Right NEast/Wrong NEast: no one knows where Holme Circle is

Friday’s rape attempt in Holme Circle has a lot of people on edge – probably more people than necessary. The incident took place on the 2700-block of Holme Avenue around 7:30 a.m.

Not, as Fox, KYW, ABC, CBS and the Inquirer reported, on the 2800-block. A quick glance at the street sign on the corner of Holme of Winchester avenues could have tipped the reporters off. The 2700-block is almost entirely wooded, save for the Northeast Community Center, while the 2800-block is nothing but homes and a shopping center. [map]

Adding insult to injury, many publications misreported the neighborhood.

ABC played it safe online, just referring to the Northeast – probably to make up for initially reporting on a TV broadcast that the crime took place in Holmesburg.

Fox made up a new street name – Holmes Avenue, anyone? Thomas Holme must be thrilled about that.

KYW labeled the neighborhood “Pennypack.” Still wrong, but at least a good try.

So to sum up: if you follow mainstream media, an attempted rape occurred in the following places: Holmesburg, Holmes Avenue, Pennypack and the woods that don’t exist on the 2800-block of Holme Avenue. Say Holme Circle, folks, and I guess you’re safe.

Outside media don’t care about the Northeast. We have all seen them misuse, misspell and mistake our neighborhoods and our streets, so we at NEast Philly wanted to do something about it. When they get it wrong, we set it right in a segment we like to call Right NEast/Wrong NEast.