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REPRINTED FROM THENEXTMAYOR.COMJanuary 19, 2007 press release, (submitted via e-mail) |
New Leadership. New Direction. A New Philadelphia.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Melanie Johnson
January 19, 2007 (215) 545-9700
Philadelphia, January19, 2007-- I am appalled, but sadly not surprised, by the comments of Mayor Street on crime reported in both newspapers on Thursday. This Mayor appears to be completely out of touch with the reality of gun violence on the streets of Strawberry Mansion, Point Breeze, and Kingsessing. I am here today to say that there ARE things a Mayor can do TODAY to make all Philadelphians safer. We are NOT trapped in violent conditions completely beyond our control. We CAN have Safety Now.
The Mayor said that declaring a crime emergency would be “a tragic and unfortunate error” that would damage the city and police-community relations. In the Mayor’s world, the public relations of the City would be worse with a declared emergency than it is with 406 homicides last year and 26 in the first 18 days of this year. To me, the City’s reputation is foundering on the inaction of this Administration in the face of violence.
I find it disgraceful that the Mayor lacks the basic confidence in his Police Department’s ability to act responsibly in a crime emergency. In the Mayor’s world, a more aggressive policing strategy is something to be feared. To me, the police are not the problem here but part of the solution. This is not the police department of the 60’s. My “Safety Now” plan redeploys and redirects our men and women to where they’re needed most using the tools that work best.
The Mayor said that cameras are too expensive for Philadelphia. In the Mayor’s world, safety in Strawberry Mansion and Kingsessing takes a back seat to wireless and waterfronts. To me, when the University of Pennsylvania has 84 surveillance cameras and the entire City of Philadelphia has only 18, something’s wrong. My “Safety Now” plan will use all the technology available to multiply the force of our Police Department and its anti-violence partners.
The Mayor said that hiring more police is a “knee-jerk reaction.” In the Mayor’s world, people living in neighborhoods wracked by violence are not desperate for relief and protection from the gun violence on their streets. To me, ensuring people’s safety is the first order of business for local government. Nothing else matters, nothing, if people are afraid to leave their homes.
The Mayor said that political leaders need “to say, ‘Miss, I love you and I love your community, but don’t you understand that those two people who shot each other were angry because of some stuff that happened?’ Unless an officer is standing next to the arguing pair, deterrence is not likely.” In the Mayor’s world, the epidemic of gun violence and homicide is unpreventable and unpoliceable. But he simply fails to understand the tactics being proposed. The key to reducing gun violence is to reduce the carrying of guns. The key to reducing the carrying of guns is to increase the perception of getting caught with an illegal one. The key to increasing that perception is the stop-and-frisk strategy in Targeted Enforcement Zones as outlined in my “Safety Now” plan.
The Mayor said that many prone to gun violence “are people whose minds are made up. So, much of this is not random.” In the Mayor’s world, that somehow means that there’s nothing to be done but attend funerals. To me, the fact that over 80 percent of homicide perpetrators and over 70 percent of homicide victims have prior arrest records is a basis for action not an excuse. That’s right, these murders are not random Mr. Mayor, but that’s exactly why my “Safety Now” plan focuses resources on violent repeat offenders, fugitives from warrants, and probation and parole violators.
But perhaps the most disturbing comments from the Mayor yesterday -- disturbing because they demonstrate such misguided thinking -- came from his attempts to explain away the violence. The Mayor said that “the Iraq war is a contributing factor in the frustrating increase in gun violence” and “that media coverage of crime in recent years has become far more extensive.” In the Mayor’s world, a distant war beyond his control is the reason he must deal with a rising homicide rate. To me, it’s hard to imagine Mayor LaGuardia blaming World War II for murders in New York during the 1940s. Ironically, the Mayor’s second excuse is one that President George W. Bush uses to make excuses for the war in Iraq: distorted media coverage.
In the Mayor’s world, the newspapers and radio and TV should focus less on violence and homicide. In the real world, we cannot pay too much attention to this problem and the media is not the enemy. The gun violence terrorizing the streets of many Philadelphia neighborhoods is the problem. “Safety Now” is the solution.
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PO Box 58550 • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102
Phone: (215) 545-9700 • Facsimile: (215) 545-4088
Paid for by Nutter for Mayor, Kahiga A. Tiagha, Esq., Treasurer