Free Republic

Philadelphia police released shocking video of seven teens beating James Lambert Jr., 73, with a traffic cone, who died from the injuries he sustained The video shows four boys and three girls chasing after the elderly man in the middle of the street as they hurl the makeshift weapon at him Police are offering a $20,000 reward for information on the seven teens It's the latest in a string of violent crimes plaguing the City of Brotherly Love, where two officers were shot and injured on the Fourth of July Overall crime in Philadelphia is up by more than 25...

Women, minorities and transgender people have felt unwelcome and unsafe in Philadelphia's gay neighborhood for decades, according to a city report issued Monday. To address the issue, the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations recommended that Gayborhood bars and nonprofits undergo training for racial bias and hire more diverse staff. The agency has issued an action plan for the next three months and said organizations that do not cooperate could be punished or face legal action.

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A Vietnam veteran who lost his eye while serving his country was violently beaten during a random attack by a group of teens on a Philadelphia street earlier this week. The attack happened shortly after 6 p.m. Tuesday in the 5000 block of N. 5th Street in the city’s Olney section. “These animals are specializing on our elderly people out here and a gentleman who served our country,” Lt. George McClay said. According to investigators, 64-year-old Edward Schaefer was walking to meet his wife at the bus stop when he was approached from behind by six males.

Rewards totaling $15,000 were posted today for information leading to the arrests and convictions of the men who beat Kevin Kless to death in the Historic District over the weekend. After the city announced it was offering $10,000, the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5, which represents Philadelphia police officers, said today it would put up another $5,000. Police, at the same time, offered a slightly different account of events leading up to the killing early Saturday. In a statement, police said that after leaving an Old City bar with his girlfriend and another woman, Kless tried to flag down...

For the third year in a row, residents and visitors have voted Philadelphia the city with the least attractive people, according to a survey by Travel + Leisure. But that's not all; the City of Brotherly Love also ranked as the least stylish, least active, least friendly and least worldy by 60,000 respondents who ranked 30 cities in several categories ranging from food to nightlife to culture. On the bright side, the beauty of the museums and art galleries was enough to boost Philly to the third spot in the Historical Sites/Monuments category.

For three years the Philadelphia council of the Boy Scouts of America held its ground. It resisted the city’s request to change its discriminatory policy toward gay people despite threats that if it did not do so, the city would evict the group from a municipal building where the Scouts have resided practically rent free since 1928. Hailed as the birthplace of the Boy Scouts, the Beaux Arts building is the seat of the seventh-largest chapter of the organization and the first of the more than 300 council service centers built by the Scouts around the country over the past...

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (AP) -- A couple found a man raping a young woman in their driveway and tried to flee with her but were shot to death by the attacker, police said. The teenager was also shot and was expected to recover, police said. A suspect was arrested. The couple came upon the attack when returning to their home in the Fern Rock neighborhood from a night out late Wednesday, police said.

I take special pride in this week's election results because I was a foot soldier in enemy territory for the battle. Along with several hundred very anxious and very capable attorneys, I went into Northeast Philadelphia as a "Lawyer For Bush". For those of you who don't know what that means, imagine yourself strapping on 50 pounds of red meat and jumping into shark-infested waters... or worse, imagine covering yourself in twinkies and cookie dough and entering Michael Moore's house. I spent the final 72 hours of the 2004 campaign season in Philadelphia. Pushing my way through Kerry supporters in...

A federal appeals court denied an emergency appeal to stop prosecution of 11 Philadelphia-area Christians who allege the District Attorney's office retaliated against them for exercising their constitutional rights at a homosexual event in which they were arrested and later charged with felonies. As WorldNetDaily reported, on Oct. 10, the group was "preaching God's Word" to a crowd of people attending the outdoor Philadelphia "OutFest" event and displaying banners with biblical messages. After a confrontation with a group called the Pink Angels, described by protesters as "a militant mob of homosexuals," the eleven Christians were arrested and spent a night...

Despite being kicked out of last year's inaugural event, Christian activists plan to protest today's "Gay Community Day" hosted by the Philadelphia Phillies Major League Baseball team. Monday's game in Philadelphia against the Colorado Rockies will feature the Phillies' twelve-game winner Eric Roberts on the mound. It will also feature special recognition of members of the local "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered" (LBGT) community. The second annual "Gay Community day" at the Phillies' stadium is being promoted by the Gay & Lesbian Lawyers of Philadelphia (GALLOP) and the Philadelphia chapter of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA). Before...

Philadelphia was host to one of the first gay-rights marches in the country in July 1965 in front of Independence Hall. Since then, a flourishing gay-friendly community known as the "gayborhood" has grown up around the area of 12th and Locust Streets in Center City. RON CORTES / Inquirer Artist Ann Northrup, 54, sits on the scaffolding in front of her mural, “Pride and Progress,” on the western wall of the William Way Community Center on Spruce Street. The mural, which takes up almost an entire block, was started in August. Northrup and 20 others used more than 50 gallons...