Still a lot of crap, but perhaps some softening rhetoric coming from some of the mayoral candidates. From Dwight Evans:
Evans, who has focused on crime for much of his 25 years in Harrisburg, began his campaign with a vow to woo former Police Commissioner John F. Timoney back from Miami to run the department again, if he was elected mayor.
I think Timoney was an effective police chief, and I think voters in the city think so as well. I’m less confident that Evans can really woo him back.
Fattah softening the rhetoric a bit maybe?
“It is not illegal guns, it is the absence of opportunity which is at the heart of” Philadelphia’s crime problems, Fattah said when presenting his crime package this month. Nonetheless, Fattah’s plan, too, calls for more police to target guns, and includes the suggestion that high-tech cameras be used to scrutinize just who might be carrying a weapon in public.
Emphasis mine. I agree with Fattah on what he said, but I still am not down with the cameras looking for “illegal guns”. If he had ever carried a gun in pubic, he’d know how stupid this idea is. There’s a reason they call it a “concealed” weapon. The lack of opportunity is a direct result of a high wage tax which is killing the city. The wage tax keeps businesses and people out of the city.
Businessman Tom Knox and U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, who has yet to declare his candidacy, have not yet unveiled large-scale crime plans. But they have grappled with the issue: Brady convened a high-profile summit on crime this summer, while Knox spent money on a petition drive urging new state gun laws.
When those candidates roll out policy platforms, strategists say, it is likely that they will have to strike the same balance between soft and tough approaches while striving for a unique way to discuss the issue.
Hey, I have a unique way to discuss the issue. How about we talk about locking up criminals and getting them off the streets?
More from Congressman Fattah:
Where Nutter regularly excoriates Street over rising crime, Fattah avoids criticism of city leaders, noting that many cities struggle with crime. Instead, he used his announcement to tout continuing non-police efforts, such as a gun-buyback program he sponsors, and even praised programs championed by his opponents.
Hey Chaka, keep up the gun buybacks, because have a lot of crap in my safe I’d be happy to take your money to get rid of. Do a 200 dollar buyback, and I have some scary shit I might be willing to part with that you can hold up in front of the camera, and tell the folks how great you are for getting my scary looking, non-functioning POS off the street. Just keep in mind if there’s any press hanging about, I’ll be sure to tell them I plan to use the funds to buy a brand new Kalashnikov if they bother to ask. It’s a fair deal though. You get good PR with the city folks, and I get a new rifle.