The June 5th Memorial park is dedicated to their memory and serves as a reminder of the vital importance of construction safety.

This demolition disaster was not an accident, but a result of toxic combinations:

1. The greed of the developer accepting a low bid from an unqualified contractor;

2. The irresponsibility of the unethical architect, who failed to report and stop unsafe

   demolition practices during his site visit;

3. The absence of oversight from the City; and,

4. The negligent attitude toward safety from an unlicensed demolition contractor.

Unfortunately all these factors of disaster are still very much with us in Philadelphia. Greedy developers and negligent professionals place profit above safety. They take advantage of desperate people, hiring cheap but often unskilled or negligent contractors; risking lives, endangering health, and destroying property. L&I is stretched too thin to effectively police all the construction activity in the City and we need policy change to help them do so.

We all have a responsibility to our fellow citizens! Help make our city safer by looking out for and reporting dangerous illegal construction. See below on what you can do.

Demolition next door?

All demolition, construction, and foundation underpinning requires special attention with row homes, and other structure types, to avoid danger.

Advocate for policy

We need reform that will hold negligent developers & professionals accountable, protect neighbors rights, and enact protocols and safeguards to prevent these tragedies from happening at all.