Mayor Michael Nutter has issued a statement addressing the recent mob attacks that have plagued Center City.
“These
troubled young people are only a small percentage of our city’s youth;
yet, their impulsive actions impact all of our citizens,” Nutter said. “We need parents
to know where their
kids are every night. We need mentors to reach out into their
communities and work with young people. We need the Police Department to
be a continually visible presence on our streets. We need the District
Attorney’s Office and the courts to prosecute these
offenders and make it clear that this behavior has very serious
consequences. We need this to happen in a coordinated effort.”
An interdisciplinary response will be forged between the Police
Department, District Attorney’s Office, Law Department,
Department of Human Services and Philadelphia Youth Commission, along with city
officials, business owners and community representatives.
“Our community service representatives work very closely with the
police, and as the city is going to announce its own increased deployment
plan, we are very much a part of that,” Center City District President
Paul Levy said. “We will be increasing our deployment and
communications network, as well.”
Other possible components of the city’s action plan include stepped-up enforcement and prosecution, as well as social
responses such as counseling and neighborhood outreach.
The police department’s SafeCam initiative is also a part of the plan.
“Our approach will
be led by a need to quickly apprehend offenders and to prosecute them
to the fullest extent of the law while also considering long-term
solutions that will include reaching out through the community,” Nutter said.
The exact details of the coordinated response will be
announced the week of August 8.
