Axios Philadelphia

December 10, 2024
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Today's newsletter is 951 words, a 4-minute read.
1 big thing: 🪧 Sanctuary city rally
Immigration activists are pressuring Mayor Cherelle Parker to reaffirm and expand Philadelphia's sanctuary city policies.
Why it matters: President-elect Trump has pledged mass deportations, and his incoming "border czar," Tom Homan, is threatening to punish those who stand in the administration's way.
Driving the news: Immigration groups will rally downtown today, Human Rights Day, to demand that Parker take a firm stance on upholding the city's policies around protecting undocumented immigrants.
- The rally and march will kick off at 1pm at City Hall, then move to a vigil outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office at N Eighth and Cherry streets.
What they're saying: Erika Guadalupe Nunez, director of Latino immigrant organization Juntos, tells Axios that uncertainty remains about how Parker will respond to potential federal immigration crackdowns.
- "This is a time for clarity. There's a lot at risk," she says.
- "We need a firmer commitment from Mayor Parker to really stand up and fight for immigrants in Philadelphia," Jasmine Rivera, director of the Pennsylvania Immigration Coalition, tells Axios
The other side: Parker spokesperson Joe Grace tells Axios that the city's 2016 policies prohibiting certain cooperation with ICE remain in place, but he declined to answer questions about how the mayor will respond to the incoming Trump administration.
Between the lines: Parker has signaled a cautious approach so far.
- Last month, Parker said, "I don't know what will happen in the future," when asked about whether she would fight to preserve Philly as a sanctuary city.
The big picture: Trump has pledged to declare a state of emergency and use the military to execute mass deportations.
- On Sunday, Trump proposed that families with mixed immigration status could be deported together.
- And his incoming administration is also developing a plan to withhold federal funds from sanctuary cities that don't assist with deportations, per the Washington Post.
Meanwhile, Homan has threatened at least one Democratic mayor with jail time for wanting to stop the possible mass deportations, per ABC.
2. Penn grad suspect in CEO's killing
University of Pennsylvania graduate Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is facing a murder charge, according to an online court docket.
The big picture: Thompson's death in New York City on Wednesday sparked a massive manhunt but no arrests had been made in connection to the case prior to Monday.
Driving the news: Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania, where he's being held on gun charges unrelated to last week's fatal shooting, per a criminal complaint.
- Meanwhile, New York prosecutors have filed murder and other charges against Mangione.
Catch up quick: Mangione was identified at a McDonald's in Altoona yesterday. He had fake IDs, a firearm and a device to muffle gunshots at the time of his arrest, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a press briefing.
- He was recognized by an employee at the fast food restaurant, who called local police, she said.
- The fraudulent New Jersey ID he carried was consistent with the one used to check into a New York City hostel before the shooting, Tisch said.
Officers also recovered a handwritten document that "speaks to both his motivations and mindset," Tisch said.
3. News Market: 🏢 Wanamaker makeover
🏠 A developer will likely convert the historic Wanamaker building's office section into residential units.
- The foreclosure proceedings for the 114-year-old building, which houses Macy's in Center City, will likely continue early next year. (Philadelphia Business Journal)
🏫 The Philly school board is revising its process for authorizing charter schools. The board hasn't approved a new charter since 2018. (Chalkbeat Philadelphia)
🏆 48 Record Bar in Old City took home Eater Philadelphia's award for the best new bar this year. The best tasting menu experience went to Provenance.
4. Tracking traffic deaths

Fatal crashes in Philadelphia are declining but the city still has one of the highest traffic death rates of big cities in the U.S., a new Vision Zero report shows.
The big picture: Philadelphia's per-capita rate of traffic deaths in 2023 was worse than Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, D.C.'s — and nearly three times that of New York's, per the latest data.
Driving the news: Philly is on pace to finish this year with fewer traffic deaths than 2023, when there were 123, per the report.
- The city has reported 84 traffic deaths through Sept., 16 fewer than at the same time last year.
State of play: Philly has obtained more than $200 million in grants since 2016 to continue improving road safety across the city.
- But last year's fatal crash rate is still well above pre-pandemic levels: 22% of severe crashes in 2023 were fatal, compared to 17% in 2019.
5. 🤩 Soccer stars coming to town
Some of Europe and South America's elite soccer powerhouses are coming to Philly next year for the FIFA Club World Cup.
Why it matters: It's a first-of-its-kind tournament that puts Philly in the international spotlight a year before the city hosts six World Cup matches.
How it works: Unlike the World Cup, where national teams compete, the Club World Cup is for top professional teams like the English Premier League's Manchester City — the future home of Philly soccer phenom Cavan Sullivan.
Zoom in: Here are the six matchups coming to Lincoln Financial Field:
- June 16: Brazil's Flamengo faces Espérance de Tunis at 9pm
- June 18: Manchester City vs. Wydad at noon
- June 20: Flamengo vs. England's Chelsea at noon
- June 22: Italian powerhouse Juventus faces Wyad at noon
- June 24: Espérance de Tunis vs. Chelsea at 9pm
- June 26: Salzburg takes on Real Madrid at 9pm
Philly also gets a Round of 16 and Quarterfinals match, June 28 and July 4 respectively.
- And the final will be July 13 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
📣 BTW: We're trying to settle a debate. Is Philly part of the part of the Mid-Atlantic or the Northeast? Vote here.
Today's newsletter was edited by Alexa Mencia Orozco.
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