Philadelphia has been plagued by teen violence, but the City of Brotherly Love is fighting back.
Mayor Michael Nutter announced this week a robust initiative that began with a stiff curfew at 9 p.m. Friday.
The effort comes after a string of attacks on residents by groups of young people who are alerted to sudden gatherings at a given place via e-mail and social media.
"It's a growing problem in this country, police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey told CNN Friday.
Nutter delivered tough remarks about the problem in a church sermon Sunday that has received national and international attention, a blunt no-excuses scolding that happened to coincide with the start of the England riots.
An African-American, Nutter noted that those involved in the Philadelphia attacks are predominantly black and said their behavior damaged themselves and damaged their race.
He upheld religious values, underscored the importance of parental discipline and lambasted absentee parents, particularly fathers, for neglecting and not keeping watch over their children.
He said fathering is engaging with the child and shaping them. He described a neglectful dad as a "human ATM" or a "sperm donor."
Accordingly, his measures target both the young attackers and their parents or legal guardians.
Nutter signed an order temporarily moving the curfew to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays for everyone under the age of 18 in targeted enforcement districts.
They are in Center City, the downtown area, and University City, the West Philadelphia neighborhood where the University of Pennsylvania is located. Throughout the rest of the city, the curfew will remain 10 p.m. for those under the age of 13 and those for minors under the age of 18.
"Minors who are caught breaking curfew will be sent home, brought home or transported to a police station where their parents will be contacted. Minors may be issued a citation with a $100 to $300 fine for a first offense," the city said in a press release.
Parents will receive a first-violation notice and then will be fined up to $500 for successive violations.
"These notices and citations will be issued when the parent comes to collect their child from the police station."
If parents don't come for their child "within a reasonable time, police will contact the Department of Human Services to start an investigation.
Mr. Nutter announced that he was beefing up police patrols in certain neighborhoods, enlisting volunteers to monitor the streets and moving up the weekend curfew for minors to 9 p.m.
Parents will face increased fines for each time their child is caught violating the curfew.
The head of Philadelphia’s chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, J. Whyatt Mondesire, said it “took courage” for Mr. Nutter to deliver the message.
“These are majority African-American youths and they need to be called on it,” Mr. Mondesire said.
Mary Catherine Roper, a spokeswoman for the Philadelphia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said her group sees the curfew move as legal with its sole caveat being that it not evolve “into an excuse to hassle” any youths on the street.
The state ACLU filed a federal lawsuit last year challenging Philadelphia police’s use of “stop and frisk” searches. A settlement announced in June allowed the program to continue, along with safeguards to prevent the use of racial profiling.
In the past two years, the City of Brotherly Love has been the scene of several flash mobs in which youths meet at planned locations by texting one another and then commit assorted mayhem.
In one episode, teens knocked down passers-by on a Center City street and entered an upscale department store where they assaulted shoppers. On another occasion, hundreds of teens gathered in a restaurant district and menaced patrons, forcing some restaurant owners to lock customers inside temporarily for their own protection or to close early.
In the latest event July 29, about 20 to 30 youths descended on Center City after dark, then punched, beat and robbed bystanders. One man was kicked so savagely that he was hospitalized with a fractured skull. Police arrested four people, including an 11-year-old.
Other cities have grappled with the problem of destructive flash mobs. In Chicago on Memorial Day weekend, roving teens flashed gang signs, knocked cyclists off their bikes and harassed picnickers. Police closed a popular beach as the violence escalated.
In January, dozens of young people stormed a popular Milwaukee mall late in the afternoon and scared customers and store employees.
No comments:
Post a Comment