Union workers fix homes damaged in Philadelphia police standoff
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- From the bullet hole in his bedroom window, Kenneth Foreman relives last summer's police shootout in Philadelphia's Tioga-Nicetown section every single day.
"There were 14 bullets from top to bottom in my house," Foreman said. "I was laying here in bed when that one came through."
He was nearly hit. Now, he says he has a hard time being in his own home.
"Every time I step on the porch and look and see that hole in the window, it makes me nervous," he said.
The memories can't be erased, but the damage to his home and the ones around it can be. That's why union workers from District Council 21 donated their time and skills to fix three homes on the block.
"We want to give them a good reminder of people that actually still try to do good in the community," said Raphael Vargas, one of the workers. "I grew up not too far from here, so when you live in a bad community and there's a chance to help out and give back, you always want to give back."
Mayor Jim Kenney requested the union to do the work, but the workers took that call a step further and fed the block and the preschool on the corner lunch.
"It's a nice block, nice neighbors, and they deserve to live in peace and have their homes put back together again," said Kenney.
Foreman says the work makes his house feel livable again. "I couldn't live with it seeing it like this, so this is a glorious morning for me. It really makes me feel good," he said.
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