Civic Coalition: 'What's Going on at 2 A.M.?"

Darlene Messina is taking stock of late-night reveling in Manayunk. From three separate morning walks following weekend parties, the Manayunk Neighborhood Council member described lots of collateral damage, including broken flowerpots, property damage, and countless wrappers and bottles strewn about.

"What's going on at 2 a.m.? Where are the police?" Messina asked.

Discussing the newly formed coalition of civic associations, Messina said . (D-4th) has agreed to committee meetings with neighborhood representatives from outside East Falls to the on Ridge Avenue. 

"Moving forward, I really hope this coalition will have more traction than one group," Messina said. 

Five local civics decided to combine resources late last year and reformulate how to tackle quality of life issues. Project number one is , which seeks to curtail the influx of local college students.

Messina gave the Manayunk Neighborhood Council an update last night, and said she was optimistic about the involvement of Jones, who is now .

The coalition is comprised of members from the Manayunk group, in addition to Wissahickon Neighbors Civic Association, Wissahickon Interested Citizens Association, Central Roxborough Civic Association, and Ridge Park Civic Association. Messina credited Wissahickon Neighbor's president Andrew Bantly for getting things in order.

To long-time residents, action is needed.

"To me, it's not any better than it was 15 years ago," Jackie Clark said, describing mayhem at DuPont and Baker Streets.

"It's been a problem since before I've been here. With the coalition, I hope we can lean on agencies and actually have action plans," MNC President Kevin Smith said.

Specifically, Smith wants the coalition to have influence over Philadelphia Police and License and Inspections. He credits Officer Charles Kline for his vigilance in following up on party houses. But several people said the police need to respond better in the moment.