Monday, April 13, 2020

City Officials Clueless About How To Stem Rising Gun Violence

AP/Matt Rourke
By Ralph Cipriano
for BigTrial.net

On Easter in Philadelphia, the churches were closed, but out on the streets, people were busy shooting and stabbing each other.

Over the weekend, police recorded eight incidents where a total of 13 victims were either shot or stabbed, with four of those victims winding up as murder victims.

The city's homicide rate now stands at 104. Meanwhile, the city's leaders appear to be clueless concerning what, if anything, to do about it.

At the mayor's daily invitation-only virtual press conference about the coronavirus, Brian Abernathy, the city's empty suit of a managing director, told reporters today that "Violence is not new in the city of Philadelphia, unfortunately."

When asked what concrete steps city officials were taking to stem the violence, Abernathy, never at a loss for platitudes, mumbled something about how "We're working very closely" with the police department, presumably to get a fresh update on the body count.

That's when Mayor Jim Kenney chimed in with the revelation that there's a "lot of poverty" in Philadelphia, as well as "too many guns in our society."

"This is a struggle," he said about combatting violence in the city, a struggle that existed before the coronavirus hit.

"We're continuing to do our best with it," Kenney said.

Whatever that means. Thank you, Mayor Kenney.

So far, Kenney's only concrete proposal about how to stem the wave of gun violence in the city has been the novel suggestion that the district attorney of Philadelphia might actually start prosecuting people that the cops arrest for carrying illegal guns.

Here in our proud Sanctuary City, this is what passes for leadership, as well as innovation in crime fighting.

Meanwhile, the police commissioner wasn't at the press conference, but several times when she's been questioned about what to do about gun violence in the past, by cops and reporters, her response has been the same.

It's a problem that existed long before I got here, she says, and it's a problem that will still be here long after I'm gone.

She may have already issued a firm new policy directive about whether female cops can wear colored nail polish -- yes they can! But on the issue of how to stop the citizens from stabbing and shooting each other, well, according to our new police commissioner, the problems behind the violence are systemic, like poverty and a lack of education, and hey, what can you do about any of that?

Apparently, when Mayor Kenney was conducting that extensive nationwide search for a new police commissioner, somehow the question of how to stem the city's gun violence never came up.

Instead, they probably talked about important issues like nail polish, clear or colored?

So, over the weekend, while city officials like Kenney and Abernathy were taking a well-deserved breather from those exhausting press conferences that they hold every day, to serve up fresh pablum, city police recorded the following incidents:

-- A black male in the 2000 block of North 30th St. was shot multiple times throughout the body. He was taken by medics to Temple University Hospital where he was listed in critical condition. A second black male shot in the right leg was also taken to Temple, where he was reported in stable condition.

--A 47 year-old black female was found inside 3850 Wyalusing Avenue stabbed multiple times in the head. She was transported to Presbyterian Hospital where she died.

-- A 44-year-old black male at 4708 W. Girard Avenue was shot once in the leg. He was taken to Presbyterian Hospital where he was reported in stable condition.

-- A triple shooting was reported at 3621 Kensington Avenue. A 58 year-old black male shot multiple times in the body was transported to Temple University Hospital where he was reported in critical condition. A 52 year-old white male was shot one time in the back and was transported to Temple in critical condition. A third black male was shot multiple times throughout the body and pronounced dead at the scene.

-- A 46 year-old black male at 23rd and Dickinson was shot multiple times in the head and torso, and was pronounced dead at the scene.

-- A 22 year-old black male at 200 Chelten Avenue was shot at least one time in the back of the head. He was transported to Einstein Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. A second victim, a 23 year-old black male, was shot twice in the left arm. He was also transported to Einstein where he was reported in stable condition.

-- A 32 year-old black male at Fifth St. and Pike Street was stabbed twice in the upper right chest area and was transported to Temple Hospital. A 33 year-old Hispanic male was stabbed four times in the head and transported to Temple. Both were reported to be in stable condition.

-- A 31 year-old black male in the 6300 block of Lancaster Avenue was shot in the right knee. He was taken to Lankenau Hospital where he was reported in stable condition.

And since today is Monday, the day the cops issue a fresh batch of crime statistics every week, let's check out the latest numbers.

According to the police, the following crimes are on the rise:

-- Homicides are up 10.6 percent, from 94 this time last  year to 104 this year.

-- Gunpoint robberies are up 12.7 percent, from 518 this time last year to 584 this year.

-- Aggravated assaults by handgun are up 23.5 percent, from 614 this time last year to 758 this year.

-- Commercial burglaries are up 21.6 percent, from 319 this time last year to 388 this year.

-- Theft of motor vehicle tags are up 18.8 percent, from 398 this time last year to 473 this year.

-- Retail theft is up 44.6 percent, from 2,102 this time last year to 3,039 this year.

-- Auto thefts are up 21.5 percent, from 1,680 at this time last year to 2,041 this year.

-- Shooting incidents where nobody was hit but shots were fired are up 70.7 percent, from 416 at this time last year to 710 this year.

-- The number of people shot by guns is up 15.8 percent, from 342 at this time last year to 396 this year.

So the crime rate is surging, and the mayor, the managing director and the police commissioner don't have a clue when it comes to figuring out what to do about it.

Meanwhile, our District Attorney, Larry Krasner, the Great Emancipator, is pressing ahead with his sweeping vision of emptying the city's jails.

You have to give the D.A. credit. He may be a lunatic Progressive ideologue who's endangering all of our lives by letting hundreds of criminals out of jail. But apparently, he's the only city official who actually has a plan.

9 comments

  1. Thank you, you are the only journalist in philly that refuses to bow down to the thieves in city hall

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is utterly maddening and that evil POS Krasner will likely be re-elected next year thanks to identity politics. Philadelphia left me, now it's my turn to return the favor.

    ReplyDelete
  3. If you want answers to your most relevant questions from a City Official, I would suggest calling on the King of Condos, City Council Darling Alan Domb.

    He should have great insight to the Plague and how it has changed the Joie de Vivre of his millionaire clients.

    When the mopes in the Ghetto start making their way to Center City and start rampaging there, we'll see if the Comcast Elite start swinging like a Joe Girardi inspired Team.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Simple solution, STOP voting for DEMOCRATS!!! Same failed policies year after year.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Well, I've finally done it. After months, if not years of trashing the Inquirer, I finally got a rise out of somebody over there.

    Will Bunch, their national political columnists who trashes Trump every day, is objecting to this post on Twitter because it doesn't offer any solutions on how to stop the gun violence in Philadelphia.

    On Twitter, I suggested replacing Krasner and Kenney, dumping Sanctuary City, and replacing the Inky with a real newspaper that might actually cover the news, but Will rejected all that as just "talk show" solutions.

    Can't believe I've upset such a luminary. Must be doing something right.

    ReplyDelete
  6. There's no such thing as gun violence. Do we call it knife violence when some Madman goes on a tear and stabs a bunch of people? Do we call it car violence when a drunk Gets behind the wheel and wipes out a bunch of kids getting off the school bus? No and no. Then why do we call crimes committed with Firearms gun violence? I can tell you why because it's all part of the left-wing agenda. Again there is no such thing as gun violence

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  7. When Will Bunch covers the Story of the Molestations of the serial demented former VP Clown Biden, a man who couldn't be trusted to know whether he was a greater threat to himself or others. we may understand why the Office Holders in Phila. couldn't be elected by an informed and rational Voting Public.

    No need for Voter ID or Standard Voting Regulations, just drop off the ballots and let the Corrupt Democrats count them.

    RIGHT ON

    ReplyDelete
  8. Keep up the good work, Ralph. I know it must really be driving you crazy. My parents, my wife's parents, my wife and myself were all born in what was once a great city., poor generally, but still great. It is sickening to witness what has become of Philadelphia. I work in the Navy Yard and it is a veritable shangri-la compared to other parts of the city.
    From the wilderness of Delaware County I offer my encouragement but I think it highly unlikely that the authorities will follow your good advice. It seems that they have a demented interest in the city's continued failures. Hang tough, like a real Philly guy.

    ReplyDelete
  9. The slain Philly SWAT officer would have been a better choice for Commish than Outlaw whose last name rhymes nicely with the many outlaws engaged in gun violence with each other.

    ReplyDelete

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