Tom Doll (from Subaru) said what? 

It’s your Friday wrap-up at the Local Knowledge Blog — 10 things I like and don’t like (a homage to the preferred format of my favorite sports writer, Zach Lowe): 

 — don’t like — Tom Doll, Subaru’s President and Chief Operating Officer, had this gem of a quote in the Inquirer this week

We think that by going in there that the whole area is going to develop and gentrify, and there’s going to be a renaissance in Camden, similar to what happened in Manayunk.

I’ve been wondering for a while how a company that allegedly wants to take advantage of an urban community to attract the millennial employees of the future, then ends up with a suburban-style office park scary enough to make millennials give up avocado toast for the month. This is how. Tom Doll is so glibly unaware of current urban dynamics that he’s out here advertising gentrification. I’m excited for the rollout Doll’s next big innovation — even bigger SUVs (apparently this is the sassy, sarcastic roundup). 

 — like — this week the State Board of Education voted to return local control to Newark. After 22 years, it’s about time to stop disenfranchising the state’s largest community of color. There’s a lot of work left to be done, but it’s nice to see that there’s some consensus that the way to improve cities like Newark isn’t to disenfranchise them (now, maybe consider doing the same in Camden?). 

 — like — I’ve been less excited than some about the tech start-up buzz in the city. The tech history just has too spotted a history of equity — and in my experience, too many blindspots about Camden — for me to see it regularly crossing the significant social and cultural boundaries in the city, despite my genuinely liking much of the city’s young, idealistic tech start-up scene. So I was excited to see another co-working space come downtown (CoWork Street) that chose to explicitly focus on non-tech entrepreneurs. Hopefully, this organization can work directly with its neighbor, the Latin American Economic Development Association (LAEDA) and tap into the amazing creative potential of this city. 

 — like — I’ve been eagerly watching as the Muse Collaborative — a Camden-based non-profit focusing on hip-hop arts — gets its sea legs. It’s looking to hire research assistants to do work researching — wait for it — hip-hop albums. If you think that’s for you, please check out the listing

  — don’t like — April Saul’s new column at Newsworks is highlighting a super critical issue. Camden has shut down its only needle clinic. Please go read the piece. It highlights the difficult challenge Camden has in front of it. As the city becomes more attractive to development, it may also lose some of the compassionate progressivism that makes the city an important part of the wider eco-system for those struggling with addiction. Needle exchanges may be controversial, but they’re proven to reduce health risks, and shuttering them can be extremely damaging. These facilities need support (without it, they can be very difficult for the surrounding neighborhood) but a courageous political scene would be looking to get the exchange that support, not close it entirely.

 — like — maybe it’s not strictly about Camden, but if you haven’t read Ta-Nehisi Coates’ The First White President, take the time to do so. I find his writing helps me center my political beliefs in the tremendous uphill struggles around race in the country. It helps me to put the issues with segregation here in South Jersey into the wider context of the political history and climate of the country. 

 — like — I managed to make it out to Camden Pop Rock’s set at the Camden Jam. The set was bananas, and Craig’s pink suit/vest completely does it justice: 

Posted by Camdenpoprock on Wednesday, September 13, 2017

 — don’t like — Gov. Chris Christie was in Camden today touting his education reforms. It was the latest in a series of highly orchestrated events to try to make it difficult for the next Governor to change education trajectories in the city. This type of bickering is to be expected, but it highlights a point LAEDA CEO Ray Lamboy likes to make; that Camden’s dependence on the state means the city has a different plan enforced on it every election cycle. Right now, that means sticking with a Gov. Christie remake of the city, or starting yet again with a new plan for the city’s education.

 — don’t like — black educators losing their jobs. This week, Rann Miller wrote a critical piece about the ways that Brown v. Board of Ed costs black educators their jobs. Sadly, the same thing is happening now, where school reform has taken a toll on the number of black educators in the city. Too often, reforms to “help” a city such as Camden come with ugly job losses for communities of color. 

Lastly, I wanted to mention that I’ve started writing at Blue Jersey — a state-wide progressive blog. I firmly believe that as we enter the stretch run of the gubernatorial race we face a tremendous opportunity. There simply aren’t many states that can put both a Democratic Governor and legislature in place this fall. If we do that, we’ll be at the forefront of progressive policy. 

I took the regular writing position with Blue Jersey because I want to be a part of that — exploring and defining a progressive agenda at a time when we desperately need one. As part of that gig, I attended the New Jersey Democratic State Committee Conference today. I put a ton of coverage up for those who couldn’t make the event, including short recaps of panels, live streams and more. Here’s the keynote from Missouri Dem Jason Kander: 

Jason Kander at the 2017 Democratic State Conference. Video from Blue Jersey. Former Missouri Secretary of State & Army intelligence officer. Afghanistan vet. Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, narrowly losing 2016 Senate election to Republican incumbent Roy Blunt. After the Senate election, Kander founded an organization called *Let America Vote* a campaign dedicated to ending voter suppression & gerrymandering. Also, a CNN contributor.

Posted by Blue Jersey on Friday, September 15, 2017

That’s all from here — enjoy the weekend!

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