The room within the Nile Cafe, where neighbors gathered to talk about community safety. Kris Henderson (standing in blue shirt) gives speaks about the current conditions within the city. (Photo: Rasheed Z. Ajamu)

Budget season kicked off in Germantown on the evening of Tuesday, March 31, when community members gathered to discuss community safety and advocacy.

The event at the Nile Cafe was hosted by the Amistad Law Project (ALP), the Abolitionist Law Center (ALC), Philly Tech Justice (PTJ), Treatment Not Trauma (TNT), and the Alliance for a Just Philadelphia (A4JP).

“We know that the budget process—the city coming up with a budget for the year—is a really big deal. We’re figuring out collectively what the city is going to prioritize,” said Kris Henderson, co-executive director of ALP.

Calling the process “opaque,” Henderson said they want community members to think about the budget, both specifically and expansively.

With 52% of the proposed FY27 operating budget and about 28% of the FY27 capital budget going toward public safety, organizers said there was no better time to discuss community safety—and how it should be funded.

“We know that there’s public safety beyond prisons and what the government offers us,” ALP co-executive director Nikki Grant told attendees.

For the event organizers, community safety centers on Medicaid, mental health, and data centers, which formed the core of their guided conversation. Attendees were also cycled through stations to hear more about each topic in connection and to reflect in smaller groups.

Participating organizations facilitated stations aligned with their missions and work.

TNT affiliate Julia Lyon informed attendees that the behavioral health system is at risk because of federal cuts to Medicaid set to take effect in January 2027. New requirements could result in anywhere from 50,000 to 300,000 Philadelphians losing their benefits.

Grant pointed to a shaky foundation among major behavioral health providers, such as West Philly’s oldest and largest provider, the Consortium, which is currently in a financial crisis.

At the same time, a Philly Tech Justice representative discussed how data centers in Pennsylvania extract community resources, driving up electricity and other utility bills that organizers say these centers don’t fully pay for. They say this extraction is linked to rising crime, economic decline, and further job loss.

To address these issues, ALP presented the following budget demands:

• Increased funding for Mobile Crisis Teams
• An $18 million emergency fund for Medicaid recipients facing anticipated federal cuts
• Emergency financial support for the Consortium mental health center
• A ban on new data centers in Philly

Attendees were also able to share their own budget priorities, which included increasing funding for Licenses & Inspections, public schools, street maintenance, and protections for small businesses.

Mt. Airy resident Alisha Davis said she came to the meeting because she had lost her Medicaid and public benefits coverage, and she was glad she came out to learn more about what’s going on, especially in person.

“I think we just need to get offline and build with each other,” she told GIH.

Before closing, other neighbors shared reflections based on what they learned in the two-hour meeting. Their sentiments were similar — feelings of trying to balance hope and realism.

Longtime Germantown neighbor Gary Hines told the room, “I feel empowered and all of that. But I also feel scared about all the cuts that are getting ready to happen and already happening. So it’s a little mixed bag.”

Another Germantown neighbor, Teressa Corinaldi, said she was leaving the space feeling grateful and determined. “Instead of looking at our differences, let’s look at what’s being pitted against us. That’s a great step,” she ended.

More meetings are set to happen around the city throughout budget season. Though not in Germantown, upcoming locations include Mayfair and South Philly.

Rasheed Z. Ajamu is a Germantown-born and raised Black journalist, reporting from a place-based lens to see how things affect life in Germantown. They strive to preserve the stories of Black natives in an ever-changing Philadelphia and Germantown social landscape.