show off their blocks, like using a dumpster as a swimming pool.
State of play: Philadelphia has axed more than 8% of the 889 block party applications through May 22, per the city’s Streets Department.
- “Criminal activity” was cited for denying 53% of the 75 banned applications through that time period.
- West Philly’s 19143 ZIP code, which includes parts of Cobbs Creek and Kingsessing, had the most rejections due to criminal activity (8).
Of note: The other applications were either denied or canceled due to an incomplete application or an unspecified reason, per the Streets Department.
The big picture: The number of annual block parties has plummeted since 2015, but rebounded from the lows of the pandemic.
By the numbers: Block party permits, per the city:
- 2015: 5,818
- 2016: 5,210
- 2017: 4,842
- 2018: 4,276
- 2019: 3,506
- 2020: 106
- 2021: 1,830
- 2022: 2,364
Zoom out: Philly has been struggling with historic levels of gun violence in recent years, which has led to cancelation of events and parties previously.
Zoom in: Each police district has the final say on applications in their area, per city policy.
What they’re saying: Sgt. Eric Gripp tells Axios the approval process is fluid and safety is the primary concern.
- “The totality of the current situation is always considered, and decisions are made based on the latest information available,” he said.
Rich Montanez, the city’s deputy commissioner for transportation, said more people would host block parties if there was less crime.
- “As we increase our police force, as we make the city safer, the criminal activities will go down and then the block parties would once again be happening,” he said.