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Raped as a Temple student, she now fights for gun rights; Krasner sets sights on mass supervision | Morning Newsletter

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There are few hot button issues in America as hot as gun control, something former Temple student Savannah Lindquist knows all too well. She became a gun rights activist after being raped in her Philly apartment, but her views have caused her to be dismissed and supported by both sides of the debate. Reporter Justine McDaniel’s look at how her experiences have shaped her outlook is an important read this morning. In other news, after instituting reforms to address mass incarceration, District Attorney Larry Krasner says his office is setting out to address another problem: mass supervision.

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— Aubrey Nagle (@aubsn, morningnewsletter@philly.com)

In 2016, Temple University senior Savannah Lindquist was raped in her North Philadelphia apartment.

She believes if she had had access to her handgun, left at home in Virginia because carrying the firearm on campus was illegal, she would not have been raped.

The traumatic experience shaped her views on gun rights, which have turned her into an activist with a rising profile. But her advocacy doesn’t fit neatly into a political box.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner has made clear his wish to end mass incarceration. His office has pushed towards that goal by seeking shorter sentences, diverting low-level offenses from the justice system, and charging crimes at a lower level.

Now he’s setting his sights on mass supervision, including probation and parole. The plan is to push for drastically curtailed terms of supervision with no parole lasting longer than incarceration.

Nationally, supervision is a major driver of incarceration. At the end of 2017, one in 22 adults in Philadelphia were on county supervision.

On Wednesday, the 76ers came back from behind to defeat the Boston Celtics, 118-115 for just their fourth victory in the rivals’ last 25 meetings.

That’s a big deal for fans, and for the team looking to reach the NBA Finals. Joel Embiid had a game-high 37 points to go with a career-high 22 rebounds while Jimmy Butler spent the fourth quarter making plays, including an 18-foot jumper with 5.5 seconds left.

Did the team just need a push to get there? Columnist David Murphy thinks Marcus Smart’s shove of Embiid in the third quarter changed everything.

What you need to know today

  1. Firefighter Michael Bernstein, a 22-year Fire Department veteran, died Wednesday after suffering an unspecified medical emergency on duty at Philadelphia International Airport,

  2. Hundreds of pages of documents obtained by The Inquirer provide an inside look into how Buena Regional High School responded to the international controversy that resulted from a wrestler having his dreadlocks cut before a match last year.

  3. The coffee can of destiny has spoken: a 26-year-old, gay Democratic Socialist and the first transgender woman to run will be at the top of the ballot for this May’s City Council primary election.

  4. The U.S. Army is canceling its commitment to upgrade hundreds of helicopters, threatening layoffs for the Delaware County Boeing plant with the contract.

  5. When there is weird wildlife roaming the Philadelphia region, parody Twitter accounts can’t be far behind. And so it goes for the Radnor Coyote.

  6. Stella Maris Retreat Center, a historic Jersey Shore building where St. Katherine Drexel considered entering religious life, is set to be demolished despite objections from preservationists.

Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly

Loving that optimism, @amyjani! 🌸

Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and we’ll pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout out!

That’s Interesting

  1. After being fired following 24 years at St. Joe’s earlier this week, former men’s basketball head coach Phil Martelli says he wants to coach again.

  2. Now that the Met Philadelphia is open, it’s set to debut an upscale lounge inside with a grand opening next month. But you’ll need a VIP ticket (or an upgrade).

  3. Michael Schulson looks to be building his own restaurant row, adding a steakhouse called Alpen Rose to 13th Street by Sampan/Graffiti Bar and Double Knot.

  4. Autism puts kids at a higher risk for drowning, but one New Jersey school has found a solution: a swim club set in a calming environment.

  5. What does Philly sound like? For one American jazz great recently commissioned to capture the city in song it’s Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday, and John Coltrane.

  6. No worries, Phillies fans, Rhys Hoskins may be dealing with a sore shoulder but the team’s confident he’ll be ready for opening day. (That’s March 28, by the way.)

Opinions

“Stand on both sides of the escalator. The others will follow. Counterintuitive as it may seem, this one change will help everyone get to the destination faster, especially when things are crowded.” — Mississippi State University professor of industrial and systems engineering Lesley Strawderman on how to settle the great escalator debate.

  1. A pro-growth agenda for Philadelphia does need not to come at the expense of public education, writes Mark Gleason, the executive director of the Philadelphia School Partnership.

  2. South Jersey public officials elected for progressive values must be held accountable, lest they act in ways that remind residents of President Trump, writes Cherry Hill resident and clinical social worker Caroline Wong.

What we’re reading

  1. The Temple News touched base with students with autoimmune disorders and children about dealing with the campus mumps outbreak. It’s a must-read about the effects of vaccination.

  2. Neighbors are wondering what’s up with the old Germantown High School building that was sold on the cheap in 2017, Billy Penn reports. The developer, they write, has been silent on plans for the 115-year-old building.

  3. How did King of Prussia, Lionville, Yardley, and Camden get their names? Philadelphia Magazine answers your burning questions about Philadelphia area town names and quite a few inns are involved.

  4. The beginning of the Washington Post’s look back at those sepia-toned local history books you find in bookstores, gift shops, and museums gave this English major a hearty laugh.

  5. Today in “yes this is a real thing, I swear:” scientists played music to cheese and it actually changed the flavor, Smithsonian Magazine reports. I bet you can guess which genre was funkiest.

A Daily Dose of | Culatello

For years, the king of cured Italian meats was banned from the U.S. The ban has been lifted — but versions made right here are better.