Honoring and recognizing the work and accomplishments of the Stadium Stompers, whose dedication to advocating for the North Philadelphia community and for housing rights for all people have helped secure neighborhood stability for communities in the City of Philadelphia.

WHEREAS, Stadium Stompers was founded in 2015 as a movement of community members, students, and faculty who came together in opposition to a proposed football stadium on Temple University’s campus at Broad and Norris; and

WHEREAS, Stadium Stompers brought the North Philadelphia community into the public discussions about the stadium proposal, opening up the space to involve the surrounding community in the planning process, which at the time did not have a Neighborhood Advisory Committee, Registered Community Organization, or Community Development Corporation,

; and

WHEREAS, Stadium Stompers, out of concern for a new stadium’s impact on neighboring quality of life, including restricting nursing home road access, exacerbating growing traffic problems, raising property values and taxes that would displace longtime residents, opposing the use of public funds for stadium development, and lacking accompanying affordable housing, among other reasons, championed these issues with the developers on behalf of their community; and

WHEREAS, Stadium Stompers served as a connection point between the surrounding Temple community, students, faculty, and the rest of the Philadelphia public to discuss and work with each other around a major university development project; and

WHEREAS, Stadium Stompers helped inform the public about important considerations relating to a potential stadium development, by holding public education events such informational briefings, regular public discussions, Temple-community conversations, and actions to demonstrate the potential impacts flowing from a stadium’s construction such as limiting traffic flow to simulate game-day traffic; and

WHEREAS, Stadium Stompers’ reach and advocacy extended even outside Philadelphia, traveling to Temple University Ambler Campus to make sure the entire Temple University community was aware of the stadium project and potential alternative sites; and

WHEREAS, Stadium Stompers’ advocacy helped bring about Temple University’s first public briefing in 2018; and

WHEREAS, Stadium Stompers helped bring together and work with a broad coalition of North Philly stakeholders, including the Church of the Advocate Community, No Stadium No Deal Coalition, Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity, Temple Association of University Professionals, National Action Network, Guardian Civic League, Temple University student organizations; and

WHEREAS, Stadium Stompers served the community beyond awareness raising around the stadium project, including holding shredding events, supporting other social movements around the city, and fighting for housing rights for Philadelphians; and

WHEREAS, Stadium Stompers benefitted from the dedicated service of members including, but not limited to, Jacqueline Wiggins, Gail Loney, Reverend William B. Moore, Kate Goodman, Josh Graupera, Claire Yoo, Nyseem Smith, Wende Marshall, Blanche Brown, Veronica Ayala Flores, EmmaKate Martin, Kenneth Johnson, Harriett Taylor, Jared Dobkin, Charles Cannon, Anna Barrett, Samir Butt; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA,

Honors and recognizes the work and accomplishments of the Stadium Stompers, whose dedication to advocating for the North Philadelphia community and for housing rights for all people have helped secure neighborhood stability for communities in the City of Philadelphia.

FURTHER RESOLVED, That an engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to the Stadium Stompers, as an expression of the admiration and respect of this legislative body.

End