Holder, Nutter and Me

Ka'Nard Allen, center, at a May vigil for a 5-year-old cousin killed in New Orleans in a shooting that injured Ka'Nard. The city has received federal help in a crime-fighting plan that also is in place in Philadelphia

Side by side Attorney General Eric Holder and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, the head of the Conference of Mayors, announced the new surge in Philadelphia to fight crime,  Just a little background information from the Wall Street Journal article written by Evan Perez and published on July 24, 2012. Philadelphia has experienced an 8% increase in murders, and a 3% increase in shootings (please note that murders are not equal to shootings). In a city of 1.54 million people this is significant.  Philly is well past a murder a day.

So back to surge.  The surge means that Atty General Holder is assigning  more than 50 federal agents to investigate  crime for four months. Let's talk reality.  Last year I spent over a week in the trauma unit at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. While I was in surgery having my leg rebuilt, my husband and brother shared the waiting room with a group of city women who were discussing who and how the individuals who shoot their children would be identified and removed from society.  Unfortunately, some of the murder rate is vigilante justice. As Mr. Memeger,  the US  attorney in Philadelphia notes in the article, "The reality is that we have officers on the street, agents on  the street and people see something, but they reuse to say anything to us."    Much like the old mobster days, this society has chosen to police itself. They    lack any trust and faith in the leadership of the City. Why?  Let's take a moment to look at the stellar examples of law enforcement at the announcement.  

We have a mayor who has stated that his proudest accomplishment is making the City smoke free, and that his next goal is taxing sugary drinks.  A tax that will impact inner city families more than anyone else. Do you hear any focus on safety in those goals?  I guess an overweight, smoking kid makes an easier target.

Eric Holder is telling the community that they need to cooperate with law enforcement.  Isn't this the same Mr. Holder who is ignoring subpoenas from Congress, and refusing to cooperate in the investigation into the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry?  Isn't this the same Mr. Holder who has told the state of Arizona that he will not enforce federal immigration laws within the state's borders?  What an example of commitment to law enforcement.

I guess leadership by example is out of the question. And leadership in itself is absent.

Good luck Mr. Memeger, I wish you better bosses!