Plan Designed to Minimize Trouble at Greek Picnic

Black Issues in Higher Education, June 24, 1999

PHILADELPHIA -- Organizers of the city's controversial Greek Picnic are planning ahead to promote the event as safe and family-oriented in hopes of avoiding a repeat of the violence and sexual harassment alleged last year.

The National Pan-Hellenic Council, which sponsors the annual gathering of Black fraternities and sororities, has developed a plan designed to eliminate the types of incidents that marred the 1998 celebration, a 25-year Philadelphia tradition.

The July 24 event will be "a zero-tolerance zone" for unruly behavior; says Gregory Wright, president of the Philadelphia Alumni Chapter of the National Pan-Hellenic Council. Under the plan, members of the Greek-letter organizations will serve as "deputies," working alongside police to keep behavior in check.

Additionally, participants can attend an after-party celebration at the convention center instead of milling around on crowded South Street. And older alumni will be encouraged to bring their children.

During last year's event, 13 young women said they had been sexually assaulted by groups of men. There also were reports of skirmishes between picnic-goers and police at the event, which drew more than 175,000 African American fraternity and sorority members.

"We're going to do whatever we can to make sure the participants are safe," Wright says. "Our own pride and reputation depend on this."

The Greek deputies and police stationed at the park will attend a June 14 sensitivity training session. According to Kevin Feeley, a spokesman for Mayor Ed Rendell, the deputies will help lessen tensions between picnic-goers and police.

"If there is a potential for trouble, the first contact will be with someone less threatening than someone in uniform," Feeley says.

The picnic culminates a week of activities beginning July 18 that will include worship services, a basketball tournament, and poetry readings. Last year, the picnic pumped about $24 million into the local economy, city tourism officials say.