About 10 Sunrise Philadelphia activists shut down the Broad Street exit ramp from I-76 during rush hour on Oct. 22, timing the blockade just before tip-off of LeBron James’ first game with the 76ers. Traffic backed up onto the interstate for roughly 20 minutes, and police did not respond to the scene for more than 20 minutes after the demonstration began. No one was seriously injured and no arrests were made.
The ramp shutdown was the latest move in a monthslong push by the Make Philly Affordable coalition, a group Sunrise helped form this year with about six other local activist organizations, according to WHYY. The coalition, whose members include Stand Up for Philly Schools, CAPhilly and Philly Thrive, has settled on seven demands targeting $415 million in city funds. The single largest ask is an additional $120 million a year for a proposed One Philly Food Assistance Program, which the coalition says would restore food security for 50,000 residents at risk of losing SNAP benefits.
Beyond food assistance, the coalition is requesting $90 million to staff and keep city recreation centers open, $80 million for libraries, and $50 million for the Philadelphia Energy Authority’s Built to Last and Solarize Philly programs. It also wants $30 million to expand free SEPTA passes, $25 million to keep 220 full-time substitute teachers in schools, and $20 million to preserve deeply affordable housing. The coalition has also backed passage of Councilmember Kendra Brooks’ wealth tax. The Philadelphia City Controller’s Office did not respond to requests for comment on the spending demands, per the same report.
A Hunger Strike and a Surplus Fight
Organizer Erica Brown, who helped lead the ramp blockade, previously undertook what WHYY’s roadblock coverage described as a 21-day hunger strike in May alongside fellow organizer Giavanna Troilo; a separate WHYY report on the strike’s conclusion put its length at 22 days. Troilo said City Council voted to retain its surplus before the hunger strike had concluded. Sunrise has demanded that officials distribute the city’s $1.1 billion surplus in a way that benefits working-class residents, according to Troilo.
Mayor Cherelle Parker promised to meet with Sunrise organizers after the hunger strike, but organizers say that meeting was delayed. Sunrise members entered City Hall last week to press for the promised sit-down, and one activist was arrested during that action. Parker’s staff acknowledged that they owe the group that meeting, Troilo said.
Why Organizers Say Disruption Is the Point
Sunrise Philadelphia has grown to around 40 members, Brown said. The group’s organizers argue that disruptive protest, including risking arrest, is necessary to win funding for food, housing and public services, and that such tactics are rooted in the national Sunrise Movement’s history. The movement was founded in 2017 and staged a sit-in at then-U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s congressional office the following year, helping make climate change a central issue in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries.
“What we’re doing is channeling our love into action,” Brown said. Not everyone welcomed the ramp shutdown: Orlando Monte said the roadblock inconvenienced working people who were just trying to get to work.
The Affordability Numbers Behind the Protest
Philadelphia’s median household income sits around $60,000, more than $20,000 below the national average, according to a 2026 Pew report cited by WHYY. Just under half of Philadelphians are cost-burdened by rent, spending more than 30% of their income on housing, per the same Pew data; a separate Pew Charitable Trusts report found that 22% of city households were severely cost-burdened in 2018, spending at least half their income on housing.
Nearly 20% of Philadelphia residents have insufficient access to food, according to a 2025 report from the city’s Office of Homeless Services. That same finding was echoed by Billy Penn, which also reported that Share Food executive director George Matysik said Pennsylvania’s 18 food banks have seen a 40% increase in need over the prior two years. Philadelphia’s school district has separately proposed cutting $225 million in spending next fiscal year, including eliminating 220 building substitute positions, according to Chalkbeat, which also reported that Mayor Parker has proposed a $1-per-ride tax on Uber and Lyft trips that would save 240 school-based positions.
The mayor’s office has said Philadelphia built its surplus through COVID-19-era federal subsidies, higher taxes and a smaller city workforce. Figures on the size of that surplus vary: the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority reported a $1.18 billion General Fund balance for fiscal year 2025, while Parker has said the city closed that fiscal year with a $1.19 billion fund balance, calling it the largest in the city’s history, according to PhillyVoice. The available evidence does not establish that the coalition’s requested allocations have been adopted.
