The Why Archive

Managing Director Brian Abernathy will resign after Philly was heavily criticized for tear gassing protestors. But the mayor and others who helped make those decisions remain.

Not all Philadelphia officers are following the rules when it comes to using body cameras. Could proper use of body cams prevent police brutality?

With the NFL season looming, a lot of Eagles fans are wondering why pro leagues are adjusting to COVID-19 so differently, and why some players are sounding the alarm.

Years of perceived inaction on the part of Philly officials over affordable housing could come to a head this Friday when they plan to evict residents of a homeless encampment

Recently, library workers have complained about racism and a lack of safety and leadership in the workplace. Why did current events reveal deep mistrust at the library?

Recent civil unrest has pressured state and city lawmakers to pass police reform bills that had been previously ignored. But these new measures only go so far.

"What I've been able to do is relate to my clients when they are experiencing the systemic oppression and racism that weighs on all of our shoulders. I understand."

Del. police have shot 56 people since 2005, but no officer has ever been charged with a crime — even when prosecutors wanted to. Now, change could be coming.

Pa.'s Attorney General has filed criminal charges against Cabot Oil and Gas — over 10 years after problems surfaced in Dimock, which became ground-zero in the fracking debate.

In Philadelphia and around the country, people are complaining about loud, mysterious booms at night. Are they fireworks? ATM explosions? ... military PSYOPs?

In the next installment of "Why didn’t I go there?," The Why's Shai Ben-Yaacov and his 10-year-old son take a virtual tour of the time capsule that is the Mercer Museum.

The historic Black business district has seen plenty of ups and downs over the years. Can it come back again from a pandemic and widespread looting and vandalism?

Many insurance policies exclude viral outbreaks like COVID-19. But if governments ordered businesses to shut down, should insurance companies still have to pay?

There's way more testing for COVID-19 now in the Philly region than there was when the lockdowns started three months ago. So why can it still be so tough to get a test?

Actor and playwright James Ijames explains how his theater community is responding to a nationwide reckoning over racism, and how it's managing to make art during a pandemic.