Upper Darby was always the home to the Terminal of the Market Street commuter line, and The Tower Theater. It always felt like the city to me, and it lies just outside the western line of Philly. A quick lookup shows the racial makeup of the municipality approximately 20+% black, and the high school over 40% black.
So what the hell is going on with the police in Upper Darby?
(Tonight!)
Upper Darby Township police will be treating about 1,000 township residents to water ice and a movie on Tuesday night.
"We've decided to do something positive for the community," said Michael J. Chitwood, Superintendent of Police.
The event will be held at the Second Ward Playground, at Crosley Avenue and Seaford Road, from 7:30 to 10 p.m., said Chitwood. The Lego Movie will be shown starting at 8:15 p.m., he said.
Chitwood sounds like he gets it, especially when it comes to mixing with the kids:
"We've got some things that glow in the dark" for the kids, Chitwood said. A DJ will be playing music for the first 45 minutes, he said.
Mothers of Upper Darby High School students will be on hand to dish out the icy treats.
The cost of the water ice is about $350, set up for the movie is about $500 all offset for by a grant from the Weed and Seed, a federal program aimed at reducing violent crime and drug use in select communities.
And yes, they thought of this type of community stuff before Ferguson, MO:
The event is patterned after the "Coffee with a Cop" event that the department held in April.
The coffee event, held at a McDonald's restaurant brought people and police together as never before, said Chitwood.
"They couldn't believe that we were down there doing something nice for the people," he said. The Second Ward is a heavily populated area with frequent police activity.
"More often that not we are arresting people," he said.