September 24, 2026
An open letter to our community, leadership and partners in stewardship,
We are heartbroken to report a deeply disturbing incident that occurred yesterday, September 23, 2026, in the parking lot adjacent to Vernon Park. One of our close neighbors, a core member of our volunteer group and leader in our community was attacked and seriously hurt after a short exchange with a person who has now been arrested. Enormous thanks to the coordinated efforts of the 14th Police District, Center in the Park staff and our close-knit group of friends, family and neighbors.
While our primary focus is on our dear friend and their recovery, we cannot pass this off as an isolated incident, or the act of a single individual. We, along with our neighborhood and park partners, have seen an increase in antisocial activity, vandalism, drug abuse, mental health related crises and threatening behavior, as well as unhoused folks seeking refuge in our neighborhood parks, doorways, parking lots and alleyways—including and not limited to those in Vernon Park.
Despite our efforts to care for one another here in Germantown, we have seen a deep divestment of publicly funded resources at the national, state and local levels to support basic needs and dignity: health care, safe and affordable housing, food, mental health and addiction treatment has been gutted. Make no mistake: everything is connected.
Last night’s previously scheduled public safety meeting between neighborhood stakeholders—including elected officials and their staffs (City Council, State Senate and House of Representatives), vital integrated social service organizations that serve our most marginalized neighbors, our local Neighborhood Community Action Center, law enforcement and community engagement, concerned neighbors, parents and our park group—took on a whole new sense of urgency and candor. We are grateful for all who showed up in the room at the table, and all who continue to show up for these challenging conversations, our beloved public spaces and one another.
While we welcome musings around how improved business corridors in commercial spaces can provide solutions and improve life in our neighborhood, we would be remiss not to state unequivocally that public federal, state and city investment in our public spaces and services is the only truly equitable path towards a thriving, resilient community, where no one is forgotten—one we all deserve. This means real and measurable attention, action and investment in behavioral health resources, mobile crisis and public safety, housing, social and cultural services (including Center in the Park, Face to Face, Black Writers Museum) and more. This means fully funding our parks, libraries, recreation centers, public transit and schools—today and in the future.
I wish we heard that our elected representatives were having the same levels of robust conversations with these agencies and their colleagues in government as they are with private business and developers. The latter, understandably, have obligations to make profits, not people, their top priority. While we support and welcome businesses as neighbors and partners, we have learned not to rely on the ‘good intentions’ of these entities to lead on the community solutions we need and deserve. We call on our elected officials and their teams to equally prioritize engagement, comprehensive long term funding strategies and measurable solutions in the public sector. Not doing so is divestment. Everything is connected.
September is National Recovery Month. Please learn about the resources that ARE available to those who are struggling, and join us in calling for more investment in compassionate and effective integrated solutions.
All of this offers context, but does not for one second excuse what happened yesterday. We do not excuse violence. We do not excuse any person or reason why our neigbhorhood park feels unsafe, for anyone. We protect one another. We keep it real and we keep showing up. We hope you will too.
On that note, please join us (and share with neighbors, family and friends) at the next Community Town Hall in the evening on Monday, October 5, (time tbd) hosted by the 8th District Neighborhood Community Action Center at Joseph E. Coleman Northwest Regional Library. This will be the first day the library is open after being closed for extensive repairs, another reason to show up in support.
We love you, Germantown.
With gratitude and solidarity,
Angela Miles
Chair/President, Friends of Vernon Park
info@friendsofvernonpark | friendsofvernonpark.org | @FriendsofVernonPark
cc: Offices of Councilwoman Cindy Bass; Senator Art Haywood; Representative Andre Carroll; Face to Face Germantown; Center in the Park; Black Writers Museum; District 8 Neighborhood Community Action Center; 14th Police District; Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Stewardship Division and Park Rangers; Germantown United CDC; City Council Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs; West Central Germantown Neighbors; Germantown Life Enrichment Center; Germantown Information Hub; Philly Parks United; Fairmount Park Conservancy
