On May 15, 2008, community members in Brewerytown held a meeting to create a preliminary plan for how to address the imminent opening of a Rita's Water Ice franchise at 2829 W. Girard Avenue. The attendees were responding to eight years of frustration over the way Rita's handled the rape of an 11-year old African-American girl by two white Rita's employees at Veteran's Stadium in 2000. Neither Rita's nor its new franchise responded to recent attempts by the community to obtain more information about Rita's actions after the rape or why they still have not accepted a level of moral responsibility for the child victim of their employees.

Read the Letter Brewerytown Community Members sent to Rita's Water Ice here.

Local community members and organizations join the Mural Arts Program to craft a new way of creating public art that is more reflective of its communities. Come to a groundbreaking meeting to:

• Learn how the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program involves neighbors when murals are planned.
• Share your ideas about what works well and what doesn't work well.
• Help Mural Arts make sure every voice counts.

Where: Songhai City Cultural Center, 3117 Master Street, Philadelphia

When: Monday April 21, 2008 at 6PM

See a video which explains why this meeting matters: HERE