the BUFFALOg: A Real Piece of Work

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

A Real Piece of Work

Philadelphia is experiencing a wave of murders.

Police and prosecutors concerned with a spate of killings in the city begged the public Monday for more help identifying murderers.

District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham vowed that her office will protect witnesses, even if it means sending a moving van to their home to take them to safety the day they come forward.

“We cannot only move you out of the city, we can move you out of the state; we can move you across the country,” Abraham said.

Within the past eight days there have been 21 homicides in Philadelphia, including three in the late-night and early morning hours after the prosecutor made her appeal Monday.

Now, imagine that you're the mayor of this huge city. You realize you can't really do anything in the short-term to stem this crime spree, so you just advise calm and express support for the police department don't you.

No! Not if you're John Street, the Mayor of Philadelphia. You propose a crackdown on law-abiding citizens who have no involvement at all with the murders.

IF AND WHEN Mayor Street sits down with the governor and leaders in the General Assembly to discuss the "crisis" of gun violence in the city, Street may ask for a tough new law restricting concealed handguns.

Street said he's "concerned and frustrated" by the number of concealed gun permits that are being issued in the city and that he may decide by Monday to order a moratorium on new permits.

Street was asked if the 28,000 Philadelphians who have concealed-carry permits had anything to do with the murders.

Street balked at the question, instead arguing that there are just too many handguns in the city.

Brilliant, just brilliant. He'd be smarter to encourage more permits to be issued. If he'd double or triple the number of legal gun-owners in the city, it'd probably be the best chance he's got to cut down on the crime.

Illegal guns are flooding the city and distrust of the police and fear of retribution prevent much of the black population from cooperating with the City to solve these cases. But instead of confronting that real problem, he'd rather showboat and take the option of self-defense away from the innocent.

As Bugs Bunny might say it, "What a maroon."