Tracey Johnson, 62, a retired medical assistant who was born and raised in Philadelphia, said he hoped things would get better once “you know who is out of office”.
“To feel like an American in this day and age, it is questionable… The war is a big issue, and so many other things that our current president is handling,” he said outside Philadelphia City Hall, where police cars burned in 2020 as part of mass protests in response to the police killing of George Floyd.
“The LGBTQ community and their rights, the gas prices, food prices, all the above. I mean, homelessness, it’s a big issue in the world today, and I don’t think our current administration is doing a great job.”
David Puryear, 77, a saxophonist who plays his alto sax on the corner of 4th St and Market St, said the 250th birthday should give pause for thought on whether America has achieved its founding ambition of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” for all.
“America is getting ready to celebrate 250 years of independence, and everybody’s still not free,” he said. The artist, who goes by the musical name “Etta’s Baby Boy”, turned down an offer to play the Star Spangled Banner, the US national anthem, at a nearby venue on July 4.
