Yesterday, the City of Camden announced that it would be shutting down “Tent City,” a homeless community, on April 15. Its residents prefer the name Transition Park and have sought refuge there after bouts with drugs, gambling, jail, the economy, and a myriad of other circumstances which are not so black-and-white.
While I was there, Gino Lewis, Director of Community Development for Camden County, stopped by to explain their options. Paper work, welfare-funded housing and transitional facilities were a few options he touched upon, stating that there will be no eviction by force come the 15th. He noted that this is more of a “social experiment” and if it goes well other smaller, similar enclaves will be closed down as well.
While some I spoke to can’t wait to make a deposit on an apartment, many regard Transition Park as their home and their safety buffer from the bad influences on the streets. While Lewis was there, many residents verbally accosted him, claiming they had no more faith to spare in the social services system and would rather stay in Transition Park.
You can read more about the story here in an article written by colleague, Deborah Hirsh, in the Courier-Post.
Carrot Cake Man, a local celebrity, sells his legendary pastry on 52nd and Market streets in Philadelphia on April 9.
Aaron McCargo is a lifelong resident of Camden and one of only two competitors left on the Food Network reality show “Next Food Network Star.”
Today I had to accompany a health inspector on a surprise inspection to a restaurant in Washington Township, NJ. As if the owner wasn’t freaked enough by the inspector, here I am with a camera ready to document the whole thing. She almost threw me out but I charmed my way in under the agreement that the restaurant would remain anonymous – which was fine because the story wasn’t about the restaurant anyway.
Bill Keys is an 80-year-old South Jersey native training for the Organ Donor games to be held later this month in Pittsburgh, PA. Keys also received a heart transplant in 1990. Five days a week, he comes to the Cherry Hill Jewish Community Center to train for the big day.
