Phila. State Rep Has Not Murdered Anyone

I’ve poked fun at one Mark B. Cohen quite a few times here on this lil’ ol’ blog, but I like to think I have my limits.

For example, that treasure trove, Phillyblog, user TheAlderian — you can recognize him by his Will Ferrell avatar! — has, I think, gone past my limits.

In a thread Rep. Cohen started asking people if they had any friends of other races — of course! — the city’s murder rate came up and…

Again shame on you for being in denial, as a public leader you are directly culpable for the mass murder in this town and its ugliness. People are being murdered because of your lack of will and honesty.

Okay, for once, a defense of State Rep. Mark B. Cohen: I don’t think he’s a mass murderer. In fact, no, I am sure of it! Mark B. Cohen is not a murderer. Nor did he pull the trigger on 128 murders and, as such, is not “directly culpable.”

Do You Have Friends, or Try to Make Friends, of People of Different Races? [Phillyblog]

Mayor To Launch New Pointless Crime Offensive

With the city’s homicide rate continuing to outpace last year’s total, it’s good to know there is one man who will step in to save the day.

I speak, of course, about one John F. Street, mayor of Philadelphia and savior of the city. According to Action News, Street will launch a new crime initiative today. And by “new crime initiative”, I mean “the same thing as Operation Safe Streets.”

Action News actually demonstrates this pretty well. First it shows the mayor at the kickoff event for Operation Safe Streets, saying it’s a new age for public safety. Then Jim Gardner: “The mayor will announce another dawning of a new age for public safety.” He then flips it over to Erin O’Hearn, which is even better.

The new plan has been in place for a year, actually, but will be implemented only later today at 60th and Woodland, apparently one of the worse areas in the city. And, really, it looks like John Street has been taking ideas from brother MIlton:

Action News has learned graffiti abatement will be on site and the administration is considering setting up a mobile citizen command post so residents can work with police on infiltrating these communities.

It’s really only a short leap from “mobile citizen command post” to “deputizing citizens” to “Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol.”

City Set to Launch New Crime Offensive [6 ABC]