🛝 Philly playground closed due to safety concerns

15 Arrested, LGBTQ+ Community Responds to Police Violence

Protesters returned to the Gayborhood on Monday night, denouncing allegedly excessive force used by officers following Pride festivities. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said the department was responding to reports of fights and disorderly conduct, but firsthand accounts describe the police’s presence as aggressive and traumatizing. [NBC10, Philly Plain Dealer]

• Related: In a social media post shared last night, Mayor Cherelle Parker said her administration will meet with community leaders to discuss what transpired.

FDR Park’s Mega Slide Fails Safety Inspection

Despite being named one of the top 10 playgrounds in the country, Verna Playground did not meet safety recommendations, prompting its temporary closure. Inspectors found its massive slide lacked safety guards, and the structure to go up the slide was missing bolts. The playground has been fenced off, but that hasn’t stopped families from utilizing it. [USA Today, 🔒 The Inquirer]

MLB To Launch Legacy Projects As All-Star Week Approaches

Aside from hosting the big game pitting the National League against the American League, Philly will benefit from the MLB’s attention through new community investments. Upcoming projects include enhancements to FDR Park’s Ashburn Field, renovations to Tree House Books literacy center, and accessibility upgrades to Old City’s Veterans Multi-Service Center. [🔒 Philadelphia Business Journal]

• Related: These projects may be the only way some Philadelphians experience the impact of All-Star Week, as many are priced out. Can we bring back the ticket prices from 1976? They started at $6! [The Conversation]

New Sixers President Ready To ‘Hit the Ground Running’

The San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks face off again tonight as the NBA Finals continue, and despite the fact that the Knicks are loaded with Villanova alumni, Sixers fans are dealing with FOMO. Maybe next season will be better with Mike Gansey as the new president of basketball operations. [Sports Illustrated]

Would You Try Honey From a Sewer?

Yeah, you read that correctly. After a swarm of bees took up residence in a South Philly sewer, a local beekeeper successfully relocated the hive (much to the relief of neighbors) and is harvesting the honey at his apiary. [6ABC]

• Related: It wouldn’t be the first time Philadelphians got creative with honey. [📝 City Cast Philly]

Shapiro’s Grand Plan To Bring Data Centers to PA

As concerns grow over cost and use of resources, Shapiro introduced the Governor’s Responsible Infrastructure Development plan. The G.R.I.D. proposal incentivizes data center development with tax breaks while meeting community and environmental requirements. Although it is meant to appease all groups involved, not everyone is sold on the idea. [🎧 City Cast Philly]

• Garrity calls for pause: State Treasurer and Republican gubernatorial nominee Stacy Garrity’s stance on data centers contrasts with that of Shapiro, her opponent in the fall. She has doubled down on her call for an indefinite pause on data center development so local officials have a chance to update their zoning laws. [🔒 Penn Live]
• New bills: Democratic State Sen. Katie Muth agrees. The lawmaker introduced a bill at the end of May to place a three-year moratorium on the permitting and development of data centers, saying, “Pennsylvania is not a blank check for Big Tech.” Muth is seeking sponsors for another piece of legislation opposing suggestions by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman that data centers can be a public utility. If data centers were to be considered a public utility, local power over zoning would be scrapped, and the centers could be granted eminent domain powers. Another lawmaker, Republican State Rep. Craig Williams, introduced a bill to put people over data centers by requiring developers to “build, bring, or buy” power sources. [Bucks County Beacon, Pennsylvania Capital-Star]
• Growing dissent: Even second graders are standing against data centers. Students from Fanny Jackson Coppin School held a march last week protesting artificial intelligence and rumored data center projects in the area. [South Philly Review]
• Anti-AI sentiments tracked: As contention over data center development continues, police departments are tracking any dissent that could be considered a threat. A Philadelphia fusion center — an intelligence data hub comprised of state, local, and federal agencies, plus private entities — is monitoring online outcry. It has warned police near the Philadelphia area’s existing data centers to be aware of angry postings, but civil rights activists worry this law enforcement involvement could violate the First Amendment. [The Intercept]