By Jared Pass and Chelsea Leposa

“I’m an individual that wants to try and get ahead in life,” said Hymine, 53, an ex-felon who reentered society in 1992 after spending a year in prison for a drug possession.

His story illustrates the difficulties and inequalities ex-offenders face upon returning to society.

Hymine is a veteran.  He served in the Army and the Army Reserves from 1977 to 1989.  He is also well educated.  He received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Cheyney University in 1987. In 2006 he returned to Cheyney and received his master’s in public administration.  In addition he is currently working on his doctorate in human services through an online program.

Even with his impressive resume, Hymine finds getting employment challenging. “I have one little smear and they …

By Michael Bixler and Cary Gaul

Point Breeze is a neighborhood that has reached a crossroads of sorts. According to PlanPhilly.com, this Southwest Philadelphia neighborhood has been officially re-certified as “blighted” by the Philadelphia City Planning Commission. According to community planner David Knapton, 12 percent of the properties in the neighborhood are vacant lots.

Point Breeze is also among three Philadelphia neighborhoods that have been designated to receive federal stimulus money through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program. This has only fueled concerns among neighborhood residents about gentrification efforts. The Save Point Breeze Campaign was born from these concerns. Their fliers read, in part, “You have seen the new houses from South Street to Washington Avenue with yuppies everywhere.”

Since October 2009, this group, a branch of the larger community organization …

By Naima Abdi and Tiffany Yoon

An ongoing police investigation concerning a recent accident has forced residents from the 1800 block of Willington Street to confront the larger issues surrounding a frequent neighborhood nuisance.“I saw the patrol car coming through the neighborhood at a high rate of speed—without concern and they just shot across the street and hit this pedestrian,” said Charles Hall, a witness at the site of the accident and a 40-year resident of Willington’s 1800 block.

This past Saturday slightly before 5 p.m. while acting in response to an assistance call, a police squad car struck a 33-year old woman before crashing into another vehicle on the road. Jolted onlookers flooded the scene at the intersection of Cecil B. Moore Avenue and North 18th Street …

By Rachel Horning and Whitney Crawford

Dave Coit wears sunglasses on cloudy days. He favors his left side when he walks. And he is missing a tooth from the right side of his mouth. These are all ailments from a beating he received courtesy of a group of Philadelphia police officers in June 2006. Many of his neighbors and friends watched it happen and have watched him try to recover. It’s a day he will never forget, though he has tried.

His son, Kev Coit, was 15 when the beating occurred. He was buying water ice outside their home on Eighth and Bristol streets in Hunting Park. He thought the vendor gave him the incorrect change and he admittedly punched him. “I wanted to beat him. He was trying …