Driberally tonight

Drinking Liberally is a weekly social gathering where progressives talk politics and get to know one another. In Center City Philadelphia, we meet on Tuesday nights at Triumph Brewery -- this week at the platform bar downstairs -- where there are drink and food specials from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. I hope to see you there!

Triumph Brewery is at 117 Chestnut Street in Old City. It's conveniently SEPTA-accessible via the Market-Frankford El (2nd Street station), all the buses that turn around at or near Penn's Landing (5, 12, 17, 21, 33, 42, 48), and a few other buses that pass nearby (9, 25, 38, 40, 44, 47, 57, 61).

This week's topic: Asian-American students are boycotting South Philadelphia High School this week because school officials have failed to address black-on-Asian violence there for literally years. "Officials" includes staff and administration at the school as well as police, the regional superintendent of Philly public schools, and the district's chief safety executive, leading the attacked kids to seriously consider pursuing self-help. Because, clearly, what the Philadelphia public schools need right now is an all-out race war. But far be it from me to suggest that superintendent Dr. Arlene Ackerman is insensitive to the problems of students of color: regarding Philadelphia's "persistently dangerous" schools, she's aware of and concerned by the “'gray areas' relating to incident reporting." Really? When 26 Asian-American kids are attacked in a single day at a single high school and all the newspapers cover it, that's a "gray area"?

"Come for the beer, stay for the check"