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Business owners and workers on West Philadelphia’s 52nd Street responded with equal parts support and ambivalence to a surprise visit by Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman.
“Better him than Oz,” was the dominant sentiment among Billy Penn’s interviewees, referring to Mehmet Oz, Fetterman’s Republican opponent on the campaign trail.
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Given the demographics of voter registration around the business corridor and the Philly area in general, this is not surprising given that Democrats outnumber Republicans 7 to 1.
“Oz has nothing to do with people and their needs — even though I’m a business owner,” says custom T-shirt store 2nd Threadz at 205 S. 52nd St. said owner and operator Kelly Townsend.
Fetterman, the current lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, toured the strip, sometimes called the city’s “Black Broadway,” last Monday after suffering a blood clot during his first few appearances in the May primary in Philadelphia. He was joined by his wife, Giselle Fetterman, and a trio of city council members: Isaiah Thomas, Kendra Brooks and Jaime Gauthier — whose brief visit took place in Mann County.
In a statement released by Fetterman’s campaign, Fetterman said Gauthier was “honored and excited” to visit the business corridor, calling it “West Philadelphia’s black business center for arts and culture and an important place in the community . . .
After the walk, Fetterman stressed the importance of the area and others like it. TwitterWith an online following of more than 800,000 users, he urged them to “support locally black-owned businesses.”
Like other commercial centers, the area is still trying to recover from the pandemic’s disruption. 52nd Street was also one of the hardest hit by protests in 2020, with a series of store vandalism compounding the challenges brought on by the commercial slowdown due to Covid.
The day after Fetterman’s arrival, we hit the road with workers and business owners along the way to think about his candidacy and what might happen if he were to run for Pennsylvania’s junior senator.
‘I didn’t choose anyone’
Fetterman’s journey began at the African Cultural Arts Forum, a family-run 52nd Street store founded in 1969 that first sold African jewelry, then produced its own incense and clothing, and sold soaps, juices and more.
Originally located on the west side of the city, ACAF moved to the iconic Aqua Lounge jazz club on 52nd Street in the 90s.
Founder Sherif Abdurahim’s son, Kadir Abdurahim, said the Fettermans came up short. “I was told about an hour before he got here,” Abdurahim said.
Inside the store, John and Giselle Fetterman each bought some items for their three children and talked with Abdurahim about the corridor and the upcoming general election.
The next day, Abdurahim expressed his suspicions that it was a “photo op” but appreciated the visit. He was not familiar with Fetterman’s political background, but approved of the lieutenant governor’s tenure as head of the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons, a body Fetterman tried to reform.
Still, the storekeeper was too confused to head to the ballot box to show his approval.
“Personally, as a 26-year-old black man in America, I’m not really pressured to vote for anybody,” Abdurahim said.
Although black voters have been the most likely racial group to elect and vote in the Commonwealth over the last few cycles, it is a sentiment that reflects the views of many black people of the same age group.
Reestablishing the rule of law in America
“It’s on the corner of Fetterman,” said Ted Hall, owner of a women’s clothing store at 52nd.
Hall, who celebrates 50 years working on 52nd Street this year, tends to vote for Democrats, but he’s especially interested in doing so now, given the threat from the GOP.
“The whole country is being terrorized by MAGA Republicans, and I’m very concerned,” Hall said, echoing President Joe Biden’s recent speech outside Independence Hall. “I only support the idea of re-establishing an America based on the rule of law.”
Hall’s comments are overshadowed by the binary realities of American politics. “It’s one or the other when democracy is being practiced in this country, so I’m with Fetterman,” he said.
Asked about the Fetterman campaign’s repeated emphasis on Oz’s ties to New Jersey, Hall said it was just one more example of Republicans “saying one thing and doing another.”
As for what he would like Fetterman to do if elected, Hall rephrased, endorsing the challenger’s platform: “I just want him to do what he says he’s going to do, that’s basically it.”
‘Do I need help with my taxes… or check if I’m OK?’
Townsend, further south, had no idea the lieutenant governor of the 2nd Division was in town, much less on the road—but she had seen several advertisements about the race.
“Sometimes they vote to vote against someone, so I think I’ll vote [Fetterman]” said Townsend. “If I was really into politics, I would probably vote for him,” she added.
Although she is a business owner and understands how Republican tax policy would ease business taxes, she thinks Democratic policies would benefit her family more. “Do I want to get tax help, or do I want to make sure I’m safe and my baby is safe?” It seems to say.
Townsend said she voted for Trump — a move she wasn’t a fan of — but he didn’t intend to support Oz.
Separation between the two is not uncommon. A recent CBS poll found that 64% of Republicans want a Republican candidate other than Oz to win the primary.
‘You must be on the street here.’
Although Fetterman officially started his tour at ACAF, he first went to Dynamite Pest Control – in 2011. The 53-year-old business — started in 1969 by Richard Foreman Sr. — came up with a game plan with Gauthier.
Foreman Sr.’s son and heir to the business, Richard Jr., recalled that Fetterman had trouble hearing Gauthier because of the construction going on outside. Fetterman’s hearing was impaired by a stroke in May, which didn’t stop him from “running a perfectly normal campaign,” per The New York Times.
“They asked if they could come in and meet, and that was cool with me,” Foreman said.
Asked about the competition, a gruff foreman joked that he was voting for Oz first.
“Nah, I’m messing with you,” he said, then recalled his conversations with Republican voters about repeal. “The really funny part is that Republicans, Trump supporters, are saying, ‘I didn’t vote for Dr. Oz.'”
He also said he recognizes the same dynamic in the governor’s race, speaking to Republicans who are backing Democratic gubernatorial nominee Pa. Attorney General Josh Shapiro, not GOP candidate Doug Mastriano.
As for Fetterman? “I don’t really know the man except that he is hard of hearing and that he was here yesterday.
That said, Foreman knows firsthand the impact that elected officials working with economic development centers can bring, like the Enterprise Center, which is building an office next door to Dynamite.
“The outside of our store has been remodeled,” Forman said, thanks to the center and the Wells Fargo donation earlier this year. It was a bright note after a few years that tested Dynamite’s resilience.
“We’re still financially recovering from the violence,” he said when discussing Fetterman’s role on the parole board, a harsh reality that doesn’t stop him from believing that exoneration is the right approach for certain crimes.
Fetterman’s visit, if anything, was a good first step, Foreman said.
“You’ve got to get out here on the road, you’ve got to do the footwork, you’ve got to be in the hallways.”
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