Mayor Michael Nutter is giving Philly the Delco treatment.
Troubled by several incidents involving so-called “flash mob” groups of young people assaulting citizens, Nutter first took the pulpit on Sunday to blister the troublemakers – and their parents – and then followed up with some tough new sanctions.
This might sound familiar to residents in several Delco towns.
Nutter has placed a weekend curfew on anyone under age 18 in two sections of the city – Center City and University City.
You might remember last summer when Chester Mayor Wendell Butler, in the wake of a string of shootings, declared a state of emergency and placed five sections of his city on a similar strict curfew. Not everyone was happy with Butler’s move. At times the mayor himself sounds as if he is not a big believer in the policy, which he deemed necessary in the wake of the fatal shootings, including the killing of a 2-year-old boy. Earlier this summer Butler declined to consider another crackdown or state of emergency when street gunfire spiked again.
More recently both Darby Borough and Darby Township have instituted curfews in the wake of street violence.
They seem to work, but are a temporary measure. Nutter is right in attacking family and parental issues as the key in this fight. He was blunt in addressing the issue from the pulpit, going so far as to castigate some black men for having too many babies out of wedlock and leaving society to deal with their children.
A curfew is not going to cure the issue, but it might instill some confidence in a public that is likely starting to wonder how safe they are on Center City streets, something that is anathema to the city’s business climate.
Nutter will find an ally right at the end of the 69th Street El. As it turns out, Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood winds up having to deal with some of the city youths' ideas of entertainment. After the local Sears store was ransacked by a group of teens who had arrived from Philly on the El, Chitwood vowed it would not happen again.
When he got information from a task force that a similar ‘flash mob’ was at least being considered, he responded with a huge show of force at 69th Steet. The kids never showed up, and they have not returned.
Score one for Chitwood.
In the meantime, it appears kids in Philly are going to get a taste of Delco-style justice.
Troubled by several incidents involving so-called “flash mob” groups of young people assaulting citizens, Nutter first took the pulpit on Sunday to blister the troublemakers – and their parents – and then followed up with some tough new sanctions.
This might sound familiar to residents in several Delco towns.
Nutter has placed a weekend curfew on anyone under age 18 in two sections of the city – Center City and University City.
You might remember last summer when Chester Mayor Wendell Butler, in the wake of a string of shootings, declared a state of emergency and placed five sections of his city on a similar strict curfew. Not everyone was happy with Butler’s move. At times the mayor himself sounds as if he is not a big believer in the policy, which he deemed necessary in the wake of the fatal shootings, including the killing of a 2-year-old boy. Earlier this summer Butler declined to consider another crackdown or state of emergency when street gunfire spiked again.
More recently both Darby Borough and Darby Township have instituted curfews in the wake of street violence.
They seem to work, but are a temporary measure. Nutter is right in attacking family and parental issues as the key in this fight. He was blunt in addressing the issue from the pulpit, going so far as to castigate some black men for having too many babies out of wedlock and leaving society to deal with their children.
A curfew is not going to cure the issue, but it might instill some confidence in a public that is likely starting to wonder how safe they are on Center City streets, something that is anathema to the city’s business climate.
Nutter will find an ally right at the end of the 69th Street El. As it turns out, Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood winds up having to deal with some of the city youths' ideas of entertainment. After the local Sears store was ransacked by a group of teens who had arrived from Philly on the El, Chitwood vowed it would not happen again.
Yesterday he was in full support of Nutter's crackdown. The Upper Darby top cop will join us Wednesday night for our 'Live From the Newsroom' show to talk about the problem of flash mobs, the effect on his township, and his reaction to the problem.
When he got information from a task force that a similar ‘flash mob’ was at least being considered, he responded with a huge show of force at 69th Steet. The kids never showed up, and they have not returned.
Score one for Chitwood.
In the meantime, it appears kids in Philly are going to get a taste of Delco-style justice.
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