‘Mad or nah?’: Philly residents react to the city welcoming Afghan refugees

Since Saturday — as the United States withdrew military forces after 20 years of war in Afghanistan — more than 2,300 evacuees arrived at the Philadelphia International Airport.

Philadelphia is one of 19 U.S. cities welcoming evacuees who fled the now Taliban-controlled country.

As the resettlement process begins, some Philadelphians are questioning whether city, state, and federal officials are providing more comfort and care to people from outside the country than the 5,000-plus people experiencing homelessness in the city.

Although Philadelphia is shamed with the title of America’s poorest big city, it has the lowest number of people experiencing homelessness who live on the street per capita of any of the largest cities in the U.S.

Tamara Russell, aka P.O.C., hit the streets of Philadelphia to talk with residents and gauge their attitudes toward the promise of help for Afghan evacuees.