NEast Links: police investigation, parks commission and more

By Shannon McDonald

Here’s a summary of the week’s Northeast news we didn’t cover. See others here.

A police officer is being investigated after being seen assaulting a woman on a store surveillance camera. Officer Alberto Lopez Sr. is pictured  approaching and provoking a physical confrontation with Agnes Lawless around 3 a.m. last August. Lawless and her friends had just been in a fender bender with Lopez’s son. The incident took place at a Lukoil store at Comly Road and Roosevelt Boulevard, not far from the scene of the car accident near Northeast Philadelphia Airport. The situation is a complicated one, which Internal Affairs is investigating. Lopez has since been removed from active duty while incident is further evaluated.

Keep reading for a special gift for some campers, a cleanup in Frankford and more.

Tyler Perry will send the Creative Steps campers to Disney World. The actor/producer/writer announced earlier this week he’ll be sending every camper to the theme park, along with a guardian for each child. Perry said he made the decision to show the kids, who made national news after being denied entry into Huntingdon Valley’s Valley Swim Club, that acts of kindness exist among the bad things. The campers will leave next Friday for a four-day, all-expenses-paid trip.

The Northeast no longer has a representative in the city’s Commission on Parks and Recreation. Somerton resident Harvey Cantor, Vice President of Friends of Pennypack Park, was not selected by Mayor Michael Nutter to be part of the committee. Neither was anyone else from the Northeast. We make up a third of the city’s geographic area, and Pennypack Park alone comprises 1,600 acres of the Fairmount Park System’s 9,200. Though two of the appointees have addresses in The NEast, neither have worked in Northeast parks, or have any record of involvement in the area. However, a Bucks County resident made the cut.

Frankford residents – and anyone else looking to help out – can participate in a cleanup day at Overington Park tomorrow. Hosted by Friends of Overington Park, the cleanup will being at 10 a.m., and runs through 1 p.m., with light refreshments. Any help at all is appreciated, but volunteers are especially needed to weed and mulch.

Our best-read (and most-commented) story this week: Mayfair boxer remains undefeated after Friday Night Fights performance

What was your favorite story of the week? What do you think about these other stories? What are your thoughts on the store surveillance video? Should the Northeast have representation in the Commission on Parks and Recreation?

Every Friday morning, we make sure you didn’t miss any Northeast Philadelphia news with NEast Links.