The reawakening of Concerned Citizens of North Camden (CCNC), a local organizing group, drew vocal and determined residents meetings this summer to talk about what matters to them in their neighborhood. The first meeting on July 21st drew a crowd of 20 people, a mix of long-time residents, nonprofit members, a real estate agent, and a few neighbors from the Cooper Grant neighborhood as well.

“The purpose of our first meeting was to get the word out to members of the community to organize, have our voices heard, and have a seat at the table about the decisions being made that affect us,” said Shirley Irizarry who organized the meeting with Luis Gaitan. After growing up in east Camden and serving with the US Navy in Afghanistan, Gaitan continued to serve by returning to his hometown and began community organizing. “I am glad to lead the way with our residents to ensure better futures for the next generation of residents,” said Gaitan.

During the meeting, residents listed short and long term goals they hoped to see addressed, ranging from voting on a board for the group, updating the neighborhood plan, establishing neighborhood watches, and more. While listing goals during the meeting, one person said ‘Getting the streets repaved.’ The meeting organizer asked “Is this a concern for anyone else?” With laughter, everyone raised their hands. While some road paving was done in North Camden last year, there’s certainly no shortage of potholes and rough roads that still need to be addressed.

A Neighborhood with a History of Community Organizing

CCNC has a long history of organizing spanning several decades in the North Camden community. According to a CCNC organizational history, its original goals were “to make North Camden a better place to live, with better housing, cleaner streets, and more jobs; to unify the community across lines of race and national origin; to give North Camden residents control over decisions affecting the neighborhood’s future; to develop skills to provide services and make other service providers accountable; and to give area residents a greater sense of their own power.”

Many of the issues that sparked CCNC’s formation in the 1970’s are still relevant today, namely concerns about nearby development and the desire for inclusion in decisions that affect residents’ futures. With waterfront development happening just south of the bridge, some are concerned about what gentrification would mean when it spreads north of the bridge. Gentrification is a heated word, and while Camden has been spared the type of rapid displacement of residents that gentrification has brought to other cities, it could happen here too. “We want to be part of the progress. We don’t want the current progress to push residents out, instead we want it to benefit those who live and grew up here,” said Irizarry.

The meeting took place at Camden Lutheran Housing Inc. (CLHI), a neighborhood-based non- profit dedicated to affordable housing and community revitalization in North Camden. They are known for creating affordable housing, promoting home ownership, and implementing neighborhood-wide community efforts like the Block Supporter Initiative.

While very active in the community in the 1980’s, CCNC started to wane in the early 1990’s. The group was revived by Bryan Morton in 2011 which primarily took the shape of also reviving another neighborhood institution, the North Camden Little League (NCLL).

Historically, the problems that hold Camden back have been more concentrated in certain neighborhoods, North Camden being one of them. It has experienced more than its share of crime, disinvestment, abandonment, and open air drug markets over the years. While there’s still room for improvement, many have seen a marked difference in the past several years. The parks alone in the neighborhood are a drastically different experience than 5 years ago- Pyne Poynt Park had a $4 million renovation in 2014, bringing with it new playground equipment and baseball fields where NCLL plays. Part of the footprint of the old Riverfront State Prison is now Coopers Poynt Park, giving residents access to the water with a breath-taking view of the Ben Franklin Bridge. Northgate Park has been revitalized with checkerboard tables, murals, and improved landscaping as well as programming that populates the park with kids and families instead of leaving the park open for addicts and crime.

Organizing in North Camden Today

Despite the many struggles of the neighborhood, or more accurately through them, community organizing has had some major wins over the years. The state prison built on the Camden waterfront in 1984 created a significant community set back. The work of Save Our Waterfront, CCNC, and many others fought successfully to tear down the state prison in 2008. The site is where Coopers Poynt Park now proudly sits. The irony of the sites’ restoration is not lost- where inmates used to be the only residents in the neighborhood with access to the beautiful skyline and river views, now families and kids play freely.

In September 2017 there was an effort to open a liquor store at 724 State Street that did not pass the ABC Board process because of strong neighborhood opposition. A petition with over 500 signatures, a nearby school and church, and even some local officials voiced opposition until the business who proposed it withdrew their application.

A current neighborhood issue still undecided is a billboard proposed for the F.W. Winter site just north of the Ben Franklin Bridge on the waterfront. Many residents and community organizations, including CLHI, have expressed opposition to the proposal. Interstate Outdoor Advertising and Camden Charitable Funding Project, LLC will go before the Zoning Board on September 10th asking for several variances, as billboards are prohibited within the redevelopment area. “CLHI is strongly opposed to the billboard,” said Jessica Franzini, their Associate Director of Community Initiatives. “It is our position that the Zoning Board should uphold the Redevelopment Plan’s regulatory framework and not grant the requested variances.” All those with a position on the billboard are encouraged to attend the September Zoning Board meeting to contribute their comments on the record.

Not to be overlooked was the location of the meeting at CLHI, which named its facility Galindez Court after Luis Galindez, a neighborhood organizer murdered in 1994 who was a key member of CCNC and big supporter of his Camden neighborhood. The July 21st CCNC meeting took place two days after the 24th anniversary of his passing.

Community organizing in North Camden has a rich history of progress through the hard work of so many more than were mentioned here, and a short article doesn’t do justice to their labor over the years.

One thing is for sure: don’t count out North Camden residents.

Want to get involved in North Camden?

• Concerned Citizens of North Camden next meeting:
  •  September 15th, 10:00-11:00am, Galindez Court, 9th and State Street, Camden
• Save Our Waterfront (SOW) Monthly Meeting:
  •  Second Thursday of each month, next is September 13th, Galindez Court, 9th and State Street, Camden