Official Statement on the Death of Walter Wallace
Our West Philadelphia community is grieving and angry after the tragic shooting of Walter Wallace Jr. in Cobbs Creek on Monday. The subsequent clashes between neighbors and police that followed overnight have added to this anger and desire for change. We stand by our community as we work together to recover from and oppose racism, social and economic inequalities, police brutality, and systematic disinvestment of our neighborhoods.
52nd Street, historically a Black business district known as West Philadelphia’s Main Street, has suffered from decades of disinvestment and continues to shine a light on the symptoms of our society-wide crisis. For decades, our society has neglected minority neighborhoods all over our City and country. What is happening in West Philadelphia is a litmus test for all of us on how we will respond to the consequences of systemic racism and the over-policing of our neighbors.
The Enterprise Center will continue to work with community members and advocates so that 52nd Street moves from a symbol of injustice and disenfranchisement to a vibrant community hub that celebrates its history and the future of minority-owned businesses. We will lend our aid to immediate responses such as clean-ups and peaceful protests, and we will need partners and investors to help build up rather than merely patch up 52nd Street.
We believe that revitalizing 52nd Street and other West Philly neighborhoods is a necessary step to a broader effort to encourage investments in the corridor and neighborhoods, to support local minority small businesses as the economic engines of our neighborhoods that provide jobs and stability, and to stop this destructive course of racism that continues to divide us rather than unite us.
Please follow our social media channels or fill out our form for updates on ways that you can help in the cleanup efforts as well as help affected small businesses to rebuild and reopen.
For media inquiries, please reach out to tec@slicecommunications.com
Statement on the Protests Surrounding the Death of George Floyd and the Subsequent Cleanup and Rebuilding Efforts
The Enterprise Center Community Development Corporation is deeply saddened by what has happened on 52nd Street and in other neighborhoods around the city. We understand the frustration regarding police brutality and the death of George Floyd, and we stand with those fighting inequality. We also believe in the power of the community to rebuild in difficult times.
