philadelphia daily record

Vol. III No. 68 (432) Keeping You Posted With The Politics Of Philadelphia April 11, 2012

CONGRESSMAN BOB BRADY celebrated his birthday at a party last night at

International Stagehand Union Hall in S. Phila. with, among others, his grand-

daughter Alexandra and good friend Jerry Blavat. Photo: McGlasson Media

PhiladelphiaDaily Record

Birthday GreetingsFrom The Geator

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T h e P h i l a d e l p h i aP u b l i c R e c o r d

C a l e n d a rApr. 12- GLBMA Rooftop

Business Breakfast.

Speakers Mayor Michael

Nutter, Michael Kelly

and Emilio Cooper at

Warnock Village, 2862

Germantown Ave., 8-10

a.m. RSVP, seating lim-

ited (267) 385-1939.

Apr. 12- State Sen. Larry

Farnese hosts Business

Funding Seminar at

Moore Coll. of Art &

Design, Great Ha., 20th

& Pkwy., 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Apr. 12- State Sen. Vin-

cent Hughes presents

$how Me The College

$$$$ at HS of Future,

4021 Parkside Ave., aid-

ing college-bound.

Sponsored by Penn

State. For info Senator’s

office (215) 879-7777.

Apr. 13- SW Phila. Dist.

hosts Candidates Forum

at Kingsessing Rec Ctr.,

50th & Kingsessing, 6-9

p.m. For info Louis Wil-

son (215) 275-8296.

Apr. 13- Fundraiser for

Congressman Bob Brady

at Anthony’s, 4990 State

Rd., Drexel Hill, Pa., 6-8

p.m. Contributions:

Friends $500, Supporters

$200. Make checks

payable to Brady for

Congress. For info Linda

August (610) 659-5878.

Apr. 13- Dan Grace hon-

ored as Outstanding Irish

American Labor Leader

by AOH 40 in “Day of

the Rope” Dinner at

Bridgeman’s Ha., 11600

Norcom Rd., 7-11 p.m.

Apr. 13- Victim/Witness

Services Fundraiser at

Fleisher Art Memorial,

719 Catherine St. Ticket

$50. Light fare,

beer/wine, music and

parking. For info (215)

551-3360.

Apr. 14- 28th Ward Re-

publican luncheon

fundraiser at home of

Committeewoman Mary

Somerville, 2512 N.

Myrtlewood Ave., 12-4

p.m. Tickets $15. Con-

tact [email protected].

Apr. 14- Americans For

Cambodia invite all to

free Cambodian New

Year Party at 2013 S.

Bucknell St., 12-8:30 p.

m.

Meat

& DeliPrego Pizzelle Baker $29.99

Uno Panini Grill $39.99

2024 S. 10th St

Philadelphia PA 19148

215-468-5363


• PHILADELPHIADAILYRECORD.COM | 3

State Flags At ½ MastFor Fallen FirefightersGov. Tom Corbett today ordered

all Pennsylvania flags in the

Capitol Complex and at com-

monwealth facilities in Philadel-

phia County to fly at half-staff

today through Saturday, Apr. 14,

to honor two fallen Philadelphia

firefighters.

Lt. Robert Neary, 59, and Daniel

Sweeny, 25, died Monday while

fighting a warehouse fire. Funer-

als for both men will be held

Saturday.

Pa. GOP Rallies Around RomneyRepublican Party of Pennsylva-

nia Chairman Rob Gleason re-

leased the following statement in

response to former Pennsylvania

Sen. Rick Santorum’s decision to

suspend his presidential cam-

paign:

“For 16 years, Rick Santorum

represented the Commonwealth

of Pennsylvania with honor and

distinction as a member of the

U.S. House of Representative

and the US Senate. He was a

leader on national issues and

won the respect of Republicans,

Democrats and Independents as

a fierce advocate and someone

who fervently advocated for

Pennsylvanians.

“As one of Pennsylvania’s fa-

vorite sons, the Republican Party

of Pennsylvania congratulates

Sen. Santorum on another fine

campaign. Starting in the single

digits nationally, just the way he

did in 1990 in his first run for

Congress, and then exploding

onto the national scene was

nothing new for those of us who

have known him over the years.

It was just Rick being Rick.

After winning multiple Republi-

can Primaries and Caucuses, the

nation has had a chance to wit-

ness his passion for America

firsthand.

“We send Rick, Karen, Eliza-

beth, John, Daniel, Sarah Maria,

Peter, Patrick and Bella our best

wishes. We also are thankful for

Bella’s speedy recovery and we

will keep her in our thoughts and

prayers.”

“We look forward to building

upon the momentum our Repub-

lican candidates have created

within the Republican Party to

create a strong, national cam-

paign to put an end to Obama’s

liberal tax-and-spend agenda

once and for all. By sending a

Republican to the White House,

America will be on the path to-

ward more efficient government

and pro-growth economic poli-

cies. That will be more than just

a victory for our party. It will be

a victory for our country.”

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) chose

thios moment to endorse Gov.

Mitt Romney as the Republican

nominee for president and has is-

sued the following statement,

saying, “I am confident Gov.

Romney will be a great President

and will return our country to the

conservative principles that

make our nation great. I also

congratulate Sen. Santorum on a

hard-fought primary race. He put

up a valiant fight and deserves to

be commended for his spirited

effort.

“Now is the time for conserva-

tives to rally around Gov. Rom-

ney and help deliver a victory in

Pennsylvania and America this

November.”



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good grooming and were amonthly chore. The cost of ahair cut was twenty-five cents.

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Mayor’s Address: Searing

Look At Race, ViolenceYesterday, Mayor Michael A.

Nutter spoke in Tallahassee,

Florida at Mayor John R.

Marks’, III 9th Annual Summit

on Race, Culture and Human Re-

lations. Mayor Nutter’s speech

was entitled: “Cities United: A

Conversation about Deaths of

African-American Males”. The

speech follows:

“On Feb. 26, on a rainy evening

in Florida, Trayvon Martin was

assassinated. Today, there is a

U.S. Department of Justice grand

jury, thousands of protestors

chanting, and millions of Ameri-

cans wanting to know what hap-

pened that night … just 250

miles away from here.

The eyes of a nation are on

Florida. Our country is wonder-

ing ‘how could this have hap-

pened’, ‘how could this have

been prevented’, and ‘who’s to

blame’. It’s easy to say who

pulled the trigger, but it’s harder

to answer the larger questions

Trayvon’s death have raised be-

cause his story is told across

America each and every day.

Right now, young, black males

are dying in America. What are

we going to do about it?

In the United States today, one in

three African American men will

have contact with the criminal

justice system at some point dur-

ing their lives. Of the 316 people

who were murdered in Philadel-

phia last year, nearly 75% of

those killed were black men.

Around 80% of those doing the

killing … Black men. Black-on-

Black crime is not an isolated

problem. It affects every mem-

ber of every community.

It raises our public safety costs

throughout the country; reduces

cities’ budgets for recreation

centers, libraries, education, and

other services; and we lose gen-

erations of young men to vio-

lence or prison. As Dr. King

once wrote, we are all “tied to-

gether in a single garment of

destiny. Whatever affects one di-

rectly, affects all indirectly.” This

is a national problem with na-

tional implications, and there

needs to be a national conversa-

tion.

As the Mayor of the largest

American city with an African

American mayor, I feel an obli-

gation to speak out about this

epidemic.

Now is the time to speak out and

have an honest conversation.

Now is the time to say what

needs to be said and do what

needs to be done. We are running

out of time. If we do not have

the urgency to stand up now and

say ‘enough’, then when?

I want to tell you a little about

myself, and why I believe this is

such an important issue to our

cities and our nation.

I was raised by my parents in

West Philadelphia, a series of

neighborhoods full of tree lined

streets, row homes, and tightly-

knit blocks. I grew up in a proud,

working class community. My

parents knew everyone on our

block. I was expected to be help-

ful, to sweep the sidewalk or to

help older neighbors with their

groceries. I was also expected to

be home as soon as the street

lights went on; it was inconceiv-

able that I would be somewhere

alone after dark. After graduat-

ing from high school on a schol-

arship, I attended the University

of Pennsylvania and after work-

ing in the private sector for a

time, I felt the pull of public

service. And now, I am honored

to be the Mayor of my home-

town.

During these past decades, I

have seen a change in the neigh-

borhoods where I grew up. The

sense of community has dimin-

ished and the collective responsi-

bility of neighbors, who ate

together, celebrated together and

lived together seems, at times,

out of style.

As some of our neighborhoods

declined, so did the dreams and

expectations of those who lived

there. Young men who once be-

lieved that a high school diploma

would lead to a stable, blue col-

lar job realized that this was no

longer the case. These jobs were

outsourced, wages stagnated,

and manufacturing plants closed.

Families fell apart, crime flour-

ished and hope became a luxury.

Some parents failed to take re-

sponsibility for their children

and then their children did the

same. The cycles of poverty,

crime, and diminished opportu-

nities took its toll on neighbor-

hoods in cities across America.

The opportunities for Americans,

especially African American

men with a high school degree or

less, became fewer and more

elusive.

So how do cities confront a chal-

lenge that is decades in the mak-

ing?

Crime doesn’t just happen. This

poisonous fruit grows in a cul-

ture that crushes opportunities,

security, and hope. Criminals ter-

rorize communities and decent,

hardworking people become

afraid to speak out and take back

their neighborhoods.

And so the cycle will continue

unless we’re willing to talk

about this without fear or pre-

tense. It will continue unless we

directly identify and address the

conditions that lead to violence.

In 2011, 75% of Philadelphia’s

homicides were African Ameri-

can males — that’s 230 people.

If the Ku Klux Klan came to

Philadelphia and killed 230

Black men, the city would be on

lockdown. If 230 Americans

were sickened by tainted

spinach, the USDA would begin

a nationwide recall. If 230 Amer-

icans were killed in a train acci-

dent, the National Transportation

Safety Board would mobilize,

and there would be Congres-

sional hearings on train safety.

However, 230 African American

men murdered in one city … not

one word. No hearings, no inves-

tigations, nothing—but silence.

On Sep. 11, 2001, the United

States suffered a horrific attack

on our country and our citizens.

A year later, this attack led to the

9/11 Commission, which laid out

the reasons how this happened

and how it could have been pre-

vented. Sep. 11 resulted in a full

scale change of airline security

in America and around the

world. You can hardly cough in

an airport without the TSA doing

a check. An entirely new Cabi-

net-level position was started,

the Department of Homeland Se-

curity, to deal with the new pro-

grams, systems and bureaucracy,

which were created to manage

these changes. Even two wars

are the result of Sep. 11.

On that day in 2001, there were

2,977 victims.

In 2011, there were 515 homi-

cides in New York City. In

Boston – 63. Washington D.C. –

108. Baltimore – 196. Philadel-

phia – 324. Los Angeles – 298.

New Orleans – 199. Chicago –

433. Atlanta – 87. Detroit – 344.

Newark – 91. Houston- 198.

Memphis – 147.

In 2011 in these 14 major cities

in the United States, there were

2,981 homicide victims. And

that’s only from last year. If you

want to know the number of

homicides in America since

2001, you should multiple that

number by 10.

What if our response to domestic

terrorism was as thorough and

engaged as our response to inter-

national terrorism? The contrast

in our country’s reaction to this

violence is astounding.

We need to start the conversation

on a national level that this is an

epidemic because crime is a

symptom of so many other chal-

lenges.

We need to consider this a public

health crisis because violence is

at unsustainable levels in our

communities and killing our fa-

thers, brothers and sons. Black

men are becoming an endan-

gered species in America, locked

up or dead. We know these indi-

viduals participating in the crim-

inal lifestyle are more likely to

face health issues and chronic

diseases. They’re more likely to

grow up and live in stressful

homes, and they’re more likely

to spread violence like a virus to

others in their communities.

Crime also breeds upon itself.

After serving their time, many of

the individuals who are released

from our prisons cannot find

work and do not have the train-

ing or literacy skills to keep a

job. And so, these folks quickly

fall back into the criminal

lifestyle to make ends meet.



Everyone knows a man with a

stable career and family is less

likely to commit a crime than

someone living on the edge, un-

able to get or keep a job.

And this is not simply a post-re-

cession challenge. In 2007 be-

fore the recession, the

unemployment rate for African

American men over 25 with less

than a high school diploma was

12%. In 2010, it was 24.7%. The

Great Recession has taken a toll

on many Americans of all races,

ages and socioeconomic posi-

tions. However, it has clearly

had an irrefutable and dispropor-

tionate impact on African Ameri-

can men placing them at an even

worse disadvantage to their

peers.

And we still refuse to confront

this challenge as a nation. We

justify this with self-deception:

“that’s not happening in my

neighborhood”; “they’re only

killing each other”; and “there’s

nothing we can do about it”.

The real issue is—does white

America care about Black folks

dying in the streets?

But I refuse to look away. I

won’t be quiet. Americans tackle

problems. We fix things; we

make life better.

And we should be able to con-

front more than one challenge at

a time.

So this past year, a number of

Mayors, including Mayor Marks,

and I decided enough was

enough. Cities need to take own-

ership and lead on this issue be-

cause when we find the solution,

it’s going to come from urban

America. This is not just a

Philadelphia issue. This is not

just a Tallahassee issue. This is a

national issue. And so we started

by getting the facts to answer the

question: what is happening in

the streets and why?

I am partnering with Mayors

across the country through Cities

United — a new initiative

specifically aimed at addressing

the causes and impact of African

American male violence. Homi-

cide is currently the leading

cause of death for African Amer-

ican males between the ages of

15 and 24. If it were heart dis-

ease, health professionals would

be studying this to find out why.

And so, Cities United seeks to:

Raise awareness and identify the

root causes of this violence;

Work with the Federal govern-

ment, states, philanthropic or-

ganizations, and communities to

address these challenges; and

To offer possible solutions.

Working with mayors across the

country, the US Conference of

Mayors, the National League of

Cities, as well as philanthropic

partners like Casey Family Pro-

grams, we have begun a serious

conversation about the epidemic

of African American male homi-

cides.

We are working with partners

from throughout the country:

The Open Society Foundation,

The Knight Foundation, Students

Peace Alliance, the Philadelphia

Youth Poetry Movement, G-

L.A.W Outertainment, Inc.,

Forum for Youth Investment,

Youth in Action, Mikva Chal-

lenge, Foster Skills, Temple Uni-

versity School of Medicine,

Anti-Violence Anti-Drug net-

work, Association of Black

Foundation Executives and

Grantmakers for Children Youth

and Families. We have many,

many partners who recognize the

seriousness of this situation and

the need to work together.

This discussion includes a com-

mitted effort to stem the prolifer-

ation of illegal guns in our cities;

guns which are wiping out an en-

tire generation of African Ameri-

can men and boys. And it’s

Mayors who see this violence

every day.

In January in Philadelphia, a

young man shot up a car full of

seven kids. He killed three chil-

dren that night and left others

with critical injuries. I visited

their schools. I spoke at their

neighborhood church. I called

those who loved them most. Be-

cause that’s what Mayors do.

We’re on the front lines and see

this violence our cities. We’re

joining together because this has

to stop.

As part of this effort, we’re iden-

tifying some very practical steps

that cities can take. In Philadel-

phia, my Administration is work-

ing closely with our District

Attorney to get individuals with

illegal guns off the streets. As I

like to say, ‘Got a Gun, Go to

Jail’. I’m not talking about


THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORDlegally purchased guns that peo-

ple use for protection. I am talk-

ing about illegal guns bought

from straw purchasers and used

in shootings in cities throughout

America.

For an illegal firearm, there is a

$500 reward for every tip we re-

ceive that leads to an arrest and

conviction. If you have informa-

tion about a homicide, we’ll give

you a $20,000 reward for tips

that lead to an arrest and convic-

tion.

This month, we are restarting

Operation Pressure Point, which

deploys our police officers into

the areas with the highest pro-

portion of violent crime in the

city. This effort receives a

tremendous amount of help from

our Federal partners: the FBI, the

US Attorney’s Office, ATFE,

DEA, and the US Marshalls.

I really would like to thank Vice

President Biden and Attorney

General Holder for their ongoing

support despite limited resources

allocated by Congress for do-

mestic security.

Furthermore, we are encouraging

business owners to register their

surveillance cameras with our

police department so that when a

crime happens, the police can

quickly get their hands on the

evidence, which can lead to an

arrest.

Next week, we’ll be convening

our partner stakeholder groups

from across the city who want to

participate in our outreach ef-

forts, which are like those from

the “Interrupters” video you

viewed. These men and women

will be on the front lines con-

fronting and preventing violence

where they’ll have the most im-

pact. They will meet with indi-

viduals who have suffered from

violence and will work to pre-

vent retaliation and help commu-

nities to heal. They’ll be a new

kind of first responder and are

critical to our public safety strat-

egy.

These efforts on the enforcement

and outreach sides can be effec-

tive. But, at the end of the day,

that’s not going to keep the next

generation safe. What we need to

do—as cities, states and as a na-

tion—is invest in education.

Education is our public safety

strategy. Education is our

poverty strategy. Education is

our health strategy. Education is

our economic development strat-

egy. Education is central to

everything we’re trying to ac-

complish.

In Philadelphia, I have set two

goals: To increase the high

school graduation rate to 80% by

2015. We’re currently at 61%.

And to increase the number of

residents with a four year degree

from 18% to 36% by 2018.

Right now, we’re at about 23%

attainment.

These aren’t lofty goals. They

are attainable and essential tar-

gets to reach if Philadelphia is to

compete nationally and interna-

tionally. If more young people

went to school, stayed in school,

graduated and went on to train-

ing or college, we’d have less

poverty, less crime, more jobs.

Every New Years Day, clergy

and I visit inmates in the city

prisons. I talk with them—men,

women, and yes, juveniles. This

year, I met a young man named

Kent who is 17 years old.

Kent was sentenced to 7 to 20

years for four armed robberies.

He told me he got about $2,000.

But he also told me he had a 3.6

GPA and scored a 1400 on his

SATs. Colleges were still send-

ing letters to his parents’ house

trying to get him to apply.

His story is a failure by the en-

tire system to respond to the

needs of young African Ameri-

can men and boys. We are leav-

ing children behind every day in

failing schools, no longer safe

havens. Many simply do not

offer the education and training

our young people need to suc-

ceed. But I strongly believe if we

invest in education, we can keep

our children out of prison and in

college.

Like many families throughout

the country, I have a child in

public schools. And like many

parents, I am appalled by the at-

tacks on public education hap-

pening throughout the country.

In the last two years, Pennsylva-

nia’s Governor has cut secondary

and higher education funding by

hundreds of millions of dollars,

but this year, our Governor did

propose an increase to the cor-

rections budget. In Florida, Gov-

ernor Scott proposed a 10%

budget cut to education funding.



If our kids got a good education

and a good job, then maybe we

could actually close some pris-

ons. When did jails become a

priority over schools in our

country?

Today in Philadelphia, 60% of

our jobs require some level of

postsecondary education; how-

ever, only 46% of Philadelphians

have a degree or skilled training.

If we want to compete, to suc-

ceed in a global integrated mar-

ket, we cannot ignore the

education of our young people.

It’s the greatest economic invest-

ment we can make. If we can ed-

ucate more of our young people,

we’d be able to cut taxes and at

the same time, generate more

revenue to invest in our commu-

nities.

And in addition to education,

now is the time for adults to take

responsibility for the young peo-

ple in their lives. Whether it is

your children, your nieces or

nephews, your students, your

employees or kids who live on

your block, adults must be men-

tors.

In Philadelphia, we have started

the Graduation Coaches Cam-

paign, which gives adults the

tools they need to be able to help

the student in their life succeed

in high school and graduate from

college. We also have a Save

Summer Jobs campaign, which

encourages businesses to invest

in the next generation with paid

jobs for young people. A summer

job will help a kid to learn the

value of work and to keep out of

trouble.

Young people need to see how to

be successful and to how to

make good choices. And it is our

responsibility, as adults, to be

role models for them.

This challenge is formidable, but

it is not impossible. This call

cannot just come from mayors.

We need states, the federal gov-

ernment, nonprofits, stakehold-

ers, business leaders, and

residents to join together.

Cities can have their police get

the illegal guns off the streets,

but without help, we cannot pre-

vent them from getting there in

the first place. Cities can invest

strategically in teachers and stu-

dents, but we cannot continue to

provide a high-quality education

for all students if we have no

funding. Cities can offer tax

breaks and incentives for em-

ployers to hire the formerly in-

carcerated, but if businesses

refuse to hire them, how can

they provide for their families

and end a life of crime?

That is why it is critical that as

Mayors raise the alarm of this

public-health crisis of violence,

we continue to reach out to our

partners throughout the country.

This is a national issue that de-

serves a national conversation,

and if that happens, change can

begin.

Change begins by reuniting our

neighborhoods, our communi-

ties, and our families living in

our nation’s cities, which have

been torn apart thread by thread.

Change begins by investing in

the future instead of trying to

hide the past. Change begins

when you cut through the veil of

political silence and begin to

speak truthfully. Change begins

when you say enough.

Change will begin with us.

The tragic death of Trayvon

Martin sparked a conversation

that needed to happen in Amer-

ica. But Trayvon should not have

had to go to sleep for America to

wake up. It cannot end here.

There are thousands of Trayvon

Martins in America’s cities each

year, and we need to help them.

Every day, not just when it’s a

hot topic on TV. We will say

what needs to be said but hasn’t

been; we will do what needs to

be done but hasn’t happened. Let

the conversation, and the work,

begin.

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