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 enabling the hiring of more police officers through hiring incentives. I support both measures because police staffing should be driven by population. Nonetheless, neither measure will change the life trajectory of the young Black men who Philadelphians don’t feel safe around.

The real solutions to this crisis fall under two policy approaches - social work and/or community policing in broad terms.

Social work sounds noble and is touted by progressive politicians who want to “defund the police” – but the same politicians never account for the tons of money already spent on that social work.  The economic beneficiaries of those resources – individuals and agencies – rarely reflect the service population. The older white liberals, now emboldened by progressives of color, won’t renounce the “poverty-pimping” that has occurred for decades, and the perpetual racial inequality caused by “social work”.

Community policing also has not been effective because there is a diminished sense of community. The best that we can hope for now is that the police and neighbors identify the problem in their neighborhoods and employ “focused deterrence”.

We must invest equally in policing and social services – for young men of color – and give them the choice.

Embrace a new opportunity – or leave civil society. Philly won’t be safe without intervention.