Dear Philadelphians,
On my 100th day in office as the 100th Mayor of Philadelphia, I am proud to deliver a comprehensive Public Safety Plan that addresses a sense of lawlessness and begins to return order to our City. Today, Police Commissioner Bethel has delivered that Plan. Statistics tell us that homicides and shootings are down this year compared to last year. What those numbers leave out is that last year marked the city’s fourth-highest number of homicides in 30 years. So, while we are headed in the right direction, we have much more work to do to make Philadelphia the safest big city in America. And I will never be satisfied with the status quo!
Why? Because those trend lines also don’t reveal how people truly feel. Quantitative statistics alone do not capture and acknowledge the reality of how neighborhoods are affected by gun violence, and the pain of losing loved ones to violence.
Last month, I stood at an intersection in Lower Northeast Philadelphia, trying to make sense of the senseless shooting of eight young students from a local high school as they waited at a bus stop. The perpetrators were later apprehended by our Police Department – and they were all young people, just like their victims.
Enough is enough! As your Mayor, I won’t be satisfied until every person who lives here, works here, and plays here feels safe in their home, on their street, and in their neighborhood.
That is my promise to the people of Philadelphia.
I thank Police Commissioner Bethel and his staff for developing this comprehensive Public Safety Plan, which provides a strategic blueprint for this Administration to follow to deliver on our promise of a safer City.
Don’t simply listen to what I say, watch what I do. We have only just begun.
Respectfully submitted,
Message from Mayor
Cherelle L. Parker
100th Mayor
City of Philadelphia
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