Neighbors gather to remember Sled

Residents planted flowers in Sled's honor, pledging renewed efforts to keep the neighborhood safe. A ribbon of golden flowers will soon border Clark Park on the 4300 block of Baltimore Avenue -- in tribute to slain University Biochemistry researcher Vladimir Sled. Planted by community volunteers and other West Philadelphia residents during a memorial ceremony Saturday, the garden also serves as a symbol of their commitment to improving the neighborhood. Sled was stabbed to death October 31 at 43rd Street and Larchwood Avenue in a struggle with a male assailant attempting to steal his fiancee's pocketbook. While neighbors and co-workers mourned Sled's death, they listened to local residents express hope and faith in their community, in an attempt to foster solidarity against rising crime. Jim Lilly, a resident on the block where Sled was murdered, spoke to hundreds of neighbors and friends gathered in the park. "When people wonder why we still live in this community, it's because it is filled with caring people from all racial and religious backgrounds," he said. "We're proud of our diversity and we're working hard to better our neighborhood." As part of a commitment to neighborhood beautification, volunteers from "Baltimore Avenue in Bloom" have spent the last year planting a botanical trail of flowers and trees along Baltimore between 38th and 47th streets. The project should be completed by next year. "We're planting as an outward demonstration of our love for our neighborhood," said Pat Gillespie, a project leader. Biochemistry and Biophysics Professor Tomoko Ohnishi, who worked with Sled, described his death as an enormous loss to the scientific community and the neighborhood. "He was a knightly gentlemen who always offered to help me and had a vast scientific knowledge," she said. Long-time West Philadelphia resident Helen Henderson urged listeners to restore their faith in the neighborhood. Henderson, who raised her children and grandchildren in West Philadelphia, said the area's children keep the neighborhood "alive." "We are all fighting together because we don't want to live in fear," she said. "This neighborhood will continue to flourish if we all care." Mayor Ed Rendell, who attended the event, praised the community members for their efforts. Rendell lamented Sled's murder for "cutting at the foundation of one of the best neighborhoods in the city." "It is essential to keep neighborhoods like this safe -- we need to keep on fighting so that this remains a vibrant city," he said. "We need to replicate the good things you do to make something out of this tragedy." Rendell also offered financial support for continued safety and beautification projects like "Baltimore Avenue in Bloom." While many University faculty members and professors have chosen to move out of West Philadelphia, French Professor Michele Richman -- who has lived in the neighborhood for 13 years -- said she has had minimal problems and doesn't want to leave. "This memorial has renewed my confidence in the community to overcome crime," she said.

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