‘Jobs, Not Guns’ tops the
latest meeting in Burholme

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

Bilal Qayyum works for the city Department of Commerce by day, but he believes he has an equally important job at night.
Qayyum is co-chairman of Men United for a Better Philadelphia, an organization in existence for five years.
Every Wednesday evening, the men travel to the most dangerous intersections in the city to start a dialogue with the young men who are hanging on the corners, usually looking for their next drug sale. They work with the young people to find them jobs.
"Our presence out there is beginning to make a difference in a lot of lives," Qayyum said.
Qayyum, of East Falls, brought his "Jobs, Not Guns" message to last week’s monthly meeting of the Burholme Community Town Watch and Civic Association.
Last September, he was among those who walked 103 miles in six days to Harrisburg to lobby legislators to pass a measure limiting handgun purchases to one per month.
Qayyum is confident of passage, even in a state with a high membership in the National Rifle Association.
"The tide is changing," he said.
Most of the Philadelphia delegation is in favor of the proposal, but opponents include Northeast Republican Reps. Dennis O’Brien, George Kenney, John Perzel and John Taylor.
"Those four, we’ve got to work on," Qayyum said.
Men United has been successful in convincing retail stores to stop carrying "No Snitching" T-shirts, Urban Outfitters to discontinue sales of toy gun Christmas ornaments and Clear Channel to remove a billboard featuring rapper 50 Cent holding a gun and microphone with the caption, "Get Rich or Die Trying."
The organization supports efforts to convince people to turn in guns in exchange for groceries, cash or sneaker store gift certificates. It also wants more funding for education, with Qayyum contending there is a shortfall because President George W. Bush is spending so much money for the war in Iraq.
Qayyum, who has close relationships with Mayor John Street and Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson, has already spoken with mayoral candidates Michael Nutter and Al Taubenberger (president of the Burholme Town Watch and civic group) so Men United can have a partnership with the next administration.
The group, whose motto is "Brothers Are Going to Work It Out," is building on its success by opening Men United chapters in Chester, Harrisburg, Camden and Atlantic City.
In other news from the June 14 meeting:
• Maureen McLaughlin, a registered nurse, welcomed the community to take advantage of Nazareth Hospital’s Helping Everyone Address Risks Today (HEART) program.
The cardiovascular screening is free and helps identify and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. Anyone age 21 and older is invited.
The screenings are held at Nazareth Hospital, 2601 Holme Ave., and its medical and wellness center, at 1407 Rhawn St. Future screenings are scheduled for July 23, Aug. 6 and Aug. 23 from 8 to 11 a.m. at the medical and wellness center.
Patients will fill out an assessment form, watch a video, review their health history with a nurse and read about the signs of a stroke or heart attack. They will be weighed, measured and given a body-mass index figure. There will be checks of blood pressure in both arms, along with screenings for cholesterol and diabetes.
"It’s the best forty minutes you’ll ever spend," McLaughlin said.
Results will be mailed to patients and their doctors.
McLaughlin asked the group members — who after the meeting munched on doughnuts, cake, lasagna and garlic bread, courtesy of Pathmark and the Quaker Diner — to watch their weight and limit their salt and fat intake.
Individuals or groups who want to make an appointment can call toll-free 1-866-NAZARETH.
• Mark Mroz, the community relations officer in the 2nd Police District, encouraged people to attend Saturday’s community day sponsored by the police district, the 2nd Police District Advisory Council and Town Watch Integrated Services.
The event will be held at the Roosevelt Mall. The day will kick off at 8:45 a.m. with a 10-mile bike ride, led by a police escort.
There will be resource tables, children’s fingerprinting and bicycle and vehicle registration and more from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mroz will serve as the disc jockey.
The police officer cautioned parents to watch young children closely as they swim this summer and urged everyone to be careful around dogs, as there were a couple of recent attacks by pit bulls.
Mroz said the 2nd district has recovered about $10 million in drugs in the last year, mostly from rental properties. He speculates that the increase in drug activity is the result of Operation Safe Streets pushing the illegal trade from the 15th and 25th police districts.
• The Burholme Community Town Watch and Civic Association will not meet in July and August but will get together on the evening of Tuesday, Aug. 7, for the annual National Night Out celebration. The event will be held in the parking lot of United Methodist Church of the Redeemer, at Cottman and Lawndale avenues.
The church will also hold the group’s next general membership meeting on Thursday, Sept. 13, at 7 p.m. ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com