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Time changes everything, and in many instances, things can’t be changed back. However, for Russell Shoemaker, the President of the 1st Police District Advisory Council, the sense of community that one can have with neighbors is not something that has to be left in the good old days.
“I’m trying to bring the old community back where there is hardly any crime, you can sit on the step and you should know all your neighbors,” the resident of the 1700 block of Johnston Street said. “That’s what I’m trying to get all the civic groups to do, get back some of the old ways.”
The 58-year-old is certainly not one simply to comment on the need for change without taking action, though. He tells most people that he volunteers 50 hours a month, but that it’s actually more than that. The amount of time he has devoted to giving back to the community adds up to thousands of hours at this point, all of which are unpaid.
“I go to all the civic association meetings, I go to any new business that’s opening up trying to help them out, help them promote,” Shoemaker said.
The father of four leads by example in his involvement to encourage others to take action, too.
“The people now go home, they lock their doors, they don’t want to know nothing that’s going on in the neighborhood. The only time you hear people is when they got a complaint.”
The Police District Advisory Council offers many ways for people to help their community. The group has done numerous neighborhood clean-ups, held gun buybacks to get weapons off the street, donated food to needy families and have nights out where people in the community can meet their local officers and get to know who is out there protecting them.
The Marconi dweller implores people to come to meetings and to get involved in their neighborhood, saying it’s the only way to get things back to the way they were. And he definitely believes they can be brought back.
“Just like style comes back,” he said. “Bell bottom pants. Platform shoes. I was one of them, I wanted to be six feet. The clothes cycles change and come back, so why can’t the way of life change and come back?”
Contact the South Philly Review at editor@southphillyreview.com.
2014 Difference Makers
/ L. Jay Agnes / Christine M. Beady / Jessica Calter / Mikki Capo /
/ Barbara Capozzi / Giovanna Cavaliere /
/ Christopher DiCapua / Marlo and Jason Dilks / Marie DiStefano / Beth Dougherty /
/ Cornell Drummond / Maureen Fratantoni / Etrulia (Trudy) Gay / Jess Gould /
/ David and Lisa Grainge / Richie Lazer / Tim Lidiak /
/ Shane Martin / Laura McColgan / Akhenaton Mikell / Russell Shoemaker / Lionel Simmons / Tom Wyatt/
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