Committee Hearing, May 8, 2006

COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA JOINT COMMITTEES ON PUBLIC SAFETY AND PUBLIC HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES - - - Germantown High School Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Monday, May 8, 2006 7:10 p.m. - - - PRESENT: COUNCILWOMAN DONNA REED MILLER COUNCILMAN FRANK RIZZO RESOLUTION 051155 - Resolution authorizing the Council Committees on Public Safety and Public Health and Human Services to hold hearings regarding the findings and recommendations of the "Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia," and further authorizing the Committees to seek advice and recommendations on how Philadelphia can reduce and eliminate crime affecting the City's youth. - - - V A R A L L O Incorporated Litigation Support Services Eleven Penn Center 1835 Market Street, Suite 600 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103 215.561.2220 215.567.2670 2

Good evening, everyone. AUDIENCE: Good evening.

This hearing has officially started. Tonight this is a continued City Council hearing of Resolution No. 9 051155, and that basically deals with the Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia. This is a joint committee hearing of City Council's Committees on Public Health and Human Services, which is chaired by Councilwoman Tasco, who cannot be in attendance tonight, and the Public Safety Committee that is chaired by me, Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller. I want to first thank everyone for coming and state that Councilman Frank Rizzo, who is a member of the City Council Public Safety Committee, is in attendance. I want to first thank you for coming and have the Clerk read the title of the resolution. 3 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155

Resolution No. 3 051155, resolution authorizing the Council Committees on Public Safety and Public Health and Human Services to hold hearings regarding the findings and recommendations of the "Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia," and further authorizing the Committees to seek advice and recommendations on how Philadelphia can reduce and eliminate crime affecting the City's youth.

Thank you. The murder rate in Philadelphia keeps escalating. I believe I read in the paper that we're up to 152 for this year, with April being the month that had the highest number of murders thus far. Everyone is asking our young people to find other ways to deal with conflict, calling for mentoring programs, after-school programs, programs for out-of-school youth, and parenting programs, et cetera. Tonight we will 4 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 hear from a number of groups and individuals actively involved in this effort. This is a ten-year plan to make Philadelphia a safer City. The Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia is just what it says. It's a commitment by local leaders, both state and local, lots of community members and community groups to commit to ten years of doing whatever we can to make Philadelphia a safer place to stay. Disturbingly, tonight, I didn't see it, but I got several calls that one of the young men from this neighborhood, who maybe grew up two blocks from this building, actually was on the news tonight. The news said that he's the person that shot up a house I believe in Kensington. I didn't see it. It's very disturbing. There's just always something going on. Every morning you wake up to news. Every Monday we read what happened 5 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 and what murders took place over the weekend. And lots of people work very, very hard to see what can be done to decrease the violence that's occurring here in Philadelphia. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm Councilman Frank Rizzo. I'm a member at-large representing all of the City of Philadelphia. I'm pleased to be here tonight to listen and learn. Thank you.

Before we get started with our witness list, I'd like to recognize that State Representative Dwight Evans is here in attendance and State Representative John Myers back there is in attendance, and we have Dan here representing Senator LeAnna Washington, and certainly we have some members of Councilman Rizzo's staff that are here and my staff that are here, Susan Pray and Mike Moore. I know 6 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 William is here and other members of the office are there, Tyree, and Melissa Scott from State Representative Cherelle Parker's office. With that, we'll get started. Our first panel is State Representative Dwight Evans, who is actually the architect of this Blueprint, and Gar Kelly, who is from Public/Private Ventures. Please state your name and any other identifying information for the record, because we do have a stenographer here. REPRESENTATIVE EVANS: Thank you, Madam Chairperson. My name is Dwight Evans, State Representative for the 203rd legislative district. What I will do is have everybody introduce themselves and then I'll start, Madam Chairperson.

Alicia Jackson with MEE Productions.

I'm Gar Kelly, 7 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 Senior Project Manager, Public/Private Ventures. REPRESENTATIVE EVANS: Madam Chairperson, first I'd like to thank you and Councilman Frank Rizzo, as well as Councilwoman Marian Tasco for conducting these hearings. First, I thank you for the resolution that you passed, and I know we started off in Council, but I especially thank you for having kind of this road show where we actually take it to the community and we have this type of discussion where things are really happening among people. I'd like to talk a little bit about this aspect of the Blueprint, then turn it over to Gar Kelly, who will speak from the perspective of Public/Private Ventures, and then Alicia Jackson, who will speak from the implementation standpoint on the social marketing. Madam Councilperson, a couple years ago a situation occurred, which I think was in your legislative 8 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 councilmanic district, which occurred with Faheem Thomas-Childs, and as a result of that shooting that occurred to the young man, a group of us got together, Representative John Myers, who is in the audience, Jerry Gonseim (ph), Jewell Williams and Speaker John Perzel, but we all had a conversation about what exactly can we do differently in approaching the question of violence. This is not a new issue to the City of Philadelphia and it's not unique just to the City of Philadelphia. This is a problem that occurs in Erie, in York, in Lancaster, all throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as well as in the nation. And the one thing I don't think we have ever done is taken a sustainable effort long term in terms of addressing this problem and trying to get people to unlearn this type of behavior. Madam Chairperson, I come back to this high school with a lot of memories. Just like you, I used to sit 9 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 in this auditorium, because I'm a graduate of Germantown High School, and I was looking at some of the pictures of the principals who were on the walls and thinking about the time that was occurring here, and there's no question there was a different sort of culture that was occurring, and we did have violence, so I'll be very clear. We had gang violence that was occurring in the '60s and the '70s right here at Germantown High School, and there was no 14 question that in order to address that type of violence, in my view, we had to do it from the bottom up. Well, that's the description of a Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia. After calling Dr. Deborah Stith out of Harvard as a consultant to us, we put together this long-term plan basically targeted towards primary, secondary and tertiary. And what we're basically trying to do is to organize the City of Philadelphia in a way we have never 10 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 organized it before in terms of every aspect of the City of Philadelphia, every group, every organization. And then we're trying to use the resources, which million was provided by the 7 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania across the 8 board as a part of the investment. 9 It's rather interesting to have 10 this hearing at this particular time, 11 Madam Chairperson, because we're going 12 through the budget process. During the 13 month of June, we will be discussing the 14 renewal of the Blueprint for a Safer 15 Philadelphia, and as you know, a part of 16 that process has been the Gun Court, witness relocation, programs that have been invested not just from a criminal justice side, but also in the social human service side. In addition to that, we have formed partnerships with the medical community, Jefferson Hospital and a number of other medical organizations, for the purpose of trying to unlearn this 11 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 negative behavior. One of the things I think people should really understand is that this is going to take a certain period of time to undo what has happened over a lot of years. We know the statistics.

We know last year there were 380 homicides in the City of Philadelphia. In 1999, there were 299 homicides. So you only have to look at the trends and recognize it's going to take this kind of effort to reverse it. The Blueprint, in my view, is one part of it. We also really need to do something on gun policy. We recognize to have a gun policy. I also know, Madam Chairperson, that you and Darrell Clarke and Councilman Rizzo are looking at the public safety video cameras. I know that's a part of it. There's no one single answer, as a good friend always used to say, John Myers. It all relates close in the community. And all of those folks, we 12 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 need it as a collaborative. So the purpose of the Blueprint is to target in a very specific way what can we do on the primary side to try to undo this negative behavior, but the key I think we have to recognize, in any effort like this, if you're strictly going to measure by the statistical numbers at this particular point, then you can doom it as a failure. I believe that since we just started in the month of January -- and as you know, we've been moving around the City of Philadelphia, which the MEE Production people talk about the chat and choose of it. They can give you some of the progress report of where we are at this particular point. Just last week PPV and the MEE people were in Harrisburg. We had a meeting with some legislators. We're in the process of moving around among different legislators to try to broaden this message other than just the urban message. So we believe that this message 13 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 is a message that will resonate with people and move it from the bottom up. So what I'd like to do is let Gar Kelly speak a little bit about the PPV and from an organization standpoint. Gar.

Thank you. Thanks to you, Co-Chairpersons Tasco in absentia and Reed Miller, for taking your Committee's time to examine this important issue. Thank you, Representative Evans, for your vision and leadership in working to end violence in the City of Philadelphia, and also thanks to you, Councilman Rizzo, for your presence here this evening. Headquartered in Philadelphia, Public/Private Ventures is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the effectiveness of social policies, programs and community initiatives, especially as they affect youth and young adults. In carrying out this mission, we work with foundations, 14 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 businesses, non-profit organizations and the public sector. PPV's work addresses a wide range of social issues and involves a varied group of sectors and institutions. This diversity provides us with the perspective and experience to assist policymakers, funders and communities in setting priorities and identifying realistic opportunities for advancing effective policies and practices. We've been involved in several local initiatives here in Philadelphia, including the Youth Violence Reduction Partnership, or you may know it as YVRP, the Ex-Offender Reentry Initiative through the search for a common ground, Youth Education for Tomorrow Literacy Initiative or YET, the Amachi Mentoring Children Prisoners Project and also the National Faith-Based Initiative for High-Risk Youth, which is run in conjunction with the local Job Corps and the African-American Interdenominational 15 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 Ministries. So it is fitting that PPV participate in the Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia project, joining the collaborative effort that includes faith-based, community-based and justice organizations working to reduce crime and increase positive outcomes for the members of our community. In November 2005, PPV assumed responsibility for coordinating the activities of the Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia project, and we're really excited to bring our research, program development and program management expertise to this most important initiative. In addition to the general coordination of Blueprint activities, PPV is serving as the fiscal agent for the social marketing campaign being implemented by MEE Productions and the operator of the toll-free hotline, Choice, Inc. 16 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 PPV is also serving as the intermediary for the distribution of grant monies to the community-based organizations that meet established criteria and were subsequently selected for participation in this phase of the project. These organizations are, for year one, the After-School Activities Partnership, Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Good Shepherd Remediation Program, Keep Kids Safe Summer Camp, the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, Sultan Jihad Ahmad Community Foundation, Youth Outreach Adolescent Community Awareness Program and Youth Violence Intervention Program. PPV's research staff will conduct a review of the types of information readily available to the public regarding Philadelphia's social services. We will then conduct an assessment of a subset of those social services that target the neighborhoods in Philadelphia with the most violent crime. The Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia 17 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 project and its partners will use this information to plan initiative activity in the subsequent years. Since we've joined the project last November, our work has focused on a few critical tasks. In January, we hosted an applicant's meeting for the community-based organizations identified as potential providers of direct services for phase one of the project. During this time, we discussed data collection at this applicant's meeting, which will be important for monitoring the selected organizations' effectiveness in serving youth from the targeted communities.

Also, as the project gets underway, we will work with each site to develop a reporting system, which we've already started, so we can then see if the organizations are conducting the business that they articulated in their proposals. We've also established and convened a Blueprint Think Tank composed 18 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 of a diverse body of experts in public health, research, youth violence programs, education, substance abuse and delinquency prevention to discuss the project's current activities and provide insight about its future direction. Lastly, as the Blueprint is envisioned to be a City-wide violence prevention and service delivery campaign, PPV is counting on what organizations that provide children and youth services based on effective practices for reducing youth violence and for addressing the risk factors associated with it. PPV encourages and supports the systematic roll-out of the Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia to ensure that the project's activities are coordinated, effective and relevant to the stakeholders, which are youth, parents, community members and local community groups identified for the social marketing campaign. Additionally, it is our opinion 19 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 that the Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia project will be strengthened through the intentional collaboration with other existing and/or emerging anti-violence campaigns in the City of Philadelphia. Thank you again, Chairperson Reed Miller, for allowing Public/Private Ventures' testimony on behalf of the Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia, and we look forward to continuing to work with faith and community-based organizations, the business sector, law enforcement, justice organizations, policymakers and Philadelphia citizenry to effect final and sustainable change in the quest to reduce violence that affects us all. Thank you again. REPRESENTATIVE EVANS: Madam Chair, the next person is Alicia Jackson, who will talk about MEE Productions. Alicia.

Thank you, 20 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 Representative Evans. I also would like to concur and thank Councilwomen Reed and Tasco for their insight in moving this project forward and bringing it to the community, which is most important. I'd also like to thank Representative Rizzo for his presence. You've heard a little bit about the campaign. I'd like to talk specifically about the social marketing aspect of this, the public health prevention model that we're trying out here in Philadelphia. MEE Productions is a research-based communications company in the business of developing and delivering messages. MEE Productions is spearheading the social marketing component of the Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia. Our process has included research, the development of PSAs, radio PSAs, prep materials and will include TV 21 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 PSAs. As a result of the research, some of the major themes that we're grounding our materials in and message development pieces of materials are, adults are critical to this process. There must be adult involvement. Parents need help. When we talk about parents needing help with this particular campaign, we will not be placing blame on anyone. Youth violence is everyone's problem. So we really want to stress that parents need help. In addition, we want to say that young people understand and value the importance of education. So we need to stress the importance of quality education, that young people will seek a quality education. And then, finally, a major message for the campaign is going to be that young people want adult involvement, and I want to lead that message as I continue to talk about the campaign. 22 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 Again, young people want adults involved in their lives, which is very critical as we look to eradicate violence, youth violence, here in the City of Philadelphia. The social marketing campaign will include not only traditional media, we will also have non-traditional strategies, as Representative Evans talked about. In addition to launching radio ads, which I'm sure you've already been hearing on a lot of the major radio stations, we have distributed thousands of pieces of materials into the community via community-based organizations, via going into the nine zip codes that will be targeted initially for this City-wide campaign. And we have also distributed materials via our canvassing efforts. In addition to distributing materials, we've been in the nine zip codes. And let me give you those zip codes so you can walk away understanding the areas that will be targeted first as 23 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 a part of this campaign. The zip codes are 19124, 19131, 19133, 19134, 19139, 19140, 19142, 19143, and 19151. The reason for those zip codes is that we're seeing the highest homicide rates in those particular areas. Although this is a City campaign, we will initially start focusing on those zip codes to bring a message into the community that we can eradicate violence. In addition to canvassing those zip codes, we've also conducted information sessions in each zip code. When we talk about information sessions, these are information sessions that we have hosted in community-based organizations, health centers and churches, letting the community know about the Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia, getting the community's involvement for this project. We will continue to host those information sessions as we move forward with the second and third year of this campaign. 24 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 In addition, we have actually conducted five workshops, four with community-based organizations, where we have signed up approximately 250 community-based organizations, churches and other entities where they have made a commitment to distribute the information in their community.

In addition to distributing the information, we have been dialoguing with their constituency, disseminating the information, and when the time is needed, they will be in a position to defend this campaign. As we look to move forward with this social marketing effort, it's critical that we understand the need for a social marketing component. One, this social marketing effort will look to raise awareness in the community around the issue of youth violence and eradicate youth violence. Two, we will be educating the community on -- again, the important issue here is education, moving the 25 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 community to say, We must give our young people a quality education as opposed to violence. So we will be moving that message specifically into the community, and hopefully we hope to eradicate and change the community norm around violence. We're looking to change people's mindset with this effort. In addition to the social marketing aspect, Gar Kelly of PPV has talked about the other kinds of programs that will follow the social marketing effort where we will be filling the void for young people with reference to mentoring programs, programs for parents so they can understand that there is some level of support for them when they are raising their children. In addition, we will be looking to provide additional vocational training for young people. What's real critical here, again, is to move this message into the community so we eventually have ownership 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 from the community around having a safer environment for our young people. Thank you. REPRESENTATIVE EVANS: Madam Chairperson, if I could add in closing to this conversation, both of you here, as the Chairperson and Councilman Rizzo, have been around for a long time in the City of Philadelphia, in public policy. I think what is unique about what we are attempting to do is to really set a structure in place like we have never done before that is sustainable. I think the key element is sustainable. We must look at today and then we look at tomorrow, and we must look at this like we have never looked at it before in terms of -- and you heard the MEE Production people say where we're targeting, where we're starting, the zip codes. So we're trying to build from the bottom up and we're trying to build infrastructure in those particular 27 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 communities. And this has been -- and MEE Production could have really gone into more detail with you about kind of like grassroot organizing, because I think that we have a tendency -- and, unfortunately, what you see happening is, you hear about the murder rate described last year around this particular time, and the murder rate they say was like 100-something last year, and it's about the same number as this year, maybe one or two off. And I know there's a way, unfortunately, we look at it in the press and the first thing someone says, Well, is it having an effect. Well, I would say to you and suggest to you what needs to be looked at is the effort over time that it will take to try to reverse it. You're talking about something that is really very deep-seated. I mean, extremely deep-seated in terms of how to approach this. I mean, I see the Captain here from the 14th. There is no 25 question, could you always use additional 28 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 police presence? You could use additional police presence. You could look at the disbursement of police officers. You can look at it a number of ways. However, most of the things that happen with police officers responding in the tertiary category, in that third category, rarely does it happen in the beginning. I mean, unless they got real good intelligence. So where we are, I think, today -- and I don't think we should take this lightly.

And I thank you, Donna Reed Miller and Marian Tasco, as a Council body for hearing this process out, and what I'm about to see this become, in my view, is the City's official policy. You as the legislative body could make this the City's official legislative power. One of the things I'd like to put on the record to you is although the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is providing $16 million, the thing that will be 29 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 important at some point is that the City of Philadelphia itself takes some sense of ownership. As you go through your budget deliberations, in my view, I mean, we have to take some sense of ownership. We have to take -- because I think this is an ownership issue. This is an ownership, this is a community-based ownership issue that has to be built from the bottom up. It has to be built house by house, block by block, school by school, church by church, neighborhood by neighborhood. And you will find that communities that tend to be organized, communities that tend to create economic opportunity, you will see a direct corresponding aspect of the reduction in violence. So even though I know there will be people who will question this early initiative for whom we are responding, there's no way that you will be able to measure this, in my view, if we do not have sustainability. I 30 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 mentioned that word ten times, and I've mentioned it because if you look at New York in terms of New York's homicide rate, it is what it was in 1963. And to me, it was a combination of things. There was day camps, there was really geography, and now the Mayor there is taking the initiative on illegal guns, which I'm glad to hear our Mayor has joined it, which he started the campaign. Well, I don't think it's ever happened in the City of Philadelphia, and I know, Donna Miller, under your leadership and Darrell Clarke's leadership and now Councilman Rizzo, I know you all were in Baltimore to look at it. I think what we have only done in Philadelphia is, we have started and we have stopped. That's why I said to you back in 1999 there was 299 homicides. Last year, it was 380. We can see the trend, but the problem is, we have never as a community -- and I don't think this is just the government alone problem, but as a community -- had 31 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 the sustainable effort. And what the Blueprint really is only attempting to do, in my view, is use all of the tools that we have learned. I mean, we have done research, data collection. It's no 7 more than the smoking campaign. If you look at the smoking campaign, you got an entire country now not smoking. In 1964, there was a Surgeon General report and in 1964, it was the first Surgeon General report that indicated that cigarette smoking was bad. Now you see more and more, you see it's kind of not hip to smoke. You're beginning to see slowly -- I mean, there's still some ways to go, but you're beginning to see a cultural change about smoke. Well, it's the same thing that has to happen about violence. It's the exact same thing. And that's why I think, Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller, I'm glad you're doing this hearing here in Germantown. We obviously need to do follow-up hearings. It certainly is 32 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 great to do it in City Hall, but what you're doing here today where we're actually talking to the people, to begin to get people to understand that there is a plan, we want people to understand that as a collective, the state legislators working with the Councilpeople, working with the Mayor and as Alicia says -- I think it's one of the most profound statements she made -- is that we are not blaming anyone. I want to be very clear. We're not blaming City Hall. We're not blaming the Council. We're not blaming Harrisburg.

The only thing we're trying to do is unlearn a very retractable problem that's been here for an awful long time, but as a City and the City residents, we're just trying to be very focused about it. One last thing I'll say to you, I've had some conversations with Charlie Pizzi from Tastykake and Bill Marrazzo from WHYY, and the reason Charlie Pizzi 33 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 so many -- there was an incident that occurred in West Philadelphia where a young man by the name of Kyle Winkfield was driving a Tastykake truck and, unfortunately, he was shot. He's fortunately been bouncing back. Now the Charlie Pizzis of the world realize that his Tastykake drivers are not exempt from that happening. Bill 11 Marrazzo from WHYY now is realizing. So, in other words, I think what we're now beginning to do is not look at this as a problem of people who are poor and people of color. This should not be just viewed as people of poor and people of color. This issue transcends all of our communities. And I want to stress, Donna, by you doing what you're doing here today, we just got to keep raising the attention of people that this is not going to be solved by no single group. I'll give it back to you.

Thank you, 34 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 Representative Evans. You know, some of us said, Well, the increase in crime hasn't affected me. But I'll tell you a little interesting point that it's indirectly affected all of us in the City of Philadelphia. Many of you have heard recently the complaints about the response from our emergency medical units, the 9-1-1 where the service is being delayed. Well, you'll be interested to know that the reason for that is that the violence in our City, even the bad guys need to get a response from emergency medical units. Would you believe it, two-thirds in some cases, two-thirds of the responses that the emergency paramedics make are trying to save a life of somebody just shooting each other or bludgeoning someone or stabbing someone? Now they're tied up in some cases two or three squads trying to save a life of someone that just committed a very violent crime or a 35 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 victim in a drug deal, and now Mrs. Stith, Mrs. Kelly, Mrs. Jones has a heart attack and guess what? Fifteen, 5 minutes go by, because they are tied up 6 and the unit has to come from the other 7 end of the City. And all of us know that 8 for a person who has a heart attack, that 9 within the first six, eight minutes if 10 you can't get the advanced life support 11 unit to the scene, the person in most 12 cases passes. 13 So there's a direct correlation 14 of how crime could affect every one of us 15 in this room. We need the 9-1-1 to come. 16 Even the police, today violence is so 17 violent out there, the police officers 18 have to respond in numbers. The day when 19 two or three would show up and deal with 20 a situation, they need 33, if you had 33. The Captain is smiling over there. But I just wanted to point out that this is just another ripple effect of the violence that we're experiencing in the City. 36 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155

Thank you, Councilman Rizzo. Thank you, Representative Evans, Gar Kelly and Alicia Jackson. We'd also like Archye Leacock from Don't Fall Down in the Hood to join us here and Captain Singletary. Please join us. Mr. Leacock.

Thanks for inviting us to come out to this Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia. We were just invited on Thursday to join the panel, and our boys, we have 45 of them, they are at another event. So we have great demand these days with what's going on around the City, and the next events, we promise to be here. So tonight I will sort of talk about Don't Fall Down in the Hood and some of the things that we are doing. First, I do want to say thanks for inviting us to be here tonight. We believe that Don't Fall Down in the Hood 37 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 over the last eight years with City dollars -- and I need to say that -- with City dollars has really made an impact with young people carrying guns. Don't Fall Down in the Hood is one program in the State of Pennsylvania where young people are committed by Philadelphia Family Court for carrying or using a gun, for heavy narcotic trafficking, aggravated assault and theft. Our program is one way you will not see young people at and years old in the 14 alleyways at 12 o'clock at night. That's 15 why I'm home late at night and not in the 16 alleyways. 17 All of our people have multiple challenges and very often come at the end of a very long process of criminal involvement in the City. We certainly believe as the Blueprint for Philadelphia is looking at our programs, our programs at work, that we begin to work with programs earlier at the prevention stage and also studying those programs at the 38 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 earlier stages of what we need to do rather than waiting until they commit a crime with a gun, which is often too late, and then sending them to Don't Fall Down in the Hood. At the same time, I don't want to talk myself out of business, but I want to be practical that we are well down the pike by having young people get to us. We do probably the heaviest lifting with our young people. We go to their homes and work with the young people, their parents, anyone in the house, to try and help the home be functional. We go to the young person's school to get them back into school. Often they're suspended or truant. We go to their neighborhoods to figure out who they're having fights with, who they're having beef with and help them straighten out those situations. And we take them to the most critical areas of where you might very well be, where you end up at, getting killed or murdered or a victim of 39 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 gun violence, to the funeral home, to the morgue, to the cemetery, to let them see what the end result might look like even. Einstein, Temple Hospital, we take them to the trauma center. We make them do curfew checks. Once they're home at night, they stay home at night. We work with their parents intensively in getting their parents back in charge of our young people. The program is very intensive, and I can go on for the next three hours talking about this program. We certainly need to replicate it when we talk about programs that work. And we have very, very good results, academic results, from Temple University and University of Pennsylvania, and the most recent study that has been done directly out of the Department of Human Services showing that only three percent of young people while in the program recidivate, which is to commit another crime while they're in the program, and only 14 percent of those 40 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 young people commit crime over a nine-day period. We have a very good sense of what works at Don't Fall Down in the Hood, and we are extremely delighted to be here to participate and share the results of what happens. Any time we're in the media -- I'll get a story in the Philadelphia Inquirer, on Fox TV, Channel 10, on CBS evening national news -- we get 60, 70 parents calling us, Please can you help us with our young guy, could you help us with my son.

And very often we help them in terms of referring them to other programs, but in a practical sense, we couldn't take all of those young people because they did not for whatever reason commit a gun violence to be court-ordered by Philadelphia Family Court into the program. I'll tell you sort of in closing a couple of my thoughts about this. I do feel we can solve this 41 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 problem with gun violence. I really do feel that -- we were at 384, and I believe we can do this. I think Philadelphians, we all as citizens have to get infinitely more serious about this. We have to own this problem. This problem is ours. We can't have people be afraid to walk the streets and have young people or young adults take charge of our streets covered by violence. All of you can see that I'm blind, and I'm the director of a program with 45 young people with guns, and I'm not afraid of them. I provide the service and supervise the staff who does this kind of work. We also believe that more police is often not the solution. If you have more cars on the street, the likelihood is you're going to have more car accidents. And if you have more police officers on the street, very often you have more police situations. We have just read recently in 42 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 the Philadelphia Inquirer that the police is killed or have deadly incidents with more of our citizens than ever before, and that's partly because I think the more thoughts given or the more funding given to our police officers. We work directly with the Police Commissioner. Just the other day I was in his office for several hours working on strategies. We work with the FBI, with the Step Up, Speak Up Campaign. We work with the Disproportionate Minority Contact Committee, from PCCD. We're in a lot of different places working on making our City together, with the Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia and others, a more safer neighborhood, a safer City to be in. We believe that there are real answers and there are real solutions. And we're going to be around soon to see that we don't have to have 280 young people murdered across the City. At Don't Fall Down in the Hood, we know a lot of these people. When I watch the 43 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 news at night or I read the newspapers in the morning, I know a lot of these guys. We know them. And the School District has some challenge around accountability, around this, too. Because many of our young people get kicked out of school, expelled. And when you expel a young person from out of the public school, where are you sending them? Where are they going to go? You know, that's one of the reasons we're trying to get a charter school started, so those young people can have a place to go. If you could expel the young people and there's no other place to go, at 16 where are they going to go? On the street. Nothing positive to do. So I think there's a lot -- while I don't want to point blame in terms of police or School District or rec center or the Rec Department, we also got to be smart enough to recognize the gaps in our City and understand how we need to move forward, close those gaps, whether 44 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 or not we're talking about funding, whether we're talking about open facilities or making those schools more available in the evenings or doing more work with parents or just what we need to bring mentors. There are real opportunities and there are real strategies that we know and I'm sure many of you in this audience know that really work, and we need to get to it and double up our efforts so our young people are not murdered and buried. Finally, any parent who has a child who that they have to go to a funeral for, believe me, they're blaming someone. Whether or not we want to sit here and say we're not blaming anybody, that parent is blaming somebody.

And believe me, when I go to funerals, and I've gone to several of them this year, let me tell you, the opportunity and the future and the promise of that young person twilight, eclipsed, because 45 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 they're in a casket. Let me tell you, my heart breaks, because I know at Don't Fall Down in the Hood, if I've gotten to that young person and that family sooner, we would have had a very different outcome, because our data shows that. Thank you. )

Thank you. There are many, many groups involved with the Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia and there are many, many different programs in the City of Philadelphia that are servicing young people and families. I want to say before we go any further that if parents need help with their children, if anyone needs help with their children, it could be an aunt, uncle, cousin, sister, brother, it doesn't matter, you can call any of our offices and we will try to refer you to the appropriate source. 46 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 At this time, we have heard from all of our panelists. Is there anyone else -- Representative Myers, would you like to have something to say? REPRESENTATIVE MYERS: No. 7

Okay. Representative Parker, I'll let you have a seat if you'd like, if you want to have something to say. REPRESENTATIVE PARKER: This is a big school with long hallways.

We know. So now we'll open to the floor. We'll open up for questions and answers. You have to come up front. We only have one mike and we have to share it.

Good evening. Madam Chairperson, Representative Dwight Evans, thank you for allowing us to come in front of you to talk to you about some of the things that are going on in our City, in our community. My name is Rudy Johnson. I'm the Director of Family 47 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 Support Services here with the Philadelphia Anti-Drug Anti-Violence Network, and I also oversee a project called the PIRIS project, which is the Pennsylvania Injury Reporting and Intervention Systems Project, which is also coined from the Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia. The PIRIS project is a stated-funded youth violence prevention project, part of the 24-year-old gunshot victims who have been treated at three local hospitals, either Einstein, Temple, University of Pennsylvania. The purpose of this project is to reduce the future incidents of violence among the group through the provision of in-home case management, project intervention, model and targeting assistance of families affected by violence. And this is a collaboration between PAAN and PHMC, which is the Philadelphia Health and Management Corporation. I brought with me two family 48 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 members, Ms. Lucille and Ms. Africa, and I brought them with me because as a provider, you will always hear what we can be doing and what we're going to be doing and stuff like that, but I wanted to bring families who have been affected by violence and I want them to tell you their story.

My name is Africa Mosley and I am the cousin of Chris Anderson and Terrell Anderson. Excuse me. My cousin Chris was shot on April the 12th, and on the 15th his brother was murdered. Their mother, they're just having a very hard time. She has four other children at home that she -- I had to go to the hospital with them. She was unable to fill out the papers for her son to get x-rays or anything. The children cannot leave the house. They're afraid. She has a grandchild in the house. They're unable to leave their home. Her other son was 49 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 shot at a few days after they left the funeral for her son. I don't think we need more police, but I can tell you as far as guns, if a ten-year-old can get them, I think we need to do something. My cousin, her son is at my house because he can't go across the street to the store at his own house, and then she had to turn around and bury her other son. I told myself I wasn't going to cry. I don't know what to do, and I would appreciate help from anyone for her family and her children. They're scared. They can't go back to school. They can't go to the supermarket. We have to go to the supermarket for them, so my entire family has to rearrange our work schedules just so that they can eat. They have been couped up in their house for an entire month. And in a month and two weeks' time, when her two sons was 50 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 shot, one was murdered and her other son was shot at, this is from April 11th up until April 28th. Something has to be done. She has five sons. She buried one, and one is at my house with a bullet lodged in his stomach and one lodged in his foot, and her other son, they just shot him in the hand, so he didn't die. We had to send him away. He cannot stay in his home. He cannot come back to their home. Anything that anyone can tell me to do, I need to -- we need to move them, because her children's lives are still in danger. And I have been in contact with Officer Kathy Bell, who has been a great help to me and a great help to my family, but I cannot bury another cousin. If we have to, we're going to be burying their mother and she's going to have a nervous breakdown. Thank you.

You indicated that the children can't go to 51 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 school.

No, they can't.

Has the School District been in touch with you?

Their mother had a nervous breakdown, so my family has gotten involved. We need to get someone to tell us that we can take over for her, because she can't function. So the kids --

We'll figure all those pieces out.

Thank you, Councilman Rizzo.

My name is Lucille Mosley, and they were my cousins that was murdered. Their mother had had a nervous breakdown in the past. So, therefore, people that are asking her questions, she's giving them all kinds of crazy answers, and by law, we can't do anything, because she is still -- they're still listening to her even though she's 52 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 not functioning right. They offered her a place and she refused it, not knowing about it. She was offered transportation to the hospital. So we need someone where we can step in and take over for her legally so that we can make decisions and get these children back to school and get them some type of counseling and also to get her help also, and we would appreciate it very much.

We are getting the information and we'll get you help.

And, also, there have been threats made, people calling on the telephone, banging the door down there. We have also went to 24th and Wolf to the police station. They keep referring us back to Katherine Bell, but we need somebody down there, while some of them are still in the house, for protection. 53 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155

We have some questions, but we don't want to ask you in public.

Okay. REPRESENTATIVE EVANS: If you could describe a little bit more in detail the hospitals and exactly why we're using that so people can understand that.

The reason we're using the hospitals is, one, because when violence takes place, in the course of going to the hospital trauma center -- and Einstein, Temple and University of Pennsylvania are probably the ones personally who are on board. How that process takes place is, when they go to the hospital, they're asked if they are presently receiving any kind of services, which will incorporate case management as well as outreach, which would provide guidance. So the Philadelphia Housing Corporation, PHMC, provides a case 54 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 management component and PAAN provides an outreach aspect of, one, trying to find out how this incident took place; two, how can we help to bring resolve to it; and, three, how we can stimulate the interest in the community so that everyone who are stakeholders, every community member, every neighbor, everyone as a stakeholder, where they ought to be involved and be part of resolving this whole process. So that's how the whole component is operationalized. REPRESENTATIVE EVANS: Madam Chair, that initiative was started by Dr. Johnson, the Secretary of Public Health, and it is under the Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia. So what I'm trying to do is to use the hospitals as a way of tracking these shootings that occur. It's trying to use that for gathering information. These particular hospitals, the reason they were chosen is, they was chosen 55 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 because of the number of incidents that happened. If you look at those hospitals, more than likely they correspond with the zip codes. So if you look at the hospitals corresponding with the zip codes that were mentioned -- and then what happens is, once the police vehicles, the emergency takes them, that's the hospitals they go to. So what we're trying to do is to use kind of the medical side so we can better understand to intervene with strategies. That's what's taking place there. The other step we're talking about here -- we've just been discussing this the other day. We've been discussing the idea around victims that go in hospitals. This was told to us by doctors: That the trauma aspect; for example, if someone is shot and someone brings that particular person, it is almost described like wartime. So we need to find strategies that if an 56 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 individual comes into a hospital, exactly what type of efforts are we preparing. So these hospitals, these three particular hospitals -- this started as a pilot. These particular hospitals are used to gather information to the Health Department. By gathering the information to the Health Department, it helps those of us in policy-making positions to figure out how we change priorities and where we need to make investments. So that's another part. I mean, even though the Blueprint -- we kind of talked about social marketing and other things. This also is a part of the aspect of the Blueprint. Again, it's never been done where we link in the health part of it. It's the first time that this has ever been done before and these three particular hospitals. The hospitals are connected more likely to -- those zip codes you heard, if you check out those 57 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 zip codes and you check out the hospitals, you will see a connection between them. We just wanted you to understand why we're trying to do it. This is a gathering of information, so as we talk about budgeting priorities, where we need to make investments and where the investments can be more effective. Now, again, unfortunately, even though we're doing this, you may not see the corresponding side of it right away in terms of the reduction on the violence issue, but if you keep doing this over time, we're going to have a better understanding of what strategies we need to put together. See, that's the thing, we're trying to understand what strategies we need to put together.

And I know that's not like -- to the incident that you all mentioned right now, which is unfortunate and it pains me to hear what you're saying, I know that doesn't do anything for you like right now. I'm going to be 58 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 very clear. I don't want anybody to think we got an instant answer to this, but we ourselves, this is all new in terms of us trying to figure out how to deal with it.

Just to reiterate what Representative Evans is saying, we understand and we talk about we're looking at the strategies, we're beginning to deal with the family issues as well, because this is traumatic not only for the person who has been shot, but the family at large. I'm dealing with an issue right now of a close friend being shot this weekend, and it's affecting the entire family. So not just that immediate family like you're dealing with. So we do understand that. And that's how we approach looking at trauma, getting not only the immediate help out, but the family help. So as we talk further, we'll be able to identify that specific help that you need. 59 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155

I just want to close as well. As our Executive Director, Mr. Darryl Coates, had indicated, this is something that as an agency we're going to be engaged in. Granted, this is one project, but this is an agency responsibility to respond to the needs of our community, and I think that's something we've been doing for the most part. So as the young man who is presently living with a family member, is presently seeking support, but we want to support the whole family. Thank you.

My name is Carol Lombard and I'm Director of Late Awareness Immediately. It's a violence-related agency, and what we do is, we reach out to the parents in regards to issues surrounding child custody and children. We believe that the mental health of the children is affected by custody disputes, and a lot more needs to be done by the City to 60 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 mediate these custody disputes, because you have thousands of people going down to Family Court making false abuse allegations on each other. The court doesn't do anything regarding the false child abuse claims. They have an emergency ex parte hearing. And right now I can walk down there and tell them that this sister abused her child, and they'll give me a registered custody and tell me to come back in ten days. If I don't prove my case, nothing happens to me, but she's going through a lot and they're not doing anything. I've spoken to Lynne Abraham about it, and they're basically saying because of all the other issues surrounding the City, that it's not worth investigating. But what it is is, we're breeding violent children. If parents aren't in safe with raising their children, whether or not the relationship is going through or not, we're not safely raising children. We're breeding angry 61 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 children. We're breeding violent children. And that's what she's saying now. We have a lot of people that are 35 years old and we're grandmothers. We have children that are having babies. They don't know how to be in a co-relationship. They don't have their parenting skills that's so needed. So when it's over, here comes the baby mom drama. So what we do is, we have support groups for people that are going through it. And I had spoke to Representative Evans -- I don't know if you remember, and I do want to get involved with the Blueprint, because it's needed. I look at the stats all the time. I've spoken to Mr. Nesheiwat here from Councilman Rizzo's office, because he expressed an interest in doing something. Because there's not a law for these people to make false child abuse 62 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 claims. And last year alone, you had about 23,000 cases reported and a little over 4,000 was unfounded. So you have a lot of cases that aren't founded, and these resources are being wasted on people that are doing this maliciously. So I'll speak with the Council, even to the Police Captain. Because the police, they don't honor their custody orders. They tell everyone to go back down Family Court. And custody orders are a legal document, but the police won't get involved because they don't have policies that we do. REPRESENTATIVE EVANS: Let me make one suggestion about it. I can hear your pain, specifically on the false abuse issue. So on the legislative side, we'll try to move it forward. Secondly, Gar is going to talk a little bit about it. It's interesting, in our brainstorming session, we talked about the aspect of parenting. We talked about short term and long term. 63 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 Dr. Stith made some recommendations. But we are in the process now of working with United Way to try and -- we met with David Fair the other day, and we were having some discussions about the whole thing of how we're doing organizing. And I thought Archye made a very good point when he said earlier there's a lot of things in terms of falling through the gaps, and we are trying that, to bring some marriage between us. We want you to understand that.

I just wanted to say that one of the things that we wanted to do in the Blueprint project is concentrate on five areas around violence, and those areas are parenting skills, social skills training for young people, mentoring programs, early childhood development, after-school programs, but also looking at the effects of domestic violence. So these are five service areas that we're going to concentrate on so we 64 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 can help alleviate some of the problems that are going on. REPRESENTATIVE EVANS: And can I speak to this? Because this is a coordination, Donna Miller, between the City and the State. What we are trying to do is -- and I know there's like a lot of pressure. I mean, because, unfortunately, every time somebody gets shot or killed out there -- and, look, I don't disagree with Archye. I don't disagree with him, but he makes the statement that immediately somebody wants an answer, and I understand that, but I also agree with Alicia, that we can broaden that, we can figure out how we retool these things. And this has been a very difficult task at how we bring this thing seamlessness. Now, we've been talking to Sandra Newman from the State Supreme Court. We had some conversations with her. So we've been trying to talk to her. We're giving you stuff that is like 65 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 work in progress. It's not things that we have figured out. So we are trying to talk to Sandra Newman. I mentioned to you we talked to David Fair from the United Way, and we're trying to figure out how we can close those gaps. Now, I can't tell you that instantly -- unfortunately, if somebody gets shot and killed, then it's a thing where maybe we were too late. I'm just trying to explain to you, we are trying to make this as seamless and as organized as we can, believe me. I'm not making any excuses. One shooting is too much, but as a city, this has never been done before as we try to organize it and collaborate. The other thing we're trying not to do is, we're not trying to recreate the wheel. If there is an existing organization that provides the direct service, we're not trying to create another organization. We're 66 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 trying to work through some form of collaboration. I'll give you a little example. We kicked off this thing called the Kids Zone a couple weeks ago, and we kicked it off primarily in the Northwest, Ms. LeAnna Washington over there, Cherelle and John Myers. And the reason we kicked it off in the Northwest primarily, because we have an infrastructure over in the Northwest. So what we did is, we organized with eight existing groups that are here and we're trying to build on these groups and we're trying to fill the gaps with these groups. So our theory is, we're starting here in the Northwest. Ultimately we hope to move to the other sections of the City, but we're really just trying to figure out how we close these gaps. Short term and long term is what we're trying to do. So we're not trying to create any more organizations. 67 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 We're trying to build on the existing organizations, people who have the expertise. And it's sort of like what Archye said, and this is where PPV comes in, we're trying to make sure that it's about quality, not quantity. Quality. Because when we deal with an organization -- PPV is doing an evaluation. We are trying to look at who does what. So this is a part, Madam Chairperson, that what we're trying to do, your hearings are doing, you and Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller, is just really trying to bring us all together, City and State, and figure out a way how we concentrate so we can show people what works. Because obviously we know what doesn't work. We need to work something. Again, I hate to sound redundant, and I apologize. I really feel the pain that you've described about your family situation.

I don't have an answer, to be frank, but we're trying to 68 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 change this thing. And I know that doesn't do anything for you. I understand that.

Thank you. And I think that between us, we'll be able to help you out. Certainly we are just finding out about your problem, but I believe that you have a group of individuals that are committed to helping people. And I just want to just add a few sentences to State Representative Evans' remarks about closing the gap, having seamless efforts to deal with this whole issue of public safety here in Philadelphia. I've been to most of the City-wide meetings on the Blueprint, and what impressed me was the number of people, the number of groups, the partnership, the collaboration that's building around this effort. There are lots of activities and programs in Philadelphia, lots of concerned people. When I used to be Chair of the 69 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 Black Elected Officials, one of the things that we always talked about was that City Council really doesn't know what the state is doing. The states don't really know what City Council is doing. And I see this as an effort of bringing it all together. You know, LeAnna, we talk about this all the time. LeAnna was the Chair prior to me becoming Chair. And I think that's one thing that's made me excited about being a part of the Blueprint, because there is everybody in the room, clergy, young people, School District. You name it, you're there. Everybody is there. Everybody is working with one goal in mind, and that's impacting and improving the public safety here in Philadelphia. At this time, I'd like to bring Representative Cherelle Parker up for a few remarks, and then we'll have State Senator LeAnna Washington. Does anybody else have any 70 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 questions? This was our last person up here. Shelly.

I want to thank you for doing this and for initiating it. I just would urge that we put jobs on the list. Twenty years ago we got kids 20,000 jobs in the summer. Now we celebrate when we get 800. It's going to be a hot summer. We've got to do summer camps and we've got to do jobs for kids.

If people didn't hear, one of the things Ms. Yanoff, who works with Philadelphia Citizens for Children and Youth, she's talking about the need for summer jobs for young people, which is absolutely true, and we work really hard, but the numbers just keep decreasing every year. My office actually works very close with Youth Works and we've been able to be very helpful with helping them place more youth workers at City Hall. We've got lots of judges that have signed up and 71 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 other Council offices. So we've worked hard. But those are 11th graders. We need more jobs for more young people. Representative Parker. REPRESENTATIVE PARKER: Let me just say good evening to everyone, and I want to thank each and every one of you for coming out tonight. I really do have to start, Councilwoman Miller, by thanking you for having this meeting. I know the Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia has traveled across the City, particularly in those zip codes where the Blueprint has been targeted, where we've seen the highest number of homicide rates in our City, but this kind of meeting tonight and the three other meetings that you have scheduled in areas across the City, this is what we need to have in order to have a coordinated approach. As I walked in, someone was speaking and they represented one 72 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 organization. Then there was a sister who just spoke who talked about parenting. And I said to myself as I was sitting here, Where's the one-stop shop? The one-stop shop should be the Blueprint. I may know about your program and someone else may know about that one, but it really serves our citizenry if people have that card -- you were just giving out that card. If people could literally get that card across the City and everyone knew that if they called this 1-800 number if they needed help with employment, if they needed help with after-school programs, in whatever neighborhood they lived in, the Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia could be that help to them. And so the organized approach reminds me -- and I make this my final comment. How many of us are familiar with the Covenant? Have any of us read the Covenant or started? If you get a chance, take a look at it. 73 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 Tavis Smiley starts off with a piece about A. Philip Randolph. A. Philip Randolph is a good friend of Eleanor Roosevelt. He goes to the White House for dinner and he's talking to the President about the plight of black America, and the President is shaking his head and he's saying, I am the President, I'm the most powerful man in the world, and I agree with everything you said. A. Philip is excited. Thank you, Mr. President. You can help. He says, Now go out and make me do it. And A. Philip says, Well, how? He says, Organize. If there's not an organizer, a coordinated approach -- and people across our City are all screaming the same tune, saying the Blueprint is the first and only City-wide entity that can help us to decrease the homicide rate, that can help us to get more young people involved and access to the things that they need -- 74 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 then it will never happen. So Council Lady, I thank you again. Thank you, Councilman Rizzo, Representative Evans, Myers and Washington. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you, Cherelle. Senator. SENATOR WASHINGTON: Good evening, everyone. I want to give an applaud to Dwight, Representative Evans, because two years ago, Representative Evans, myself and Representative Myers went to Seattle, Washington when this first came up as an initiative to be dealt with in Philadelphia. And I wanted to say at that time, we talked about families. We talked about the social problems that impact every family that cause these things to happen. And one of the things I said to Dwight, as being a former welfare mother, was that until we bring our children back into the house 75 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 and have some control of disciplining our children, we'll always have problems. (Applause.) SENATOR WASHINGTON: Until we change the way our children go to school and demand that our teachers look the way that they should look as teachers, we will always have problems. You know, handguns, our children -- you hear me talk on the radio. I'm on WURD 900 every Saturday. You hear me talk about the fact that our children are not afraid to pick up a gun. They learn this stuff in their home. And so this Blueprint that Representative Evans has been working on for well over two years, traveling across the United States, talking with people how we do it best for Pennsylvania and for Philadelphia where we are, and we know that with all the homicides that are happening in our City with handguns, that we need to do something. We also know that Pennsylvania 76 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 is an NRA state, but that doesn't stop us as elected officials, as Representative Parker said, it doesn't stop us from trying to do something. That's why Representative Myers and myself both have legislation for one handgun a month. My legislation in particular -- (Applause.) SENATOR WASHINGTON: Thank you. My legislation in particular is supported by Senator Vince Fumo, who is a life-long member of the NRA, but he also realizes that we need to do something. And he said that he would support one handgun a month for cities of the first class, with a five-year sunset. What does that mean? That means that we can have one handgun a month legislation pass -- at least he would help us get it passed through the Senate. I don't know what will happen after it gets out of the Senate, Cherelle. But I know that Representative 77 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 Myers and Representative Parker are on the same page that we are, because we all work together. We could show them that one handgun a month for Philadelphia would make a difference in the number of homicides that happens in Philadelphia. Because out of all the homicides you hear throughout the State of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia has the most. And so I think we could get through this, chipping away one chip at a time. If I could say anything, I would say that while we know that Cease Fire PA and Cease Fire New Jersey don't go along with us, Dwight, and all of you, we know that we are responsible to do something for you. And I like it when I see Shelly Yanoff smiling, because I know that I'm on the right page. (Applause.)

I just want to make comments around coordinated effort and people working together as partners. 78 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 Councilman Darrell Clarke and I introduced probably, I think, about seven bills in City Council relating to weapons, but Philadelphia needs the State of Pennsylvania to pass the bills. We cannot pass our own gun bills. They took that privilege away from Philadelphia years ago. But it's so important when you work with other people, that you get those people to talk to them and help them do whatever they can. So Representative Myers and State Senator LeAnna Washington and Representative Evans have taken our bills to the next step, and that's the kind of coordinated effort that we need. There was an article in the paper not long ago that said why was I at 6Green. Well, I was at Green because the bills that you were discussing were the bills that we introduced in City Council. I just think the reporter got it all wrong. For real. 79 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 REPRESENTATIVE EVANS: The part I wanted to add to what Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller didn't say about her and Councilman Darrell Clarke is that while the people of the City of Philadelphia, those eight to about 8 this, so in addition to Senator 9 Washington, in addition to Representative 10 Myers, that we have -- and I will be 11 making a lot of announcements, because I 12 told my good friend, I want to do a show 13 on diplomacy. There have been a number 14 of us, while we will not say their names, 15 who have indicated to me that they would 16 like to be helpful. We all have 17 different approaches, and I know that 18 people like to make their announcements. 19 I don't want to make the announcement 20 until we cut the deal. Now, I'm saying to you, this is the beginning of something. We have a long way to go. I want people to understand, this is really not a partisan issue. We got the democrats, who also 80 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 have a very strong opinion. So I'm trying to say that I know everybody wants to keep saying, Well, they don't -- I'm telling you, it was years ago that 6 this happened. The fact that Senator 7 Washington said that Senator Fumo is 8 willing to do some things on that is a 9 climate. 10 And I know it's not just -- 11 it's just like with you. Again, every time (unintelligible) looking, because it pains me. I wish we had known yesterday. But the point is, I agree with what Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller said, I agree with what LeAnna Washington said, Cherelle Parker and Councilman Rizzo. I'm telling you, we are chipping away. I know it's not an instant answer, but I want you to be clear. I feel that Senator Washington said something else and John Myers had also said, pass one (unintelligible) and give the authority back. You still got to deal with the why's in having to pick 81 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 up a gun. So I don't think you can ignore that. You can pass those bills tomorrow, and I think we should pass them, but there is something psychologically wrong when somebody picks up a gun and points it at another person. You got to understand that. You got to deal with that. You cannot ignore it. When people pick up guns and point them at people, you're determined to kill that person. So it's really deep-seated. So, yes, we should do all the things that have been expressed to you, and we will. We will do all of those things. We will work together, with your help and cooperation, but there is something that is -- if it's a gun today, it can be a knife tomorrow, it can be a baseball bat. It can even be language that we use towards each other. And in politics, I will say to you, we're not as civil as we should be towards each other in what we 82 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 say. I would argue that the language that we use is the language that leads up to these other things. Civility, even if you disagree with me on something -- and you don't know me that well. Okay.

You disagree, so I don't want to take that lightly. So for what LeAnna Washington said, Cherelle Parker said, Donna Reed Miller said, I'm telling you, we are more organized and more coordinated than we've ever been. We're covering every single front. Even the Governor said the other day on television -- the question was asked at the press conference with you, I think, Rizzo and Darrell and the Mayor, even the Governor said -- this is the second time I heard him say this. They asked about one-gun law, but what he said I thought was even more interesting. He said he thought the one could pass, which I was shocked, about getting Philadelphia its authority back. Now, that gives it -- now, that's the second time. He 83 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 said it to Donna down in front of the Black Clergy, but it's the second time I heard him say that. So I'm saying to you, there's some prospects. We got to do some strategic thinking how we work. There's got to be a lot of work. The suburbs are more -- I spoke to Burt Segal. I told him we got to be strategic, work a plan out and be strategic in how we're doing it. So we are a lot closer to the thing, but even if we do that, we got to go back to like the Blueprint, the hospitals. We got to still do all those other things, because it's not just that one aspect.

You know, Dwight, it's interesting what you said, the why. We all have read, we've watched television where 12 Philadelphia policemen so far this year, 12 lives have been taken by Philadelphia police. Where I grew up, where most of us grew up, we 84 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 saved to buy a bicycle. Today young people save to buy a gun. And can you imagine to point a gun at a person, but to point a gun and want to kill a police officer? I mean, that's hard for me to even believe how a young person could do something like that. But when our police officers -- Captain, you know better than anyone in this room. When someone points a gun at them, they have a split second to make a decision. And I want our police officers to go home at night. It's unfortunate, but, Dwight, you hit it right on the head, why do our young people think that it's so cool to have a gun.

Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson says that a 15-second act can cost you your entire life in prison, and he's so right. And last week we did the press conference with the 1,500 guns. There's pictures of it right here. And that was only a fraction of what they actually have and 85 5/8/06 - PUBLIC SAFETY - RES. 051155 what's available on the street. So we're hoping that Rendell is right and we get that referendum, we can get that bill passed in Harrisburg so that we can manage and control our own weapon laws. I just wanted, before we close, to remind people that there's a ballot question on next Tuesday's ballot. We gave out flyers, and it says vote yes to the question, and that question actually will say, Philadelphia is one for those surveillance cameras. Now, they're not for every neighborhood and everybody is not for surveilling neighborhoods, but for neighborhoods that need them, we are really pushing to get this done, Councilman Clarke, Councilman Rizzo and myself, where we went to Baltimore and we saw what those cameras have helped do in East Baltimore, very violent, lots of open-air drug markets. We went there. It looked like a ghost town. We couldn't 86 believe it. But cameras will also help with illegal dumping. I know that I have some terrible dumps sites in the 8th Council District. I would love to put a camera there to try and prevent that dumping from occurring. So the question is on the ballot on Tuesday. Don't forget. We're pushing everybody to remember to vote yes. I want to thank everyone for attending this hearing. We're going to recess until Wednesday, May 17, 2006 at Olney High School at 7:00 p.m. Thank you for coming. (Applause.) (Joint Committees on Public Safety and Public Health and Human Services adjourned at 8:30 p.m.) - - - 87 CERTIFICATE I HEREBY CERTIFY that the proceedings, evidence and objections are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me upon the foregoing matter on May 8, 2006, and that this is a true and correct transcript of same. ______________________________ MICHELE L. MURPHY RPR-Notary Public (The foregoing certification of this transcript does not apply to any reproduction of the same by any means, unless under the direct control and/or supervision of the certifying reporter.)