By Bruce S. Ticker
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania — Less than two years ago, my new landlord demanded that I pay double the rent on my apartment in Northeast Philadelphia. Acceding to this change would have wiped out my savings in two or three years.
Unlike in New York City, I quickly learned that landlords in Pennsylvania could raise rents as high as they please, giving them license to toss masses of tenants – especially Philadelphians – onto the streets at any time.
While a low percentage of elected officials were helpful, the most responsive of all 17 members of City Council was Kendra Brooks, an at-large member whose staff invited me to testify at a Council hearing tackling outrageous rent hikes. She was at the time the only independent member of Council, meaning she was neither a Democrat nor a Republican.
Brooks is a member of the Working Families Party and was re-elected to City Council last November. She was joined on Council by fellow WFP member Nicolas O’Rourke, who has sought action by Council to endorse a cease-fire on land 5,400 miles from City Hall – in Gaza, of course.
O’Rourke was following a pattern throughout America, which meant exposing Israel to more criticism for its attacks in Gaza. I suspected that Brooks might be connected to some forces that are considered anti-Israel, even if indirectly.
I have long shared concerns about domestic issues with “the Squad” in the U.S. House of Representatives who press hard for reforms that will help vulnerable Americans, but they antagonize American Jews when they accuse Israel of serving as the world’s Godzilla – allegations that extend far beyond legitimate criticism.
I feel stretched in Philly. One Working Families Party member, Kendra Brooks, took steps which could help resolve my personal situation, yet her partner on City Council, Nicolas O’Rourke, had planned to co-sponsor a resolution which could harm Israel.
Independent elected officials are needed to help shape policy in Philadelphia. Observers of elected Democrats in Philly are easily confused. They seem to be far different than the Democrats we see making impassioned speeches in Congress on behalf of the middle and lower classes. Philly Democrats have their virtues, but for some existential issues they are no better than Republicans.
So I feel hopeful that at least two Council members will openly press for local reforms, but one or both council members could be injecting Middle East issues into Council business. Roughly 7.5 million of our people live in Israel, and we want to avert further harm to them.
When I was threatened with eviction, I appealed to all seven at-large council members to address spiraling rents, and Brooks’ staff informed me they were attempting to hold a hearing on that very issue. I agreed to provide testimony, but the hearing – planned for fall of 2022 – was moved to the following spring, when I submitted testimony.
Brooks was elected in 2019 by taking advantage of City Charter rules which require two at-large seats to be occupied by members of minority political parties, and those seats were traditionally held by Republicans. Democrats occupied five at-large seats and nine of 10 district seats during Brooks’ first term and maintained that number after the 2023 election. O’Rourke’s election made it two Working Families Party members on City Council while Republicans had one member still on Council representing Philly’s Far Northeast section, the most conservative part of the city.
The presence of Brooks and O’Rourke on City Council is a breath of fresh air, and some Democratic Council members are responsive and well-intentioned.
My rental problems were resolved when I found an apartment at a reasonable monthly rent in a relatively safe neighborhood. A legal aid for seniors blocked an eviction notice because the landlord failed to follow the city’s most basic procedures.
That was all spoiled when O’Rourke and Democrat Curtis Jones Jr. intended to call for a vote at a Council meeting last Thursday, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Several Council members said a cease-fire bill would have probably passed.
O’Rourke said he shelved the legislation after “impacted communities,” including Palestinians in Philadelphia and pro-Palestinian activists, insisted that the resolution cover a form of divestment from the Israeli military. They wanted “stronger language related to investments that the city or the country or anyone makes that could contribute to” the war, he told the Inquirer.
The pair said they do not expect to seek a new version of the resolution in the near future.
A temporary cease-fire is crucial if it provides for the release of some or all of the remaining 133 Israeli hostages and for humanitarian aid for innocent Palestinians.
Many pro-Arab activists along with the terror group Hamas demand a permanent cease-fire. That is how this war commenced: Hamas and other terrorists violated a cease-fire on Oct. 7 when they murdered approximately 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped 240 more; 100 hostages have since been released.
The Israeli Defense Forces are obligated to protect Israel, which means retrieving all hostages and the bodies of any Israelis that remain in Gaza, and to pursue all terrorists and eliminate Hamas along with any other threats to Israel. While it appears that Israel overdid its military response, the 31,000 Palestinian deaths claimed by Hamas are the fault of the terrorists. It is Hamas’ duty to protect its de facto citizens, and it could have done so by returning all hostages to Israel and quickly working out a surrender.
Pressure for local governments to vote for cease-fires and other Hamas-friendly policies is overwhelming. On Sunday, The New York Times recounted such efforts across the nation – in Berkeley, California; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Danbury, Connecticut.
Many local officials resisted them, but the pressure finally worked in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where six years ago Mayor Christopher Taylor was shouted down while reading a gun violence awareness resolution, according to the Times. These activists insisted on learning why people killed in Gaza were not included in the resolution.
Post-Oct. 7, Ann Arbor City Council voted to urge a cease-fire, with Taylor explaining, “Foreign policy is far from our remit, but special circumstances can arise. When community groups are in deep pain, we speak in support of those who are suffering.”
Granted that these demonstrators may be local Arab-Americans, but these are still political games.
A more sensible perspective was voiced by Fort Collins Mayor Jeni Arndt, who said, “If it’s not impactful to the members of our community and it divides, I don’t think I should do that.”
It divides. It will divide in Philly if this crusade persists.
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Bruce S. Ticker is a Philadelphia-based columnist who may be contacted via bruce.ticker@sdjewishworld.com