Community Organizations Rally for a Philly People's Budget

Today we joined city workers and community organizations to demand that City Hall stand with the working people of Philadelphia, not Big Business. A broad coalition gathered to release our new report that calls for a Philadelphia city budget that works for everyone. 

Philadelphians have known for decades that a safe and thriving city requires strong investments in education, fully staffed city services, programs like mobile crisis units, and robust libraries and recreation centers. We know the funding exists! It’s just being hoarded by wealthy individuals and megacorporations who dodge paying taxes that should be going toward these vital city services. This budget season, we demand that City Council and the Mayor prioritize quality higher education, crisis support, worker protections, recreation centers, parks, libraries, and tenant protections. 

We need our elected officials to choose a side: will they stand with Big Business and the wealthy, or will they invest in our demands for the common good of all Philadelphians? Sign our letter to let Mayor Parker and City Council know that we need a budget that works for everyone. 

Our policy director, Nikki Grant, spoke about the work we’re doing at Amistad Law Project and the Philadelphia Treatment Not Trauma Coalition to help build out Philadelphia’s first ever non-police mental health crisis response in Philadelphia. A mental health professional should be the first to respond to those in crisis, not the police.

We are fighting to increase funding to $20 million so we can fully staff mobile crisis teams with well-paying union jobs and implement 24/7 response teams. 

Nikki reminded City officials today: “The solutions to our biggest problems aren’t difficult. They just require you to have the courage to stand up to the powerful people who hoard their wealth. Make the choice to invest in us. Pour resources into our libraries, our rec centers, violence prevention professionals, and mobile crisis teams.”

Read the full report here and sign our letter to remind City Hall that a budget is a moral document and we need it to work for everyone.