Why is Philly unsafe? Young Men of Color?
Recent surveys of Philadelphians have revealed that the #1 concern is public safety. The assumption is that the overwhelming concern is related to the rising murder rate and the resurgence of car jackings – violent acts that betray the rules of civil society. What’s left unsaid is that the lack of safety has a face. Philly feels unsafe around young men of color – and young men of color feel unsafe around other young men of color. Civil society felt safer when young of color simply attacked each other – which is still mostly the case. The public policy response has been laughable because policy making in Philly is often driven by politics and the ambition of those who already know that they don’t have solutions to the real problems. Therefore, we must endure a ridiculous ideological debate about “defunding the police” or “increasing the police presence”. Two recent proposals in City Council call for increasing the police presence in problem areas by hiring more police officers – and e