Frankford Civic
mourns local activist

By Diane Prokop
Times Staff Writer

The Frankford Civic Association opened its meeting last week with a moment of silence for Peggy Hoch, its longtime president and the founder of Tackawanna Against Drugs.
Funeral services were held Saturday for Hoch, who died of lung cancer on Jan. 4. The 73-year-old Frankford activist was laid out in her Tackawanna Against Drugs sweatshirt. Her 15th Police District curfew center shirt was folded neatly beside her.
The civic association, formerly known as the East Frankford Civic Association, is still waiting for official paperwork from Harrisburg to finalize its more inclusive name-change.
An agenda item to form committees was tabled until next month.
Ra-Sean Beyah, an assistant with the Philadelphia Anti-Drug/Anti-Violence Network (formerly Crisis Intervention) distributed fliers to civic members about some of the programs available to them including the Youth Violence and Adolescent Violence Reduction Partnerships.
As a crisis intervention specialist, Beyah came to Frankford after a 3:25 p.m. shooting at Frankford Avenue and Foulkrod Street on Jan. 7, where a 15-year-old boy and a 39-year-old man were apparently caught in a crossfire.
According to police, the 39-year-old man was standing on the 1600 block of Foulkrod St. and was struck in the lower left leg. The boy was walking at that same location when he was shot once in each thigh and broke his right femur.
There have been no arrests, but police are looking for four men who may have been involved in the incident.
Police described one suspect as a short, brown-skinned black male in his mid-20s with short hair. The second is a light-skinned black male, 18 or 19 years old, approximately 6 feet tall. The third is described as a tall, dark-skinned male, 17 or 18 years old with short hair. The fourth man is merely described as a black male.
Residents and those who work in the area are concerned about their safety and the safety of their children walking home from school at that time of day.
"They shouldn’t have to be ducking bullets at three-thirty in the afternoon," one resident said.
Beyah promised his assistance.
"If PAAN doesn’t address this corner, Men United for a Better Philadelphia will," Beyah said.
Dan Lodise, chief of staff for state Rep. Tony Payton (D-179th dist.), also suggested the community work with Safe Place, a national organization that creates a network of "Safe Place locations" — youth-friendly businesses, schools, fire stations, libraries, YMCAs and other appropriate public buildings where children can run to if they need help or feel they are in danger. The workers at these Safe Places (displaying distinctive yellow and black Safe Place signs) are trained to know how to get the children whatever help they need.
In other business, Frankford resident Pete Specos told residents that the Philadelphia Unemployment Project can help residents get affordable health insurance and offer job search assistance. The office is located at 1201 Chestnut St., Suite 702. For more information, call 215-757-0822 or visit www.philaup.org
The next meeting of the Frankford Civic Association will be held at 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 7, in the second floor conference room at Frankford Hospital, Frankford Avenue and Wakeling Street. For more information, e-mail frankfordcivic@gmail.com ••
Reporter Diane Prokop can be reached at 215-354-3036 or dprokop@phillynews.com