Some In Philly Not Sold On Call for 10,000 to Curb Violence, But Many Plegde To Man Up!
A few brothas on the corner of 16th and Page in North Philadelphia say they know what their neighborhood needs to stem the violence that has killed 306 people citywide so far this year, and that does not include putting 10,000 men on the street, as some black community leaders have proposed.
But others supported the initiative, saying it might help them feel better about coming out of their homes at night or allowing their children to play outside. “It does make a lot of sense,” said Cora Crawford, a 36-year-old single mother of five who lives on nearby Susquehanna Avenue. “Kids in this area are horrible. They need a positive role model in their life.”
The plan to put 10,000 men on the streets for an initial period of 90 days starting late this year is the latest effort by Philadelphia’s black community to curb violence that drove homicides to a nine-year high of 406 in 2006. Groups of volunteers will be stationed on drug corners and other trouble spots in a bid to stop the shootings and other crimes that have given Philadelphia the highest homicide rate among the nation’s 10 largest cities. They will not be armed, will not have powers of arrest, and will be identified only by armbands or hats during their three-hour shifts. They will be trained in conflict resolution, and are intended to be peacekeepers and mentors rather than law enforcers. Each patrol, however, will include a police officer.
Organizers, including Black Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson and the music producer Kenny Gamble, say they are open to volunteers of any ethnicity but are appealing mostly to African-Americans because some 85 percent of Philadelphia’s shooting victims are black.
Critics say the plan will fail to meet its recruitment goals, partly because it is too closely identified with the police, who will be responsible for selecting the areas to patrol and who are distrusted in many neighborhoods. But Bilal Qayyum, a co-founder of the antiviolence group Men United for a Better Philadelphia and a member of the organizing committee, described the response since the plan was announced Sept. 10 as “tremendous.” He predicted more than 10,000 volunteers would come forward when it starts on Oct. 21.
Near 16th and Page, Tyrone Dodson, 60, expressed hope that the plan would work. Like several others, Mr. Dodson said he planned to sign up because he believed it would deter the shootings outside his apartment almost every night. “It would stop them,” he said. “They don’t want no witnesses.”
New York Times