Pennsylvania Mounted Police on South Street: Nothing to Do

IMG_0039, originally uploaded by LuvataciousSkull.

Just got back from South Street not too long ago and the report is incredibly simple: There's really nothing to report. Its quiet. Really quiet. Nothing happened, just your usual Saturday Night on South Street crowd, some extra people expecting something that never happened, and a ton of cops.

Eh. A least a got an awesome photo from it.

South Street Riots: UPDATE! - Possible Sources, Size

On a forum posting on PhillyBlog by a user named Gladys Kravitz, Gladys states that she received an e-mail from the Bella Vista Town Watch with information for Lt. Gerry McShea of the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD):

"During the past two Saturday nights, thousands of African American youth, (roughly six to 10 thousand people, ages 12 to 18, by McShea's estimates) descended onto South Street. On Saturday, May 23rd, the crowd scene resulted in some vandalism. But late last Saturday night, May 30th, as an increased police presence pushed the teens off South Street, the crowd spilled over into neighborhoods, and some participants engaged in several robberies, a carjacking of cab, several assaults and also retail theft.

Police believe the crowds were responding to messages sent from an account or accounts on ourspace.com, a social networking site for African Americans. It was happening at 40th and Walnut for a couple months, and also Upper Darby, but is now centered on the South Street corridor.

After two weekends of unexpected chaos on South Street, the city is taking a "no-nonsense approach" to managing South Street crowds during the weekends leading up to the annual Greek Picnic on July 11, McShea said. Plans include a significantly increased police presence (including mounted state police officers) along South Street from Broad Street to Front Street, an on-site night court, and a curfew bus.

"At midnight, if we find anyone 18 and under still on the street, we're going to bring them in, and their parents will have to come and get them at the police district," said McShea. "Parents could also face a fine."

City officials are also reaching out to the Philadelphia School District and community officials to help diffuse the situation.

In past weeks, the crowds dispersed off South Street starting at and west of 12th Street.

"If anyone happens to see large crowds coming down the street, call 911 immediately, and then, after you've called 911, also call the South Street MiniStation at (215) 922-6706", said McShea. "We can dispatch from there."

"For business owners, when they see the surge, our advice is for them to just lock their doors", McShea said, adding police would attempt to direct the crowd away from restaurants with outdoor seating.

McShea suggested that residents outside at night should step inside if they see crowds of teens. What seemed to happen last week is that they singled out people and roughed them up for no apparent reason beyond the fact that they weren't with the crowd.

It's worth noting that the law in Philadelphia regarding Curfew are that minors must be inside at 10:30PM on Sunday - Thursday, and Midnight on Friday's and Saturday's. Fines are between $25 and $300.

Now, I think its safe to say that from here, its likely we won't see a crowd on South Street or 40th and Walnut anytime soon. That doesn't mean this is the end. What it means is that the methods used will be modified and that the crowds will, instead, go somewhere else. I can't predict where or how. But we could also see this come to a head Saturday.

I'll post anything more I find out about this as it develops.

Photos are courtesy of cowpaintings.

Civil Rights and a Possible Crime Emergency: Part 3

I was going to post this yesterday, but I've been sick for a bit and it came to a head yesterday.

We've discussed the basic civil rights questions, and asked how long this Crime Emergency could last.

We've discussed the new Police Commissioner, his background in the issue, and and his impact on Crime.

Today, we're going to tackle a few things.

• Guns
• The impact Ramsey had in Washington D.C. (Part 2)
• What all of this boils down to.

So to start things off, we can kill two birds with one stone and discuss Ramsey, D.C., and Guns at once. Why? Because in case you didn't know, handguns have been banned in Washington D.C. for 31 years. OK, let's think about this: Despite BANNING HANDGUNS in Washington D.C., they still had ONE OF THE HIGHEST MURDER RATES IN AMERICA. So all that talk about "banning guns solve everything" is true, right? Ramsey's impact to lower the murder rate 50% during his time there must deal with simple enforcement of existing laws.

On that note, Mayor... sorry, Governor Ed Rendell (He'll be mayor in my heart!) talked to the State Legislators yesterday to try and create three new laws; One to limit gun purchases to one a month, another that would allow every city to create their own gun laws, and one more that would make it mandatory to report any lost or stolen gun.

At first, I did agree with "One Gun a Month", but then again, I live in a major city. I was contacted by someone in Western PA who said, very simply, "The law would effect legitimate collectors and recreational hunters." As someone who collects swords and daggers myself, I understood what he meant.

The second, allowing cities to make their own gun laws, does sound fairly reasonable. In the same vein that this nation allows states to make their own laws, it seems fair to let cities make their own laws. The last measure, to create a law to report a stolen gun, is sheer common sense.

The first two were shot down, and the last measure has been tabled.

During my campaign, my entire gun legislation could be summed up into one sentence: No new gun laws, just enforce the ones we already have. Really simple stuff and doesn't as much time as making a new law. So, guns aside, what does all of this mean? In essence, this is what a Crime Emergency means:

1. A Suspension on Civil Rights

• The right to bare arms and defend yourself
  
• The right to freedom to protest
• the Pursuit of happiness

2. A "Code 10" Lasting as Long as they Want

• No time table needed, or given, for a Crime emergency
• No restrictions on what makes is necessary of when to end it

3. No Discussion on WHERE to implement it

• No ideas given to what "Crime-Ridden" area means.
• No idea if it will be "block-by-block", done based on Council District, or Police District

4. No Criteria given AT ALL

• The only criteria is that there is a large amount of crime

That's IT! Despite some 8 months to discuss and develop and present to the citizens of Philadelphia a full and concise plan on how, exactly he plans to implement his Crime Emergency Plan, NOTHING has been revealed other than he wants to declare one.

I have often referred to the War on Crime here in Philadelphia the same as the War on Terror the US has declared. In much the same way, we need to worry about just how we tackle this issue and what we have to do in order to make sure we not only do something positive, but we also make sure we don't do to much damage to ourselves in the process.

In much the same way that Bush declared a war on Terror, and used our fear of bad men to lure us into a feeling that we must abandon our rights to fight these bad men, Nutter has used the same exact tactic in order to lose our civil rights in Philadelphia. I will hold to him that this was not intentional; That the move was more to honestly protect the citizens of Philadelphia, something that I don't doubt for a second. But even the most well-intentioned person can make a mistake.

Which is EXACTLY what a Crime Emergency is; A MASSIVE mistake.

So, with all of my criticism, what do I propose? It's very simple and boils down to this:

1. Focus on Community Policing

Considering Ramsey has a history of actual using Community Policing, I think we need to focus on THAT more than a police state. What is Community Policing?

Community policing or neighborhood policing is a policing strategy and philosophy based on the notion that community interaction and support can help control crime, with community members helping to identify suspects, and bring problems to the attention of police.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_policing

On top of that, it also relies on you actually knowing who your police officers are and trust them. Something as simple as an officer in your community coming up to you one day and saying, "Hi, I'm Officer Bob. How are you doing? How's the family?" Very simple, everyday conversations can create more of a bond and trust in law enforcement than any camera can!

Look at New York City! There's a cop on almost every corner up there and their murder and crime rate has gone done drastically!

2. FOCUS ON MINOR CRIMES!
I can not stress enough how much this can help! Let's make this simple: Say there is a rather OK section of Philadelphia with a vacant lot. One day, a someone decides to start throw some trash on there. After a week, someone sees that some trash is building up on this lot and they start to throw more on there. In a month, theres a bit of trash there. After 2 months, someone starts dumping furniture on it. After 3 months, the entire neighborhood has taken a turn to the worst because this one lot has shown that the community doesn't care about what's going on around it. Enter the drug dealers.

OK, it's a bit drastic what I'm suggesting, but think about all the areas your afraid to go to yourself and how much trash is there. Maybe not trash; Graffiti, broken-down homes, etc...

If the police focused on targeting even small offenses, such as littering, graffiti, minor theft, jaywalking, all of a sudden you know that not only are the police there to be kind and friendly, but to enforce the law. If criminals learn that not only are the police involved with the community, but they're not taking any crap as well, you've successfully chipped away at the culture of crime that has been festering there.

3. Gun Law Enforcement
As I've said before, we're not enforcing our current gun laws. At the same time, when someone is caught, they're not getting enough jail time. We need to also make sure our police force focuses on making sure they do get illegal guns off the street. Part of my idea is to create a new police unit dedicated purely to this.

That's it. No civil rights violations, not a lot spent on extra man power, and if it proves successful, you can actually take down the cameras and sell them to recoup some money. I'm sure the citizens of Philadelphia would greatly accept this more than a "Code 10".

Civil Rights and a Possible Crime Emergency: Part 2

THE CHARLES RAMSEY EFFECT

Hello, and welcome to Part 2 of my discussion of the Crime Emergency and the Crime Emergency. Yesterday, I discussed the basic civil rights issues that I feel could be threatened by declaring a Code 10, and asked the question of how long this would last and if it was needed.

Today, we'll start the discussion on the new Police Commissioner, Charles H. Ramsey. But before we do, I want to mention a few things first that I forgot to mention yesterday.

A large amount of my problem with this is, of course, Civil Rights. In all of my writing yesterday, I neglected to mention something that has been bugging me about all of this. Back in May, when Nutter's "Stop-and-Frisk" program was being called to task for violating civil rights, supporters brought up a Court Case where it was declared constitutional.

It was Nutter himself who coined this phase: "It's a Civil Right not to be Shot."

This bumper-sticker phrase was done so well, it is next to impossible to argue against it. To do so seems to allow for the same type of argument used by Conservative Republicans when you disagree with them; "What, do you mean you WANT people to be shot? You don't think it's wrong to kill and murder people?! No wonder you didn't win the election, you cold hearted bastard!"

The fact of the matter is, you don't. You have a right to live, a right to the pursuit of happiness. You have a right to be free and happy, and to live in a safe environment.

You don't have a right to not have bad things happen to you.

Being shot is something that can be prevented. In terms of federal legislation, you could easily create tougher gun laws, make better living conditions, and do everything you can to make the world a better case. At the same time, it is up to society to make sure that we are all raised well and correctly, that we allow everyone to be safe and happy.

The pursuit of happiness. To me, this is the very basis of our democracy and the idea that this nation is built upon. "Do as you will, but harm none." Not just a good idea, but words to live by if you ask me.

And this brings us to Charles H. Ramsey.

While police chief in Washington D.C., "on September 27, 2002, the MPD made a mass arrest of a large group of demonstrators who had assembled in DC’s Pershing Park to protest the World Bank and IMF meetings. The police enclosed over 400 people in the park and arrested them without ever ordering them to disperse or allowing them to leave the park. Many of the arrested were not actually demonstrators, but were journalists, legal observers, and pedestrians. On January 13, 2006, the D.C. Court of Appeals ruled that the arrests violated the Fourth Amendment and that Chief Ramsey could be held personally liable for the violations."

http://www.philebrity.com/2007/11/15/good-news-about-the-new-guy-he-loves-your-civil-liberties/

In his time as chief, he declared Crime Emergencies as well. Not just once, or twice, but at least 4 times. My answer is to focus on this using the proven method of community policing and cracking down on minor crimes (Broken Windows Theory). When it comes to the Community Policing aspect, Ramsey has been declared an innovator for using it. Nevertheless, we have a new commissioner that has used Crime Emergencies in the past to reduce crime as well. According to the last record I could find, the one he declared in 2006 lasted over 2 months and, during the last week of it, there were 3 teenagers shot and killed.

http://newsroom.dc.gov/show.aspx/age...4/release/9745

At the same time, what was the result of civil liberties because of it? Admittedly, referring to the September 2002 protests where he was held accountable for the unlawful arrests of people there may be a bit much, it still need to be taken into account.

More than anything, we need to consider the effects this will have on the people on Philadelphia, and ask if there is no other way to combat crime here. There is massive personal rights we would eliminate in order for the proposed safety this could bring, and should not be done unless it must be.

I, personally, considered declaring a Crime Emergency the last result, the final straw when all else fails. In the eyes of some, this may be the case, but this is not a matter of organized crime, either. I feel this type of action should be reserved if the killings were more organized and done by a group of connected people. It has been proven that most murders are done, in fact, but random people.

Has this city as a whole really lost it's way so much that we must put everyone on lock down? Do you feel, personally, that you deserve it as well?

The questions I raised, about how long it would last and how it would be implemented, and valid questions and I simply wonder where the political discussion is on this. The elephant in the room of the Nutter election is that he wants to declare a Crime Emergency, but has not once explained how he would do it. Not once. The only parameter given has been that it would be in "targeted areas", and those areas were never explained.

While I may be asking for a hard answer from Mayor-elect Nutter, I am asking for an educated guess on your parts. I'm looking at what has happened in Washington D.C. and the fact that 4 Crime Emergencies were declared by this Chief by 2004. I'm also looking at the overall result in it which was a drop in murders on a whole.

But why did it take 4 of them? How long did each one last? Do they really work as well as it appears? Was the reduction in homicides there largely because of the fact that they declared a crime emergency or was it because of more community policing? Do you think it was a combination of the two?

Tomorrow, we'll probe a bit more and try to wrap this up.