Today is the 94th day of 2007. So far this year, 104 residents of Philadelphia have been murdered. That's more than one a day.
There are 271 more days left in the year. Going strictly by the numbers, at least 271 more Philadelphians will be murdered this year.
In 2006, more than 400 were gunned down in the city. The casualty rate is ahead of last year's deadly pace. The death toll for the same day a year ago was 86.
Safely re-elected to a second term, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, a Democrat, no longer shows any interest in the killing fields of Philadelphia.
The Democratic mayor of Philadelphia, Rendell-protégé John Street, doesn't seem to care either. Neither does his police chief.
I am amazed at the callousness and indifference of elected officials as Philadelphia routinely finds itself at the top of the list of most dangerous cities in the country.
The murder rate in Philadelphia has climbed each year Rendell has been governor, but he has yet to offer a single solution to the problem other than the "one-handgun-a-month" bromide he's been pushing for years. Gun control isn't the answer.
How many people have to die before the governor takes action? Yet, no one holds him accountable. Certainly, not the liberal media in Philadelphia, which fawns over Rendell. Imagine the outcry if the killings were taking place under a Republican governor.
It's also interesting that the anger directed at Harrisburg last fall has subsided now that Democrats control of the state House. The new Democratic majority has offered nothing in the way of legislation or additional money to deal with the murders in Philadelphia. There are no rallies on the steps of the Capitol now that Democrats control Harrisburg.
The five candidates for mayor are saying pretty much the same thing: hire more cops. But very few of the murders take place in front of a police officer. The only candidate who is saying anything different is Michael Nutter, who wants to declare a state of emergency and start cleaning up the city, much like Rudy Giuliani did in New York City when he was mayor.
Nutter doesn't have a chance of becoming mayor, but give him credit for understanding the magnitude of the problem.
1 comment:
I can't imagine living in a city where so much murder is taking place. Of course not living there doesn't lessen the gravity of the situation. Obviously gun control isn't the solution, guns don't walk out the door by themselves and go on shooting sprees. So what's the root cause of all this violence? Is it gangs, turf wars, what's going on there in Philadelphia?
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