A young man moved from <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/mayor-of-philadelphia-admits-on-camera-ill-be-happy-when-im-not-mayor/">Philadelphia</a> to Las Vegas in an effort to get away from the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-crowds-panic-and-flee-as-shooter-disrupts-philadelphia-fireworks-hits-two-officers">rampant violent crime in his city</a> — but he was shot and killed on Saturday after returning to Philadelphia for a friend&#8217;s funeral.
Diniar Camp, 26, was shot and killed just before 12:30 a.m. at 19th and Berks streets. He had returned to Philadelphia to honor the life of his late friend <a href="https://6abc.com/philadelphia-shooting-joelill-foy-murder-brotherly-love-sigel-street/12079794/">Joelill Foy</a>. Foy, also 26, was a founding member of the music group Brotherly Love and had been shot and killed outside his home on the 1800 block of Sigel Street just two weeks earlier.
&#8220;Stop the violence!&#8221; Camp&#8217;s mother, Kathi Camp, told reporters. Clearly distraught, she also claimed that her son had been intentionally targeted, although she did not say why she believed that. &#8220;They targeted him and it&#8217;s not fair because he would have loved you. He would have gave his heart to you.&#8221;
&#8220;My son was not a street person. He was loved by very many people,&#8221; Kathi Camp continued. &#8220;He was into music and dedicated his life to helping people, and talking to people and making them smile.&#8221;
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Philadelphia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Philadelphia</a> 
WATCH: A grieving mother pleads for peace on the streets after her son was gunned down at 19th and Berks. 
She tells reporters that she believes her son was targeted. 
He was in town for a a friends funeral who was also shot and killed in July. <a href="https://t.co/DFcbOzBDDo">pic.twitter.com/DFcbOzBDDo</a>
&mdash; PhillyCrimeUpdate (@PhillyCrimeUpd) <a href="https://twitter.com/PhillyCrimeUpd/status/1557443382242426880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 10, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Camp moved Las Vegas in part to pursue a career in music, his aunt Geraldine Camp told <a href="https://6abc.com/diniar-camp-murder-philadelphia-shooting-funeral-for-joelill-foy-philly-police/12113567/">local ABC News affiliate WPVI</a>. &#8220;He went away to pursue his music career. He only came here to bury his friend and now he&#8217;s leaving on a toe tag,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I wish he never would have ever even came here.&#8221;
&#8220;He went away to get his singing career. You know he got married. He wants kids. Y&#8217;all took all of that away from us. Y&#8217;all hit my family hard when you did this,&#8221; Geraldine Camp added.
Camp left behind a wife, Arryanna (22), who told reporters that she was still in shock. &#8220;What happened to him is just really sad. I just can&#8217;t even imagine this happening to anybody, but for it to happen to me, I&#8217;m only 22, he was only 26.&#8221;
According to local law enforcement, a violent repeat offender named Marcus Whitehead is being sought in connection with Camp&#8217;s murder.
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MARCUS WHITEHEAD, a violent repeat offender is now wanted for this murder <a href="https://t.co/tGo4GB4tTV">https://t.co/tGo4GB4tTV</a>
&mdash; PhillyCrimeUpdate (@PhillyCrimeUpd) <a href="https://twitter.com/PhillyCrimeUpd/status/1557444613832675329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 10, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Several members of Camp&#8217;s family told reporters that they planned to leave Philadelphia following the tragic loss.

North Philadelphia Neighborhood Affected by Police Shooting Comes Together to Heal

Young Man Leaves Philadelphia To Escape Violent Crime — Gets Shot When He Returns For A Funeral

Crime

Philadelphia

Violent Crime

Archaeologists at a public dig site in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/new-jersey">New Jersey</a> have discovered human remains and artifacts belonging to soldiers in the American Revolution.
The excavation, conducted by a team of more than 100 volunteers from the Gloucester County Archeological Society and nearby Rowan University, discovered what appeared to be a mass grave of soldiers at Red Bank Battlefield park in South Jersey. Officials said the remains appear to be from Hessian soldiers, German mercenaries who fought with the British army during the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/american-revolution">Revolution</a>. Other artifacts recovered at the site included a gold coin, metal clothing accessories, and ammunition.
“On June 26 during the final hours of a public archaeology dig at the site of the battlefield’s Fort Mercer trench, a human femur was discovered,” Rowan University history professor, public historian, and director of the Red Bank Battlefield Park, Jennifer Janofsky, said in a press conference announcing the findings. Further excavation along the trench unearthed the remains of at least 13 Hessian soldiers who fought at the Battle of Red Bank in 1777, the South Jersey <a href="https://www.courierpostonline.com/story/news/local/2022/08/02/archeological-dig-red-bank-battlefield-revoluntionary-war/65387713007/">Courier-Post</a> reported.
“This find is a remarkable discovery because a mass grave was a rarity on battlefields during the American Revolution,” South River Heritage Consulting principal archaeologist and dig site supervisor Wade Catts told reporters.
The dig also uncovered several items besides the remains: a 1766 gold guinea, stamped with the image of King George III, the equivalent of a soldier&#8217;s salary for a month, which the researchers said was extremely rare; a knee buckle from a soldier&#8217;s uniform that had trace remains of fabric and human blood; several buttons made of pewter and brass; and a number of musket balls and ammunition.
The artifacts were unveiled Tuesday, and will be displayed to the public again Wednesday, the <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/rowan-university-revolutionary-war-remains-dig-20220802.html">Philadelphia Inquirer</a> reported. The human remains have been transferred to the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/new-jersey">New Jersey</a> State Police public forensic unit, which will conduct a series of tests on the bones, including a “skeletal assessment, isotopic, genetic and radiological analyses,” to find out more about the origin and history of the soldiers, and possibly connect them to their descendants.
The non-human items will eventually be showcased somewhere at the park, while the remains will be buried elsewhere. The trench will be filled in and protective fencing will be removed so that the site can be fully incorporated back into the park.
The trench, some four and a half feet deep, was part of a system of earthworks that extended around Fort Mercer, the outpost where the battle took place. According to the Inquirer, Gloucester County officials purchased a quarter-acre wooded parcel of land in 2020 that included much of the trench, and Janofsky was granted $19,000 by the New Jersey Historical Commission to conduct an excavation, which was originally expected to be a study of the trench itself. The trench extends further into an adjacent neighborhood, but digging has stopped for now.
The Battle of Red Bank took place on October 22, 1777. A force of about 1,200 Hessian soldiers advanced on Fort Mercer, intending to capture it to allow British ships to pass into occupied Philadelphia. But a force of about 400 Continental Soldiers repelled the attack. In total, the Hessians suffered more than 300 casualties, while just 14 Americans were killed and 27 wounded.
Much of the battle site itself has been covered by the rising of the Delaware River, but the remaining banks and nearby Whitall House are still part of the present-day park.

Reenactment of Revolutionary war soldiers

Human Remains, Artifacts Found At Revolutionary War Battlefield Site In New Jersey

American History

American Revolution

Founding Fathers

New Jersey

On Tuesday, July 26, 2021, the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia Police departments <a href="https://broadandliberty.com/2022/07/28/philadelphia-police-department-retains-state-accreditation-but-issues-may-linger/">nearly</a> had their state accreditation <a href="https://www.wesa.fm/2022-07-01/pittsburgh-police-accreditation-threatened-by-law-to-scale-back-traffic-stops">revoked</a>. This all came to a head because they enacted policies that attempted to push back on municipal ordinances and state laws to reduce traffic stops, which were <a href="https://www.wesa.fm/politics-government/2021-12-16/pittsburgh-city-council-advances-bill-to-prevent-police-from-making-minor-traffic-stops">characterized</a> as “an effort to prevent police stops that could turn deadly for Black and brown people.” In Philadelphia, the “<a href="https://broadandliberty.com/2022/03/20/city-of-philadelphia-hobbles-police-with-dangerous-new-ordinance/">Driving Equality Bill”</a> was passed in 2021, prompting Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw to comply with Mayor Jim Kenney’s executive order 6-21, restricting officers from making traffic stops to enforce eight sections of the Pennsylvania Vehicle Code.
In April, the <a href="https://www.psp.pa.gov/About-PSP/Pages/Pennsylvania-Law-Enforcement-Accreditation-Commission-.aspx">Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission (PLEAC)</a> <a href="https://www.wesa.fm/2022-07-01/pittsburgh-police-accreditation-threatened-by-law-to-scale-back-traffic-stops">sent a letter</a> to Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw and then-Pittsburgh Police Chief Scott Schubert to notify them that their enacting of official department policies to comply with municipal ordinances that attempt to supersede the Pennsylvania vehicle code means that their departments “are no longer in full compliance with the state’s Accreditation Program and Standards.” 
On July 26th, the board met and scheduled separate hearings for Philadelphia and Pittsburgh leading to votes on their accreditation status. 
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Outlaw and her legal advisor, Inspector Healy, made a case that slightly differed from PLEAC’s interpretation. Their <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-police-union-fop-sues-traffic-stop-law-20220223.html">municipal ordinance</a> merely downgraded eight sections of the vehicle code from primary violations &#8211; where an officer can make a stop on observation &#8211; to secondary ones in which a citation can be issued once a stop for another offense was initiated (such as a seat belt violation). Commission members, who are all acting law enforcement chiefs throughout the state and casted a 10-8 vote, had originally considered a 90-day stay on the department’s status. However, several board members told local news outlet <a href="https://broadandliberty.com/2022/07/28/philadelphia-police-department-retains-state-accreditation-but-issues-may-linger/">Broad + Liberty</a> under a condition of anonymity that they were voting to allow the department a 90-day waiver, but they had voiced their belief that the City of Philadelphia was not in compliance.
According to board members, the Pittsburgh Police delegation did not show up at the meeting. Therefore, their accreditation status still remains in jeopardy.
In gaining <a href="https://pcpa.memberclicks.net/accreditation-home">PLEAC Accreditation</a>, police agencies have to comply with <a href="https://broadandliberty.com/2022/07/21/exclusive-philadelphia-police-to-lose-its-accreditation/">standard 1.1.1</a>, which requires:
<blockquote>“A written directive requiring all law enforcement personnel, prior to performing their sworn duties, to take and subsequently abide with an Oath of Office to support, obey and defend the constitution of the United States and the Pennsylvania Constitution and the laws of Pennsylvania and the governmental subdivision and that he/she will discharge the duties of the office with fidelity. 
Newly hired law enforcement officers, in a manner prescribed by the agency, shall also acknowledge that they will uphold, obey and enforce the law without consideration to a person’s race, color, sex, religious creed, sexual orientation, age, national origin, ancestry, handicap or disability.”</blockquote>
PLEAC Accreditation Program Coordinator for the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association, James Adams, <a href="https://broadandliberty.com/2022/07/21/exclusive-philadelphia-police-to-lose-its-accreditation/">stated</a> that the Philadelphia Police Department Commissioner and Accreditation Manager were sent the April letter advising them that “it came to the attention of the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission (PLEAC) that with the enactment of City Code § 12-1700, <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/10/15/philadelphia-passes-bill-barring-cops-from-minor-traffic-stops/">Driving Equality</a> law, Executive Order 6-21 Philadelphia Police Department is no longer in full compliance with the Accreditation Program and Standards.” 
This is due to the commission&#8217;s standards requiring the city to have “a written directive requiring all law enforcement personnel to support, obey and defend the constitution of the United States and the Pennsylvania Constitution and the laws of Pennsylvania.”
PLEAC Board member, Chief Patrick Molloy of the Abington Township Police Department <a href="https://broadandliberty.com/2022/07/28/philadelphia-police-department-retains-state-accreditation-but-issues-may-linger/">said</a>, “The ordinance itself is not in compliance with PLEAC standards. This prohibits police officers from the type of proactive policing that results in a reduction of crime and an improvement of quality of life.” 
“At a time when police reforms are requiring police departments to be more accountable and professional, this ordinance concedes that police officers are incapable of applying the law without consideration to race, which is why it’s not in compliance with our oath and with accreditation standards.” 
By passing these ordinances, James Adams <a href="https://whyy.org/articles/philadelphia-police-department-state-accreditation/">argued</a> that the Cities of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are trying to supersede constitutionally legislated state law with municipal ordinances, putting law enforcement officers at odds with their oath of office, by barring them from enforcing eight sections of the state’s vehicle code. 
Had the Pittsburgh Police Chief or Philadelphia Police Commissioner and their staff pushed back on these ordinances or come up with a creative solution &#8211; such as allowing officers to make stops but only issue written warnings as opposed to fines for these minor issues &#8211; these departments’ accreditations might not be in jeopardy.
“The PLEAC solicitor has verified that, by law, a first-class city [Philadelphia] or second-class city [Pittsburgh] does not have the authority to supersede state law.” <a href="https://broadandliberty.com/2022/07/21/exclusive-philadelphia-police-to-lose-its-accreditation/">said</a> Adams. 
<a href="https://twitter.com/aweisman1cesaid/status/1287014311731265542">Max Weisman</a>, communications director for Philadelphia City Council member <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/stop-and-frisk-philadelphia-isaiah-thomas-20220719.html">Isaiah Thomas</a> who sponsored Philadelphia’s Driving Equality Law, issued the following statement to <a href="https://broadandliberty.com/2022/07/28/philadelphia-police-department-retains-state-accreditation-but-issues-may-linger/">Broad + Liberty</a>: “Our bill simply reclassifies eight individual vehicle code violations as secondary violations.” Weisman continued, “It is the same method of enforcement of an officer noticing a driver without a seatbelt — it is a violation that can be enforced but cannot be the primary reason for a stop.”
To back up the data supporting Council member Thomas’s claims that these traffic stops targeted black and brown drivers, Weisman wrote that “there was a plethora of data that was included around this bill — data and lived experience is at the heart of Driving Equality.” Weisman reported that the Defenders Association of Philadelphia derived their analysis of data from the Philadelphia Police on traffic stops.
Weisman further remarked that “Driving Equality (and the Executive Order) passed with a complimentary data bill that will serve as an audit of Driving Equality. We believe in this model but are closely monitoring, alongside a Driving Equality Accountability Group, traffic stops to ensure this bill is in fact achieving its goal (of modifying the stops that promote discrimination while keeping the stops that promote public safety).”  When Weisman was requested to detail who is a part of this accountability group, how often they meet, and how members are recruited, Weisman provided a <a href="https://whyy.org/articles/group-monitor-philly-police-car-stop-reforms/">link to a local PBS story</a> and reported that the group “will keep a watchful eye on regulations designed to prevent Philadelphia police from stopping people for minor traffic infractions in the city.” 
The group includes representatives from the Defender Association of Philadelphia, the Abolitionist Law Center, and the Community Bail Fund as well as a pastor, a Villanova professor, and local residents classified as “neighborhood advocates.” The board listed in Weisman’s link states that the law “needs to be carefully monitored to be sure racial equity occurs while also ensuring public safety.” Yet, at the time of this writing, there are apparently no members of the board from the Inspector General, Controller, Police Department, or any trained traffic safety experts from the state police or state Department of Transportation. 
Former Police Chief himself, <a href="https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/08/more-than-just-a-police-chief-james-adams-retires-from-upper-allen-twp-after-42-year-career.html">James Adams</a>, acknowledged that officers “regularly use discretion when enforcing minor laws or conducting traffic stops” and noted that police agencies could have internally set those priorities  within the department. However, Adams remarked that “to craft an ordinance that prohibits officers from enforcing the law or being able to make lawful stops that can save lives is what puts Philadelphia and Pittsburgh out of compliance.”
For his part, Adams noted Council Member Thomas’ concerns, remarking that the “PLEAC wanted to review data proving that the Philadelphia police traffic enforcement policies target people of color for enforcement — and more specifically, how the Driving Equality ordinance would address such a problem while preserving public safety.”
“How does this bill actually correct the problem of bias as its proponents suggest?” Adams questioned. “How does prohibiting officers from enforcing these 8 sections of the vehicle code somehow solve the issue of racial disparity?”
Police Departments can operate without state or <a href="https://www.calea.org/">national</a> accreditation &#8211; but at added cost to local taxpayers.
<a href="https://broadandliberty.com/2022/07/21/exclusive-philadelphia-police-to-lose-its-accreditation/">Broad + Liberty</a> noted: “Independent law enforcement accreditation includes review of department policy, institution of best practices, annual reporting, and an independent external audit conducted every three years. One of the big drivers of this process is the reduction of operational risk and loss control, as comparative statistical reviews conducted over the last three decades show a positive correlation between accreditation and a reduction in liability and worker’s compensation claims.”
Further, by gaining accreditation, “agencies can improve their policies, training, and transparency to effectively defend themselves against lawsuits, reduce substantiated citizen complaints, equip command staff with a proven management system, and allow agencies an independent – externally vetted change management and self-audit system.”
Additionally, “in pushing the Philadelphia Police Department to comply with PLEAC standards a decade ago, [then-Commissioner] Ramsey negotiated a $1,500 bonus for each member of the department to meet accreditation standards” at a cost of nearly $10M in taxpayer revenue.
Moreover, “without an annual PLEAC accreditation audit due, what measures will the Philadelphia Police have to maintain compliance and show it is transparent in opening their policies, procedures, and operations to a valid third-party review?”
This is why law enforcement leaders and legal professionals need to be consulted in the drafting of any law or enforcement policies that may have implications to existing laws or public safety concerns. Had these departments delayed establishing policies that conflict with state standards, this issue would not have been up for a PLEAC vote. More importantly, given the record homicides recorded in both <a href="https://www.axios.com/local/philadelphia/2022/01/10/philadelphia-record-homicides-2021-police">Philadelphia</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-crime-shootings-violence-pittsburgh-24a2e12ccbf41ccf7360c490c1fee0db">Pittsburgh</a> last year, it may be irresponsible to consider greater restrictions on lawful law enforcement operations. To this, Adams said, “With the rise in crime throughout our nation, why would we prohibit our police from using the lawful tools at their disposal to address it?”
A. Benjamin <a href="https://abmannes.com/">Mannes</a>, MA, CPP served in both municipal and federal law enforcement, leading to his designation as a nationally recognized subject matter expert in security, public integrity, and criminal justice reform. He has served as a consultant and expert witness and as the Director, Office of Investigations for the American Board of Internal Medicine from 2008-2017. 
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Readers Pass – Mannes – Philly To Lose Police Accreditation16x9 (1)

License And Registration: Philadelphia Cops Caught In The Crossfire Over Traffic Stops

Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh

Police

Police Reform

Readers Pass

A massive fire engulfed one of Philadelphia&#8217;s most iconic cheesesteak restaurants, severely damaging it.
Firefighters responded to the scene at Jim&#8217;s Steaks on the corner of 4th and South Streets in South Philadelphia Friday. The blaze was officially declared a two-alarm fire, but the number of additional crews supporting first responders on site increased the number of crews to the equivalent of a three-alarm fire, the <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/jims-steaks-fire-philadelphia-south-street-20220729.html">Philadelphia Inquirer</a> reported.
The fire was declared under control at about 1:30 p.m. local time, Friday afternoon, nearly four hours after it began.
Evidence pointed to the fire starting somewhere in the shop&#8217;s HVAC system. “They just couldn’t get to it right away,” Jim&#8217;s Steaks owner Ken Silver told the Inquirer. “It was probably somewhere in some little space where those wires that were installed who knows how many years ago were.”
The fire began shortly after assistant manager Christina Lawlor opened the shop for the day. She said she noticed the air conditioner was malfunctioning when she first stepped into the building at around 7:15 a.m. &#8220;I knew it when I walked in this morning something wasn&#8217;t right because it was too hot,&#8221; Lawlor told <a href="https://6abc.com/jims-steaks-south-street-fire-philadelphia-philly-on/12082159/">6ABC Philadelphia</a>. Usually the air conditioner is running, the Inquirer noted. Then around 8:30 a.m., she began to smell electrical wiring burning. &#8220;I started smelling something. It smelled electrical, you know you can smell that,&#8221; she told reporters. &#8220;So I&#8217;m like, &#8216;something&#8217;s not right.&#8217; We looked up and saw smoke coming down from where the walk-in is and it was smoke pouring down.&#8221;
Lawlor said she told the shop&#8217;s staff to get out while she shut off the main circuit breaker box and called the fire department.
Fire crews arrived on scene at around 9:15 a.m. More crews were called to assist throughout the day as smoke enveloped the shop and a neighboring building. By 11:30 a.m., additional fire companies had been called to the scene to substitute for the first responding units who needed to rest after prolonged exposure to high temperatures outside. Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel told reporters that, in all, more than 125 firefighters, medics, and support personnel, and 57 vehicles were present at the site of the fire. The sheer amount of staff made the response the equivalent of a three-alarm fire.
The fire was finally declared under control at around 1:30 p.m., more than four hours after fire crews arrived. The building was severely damaged, and Thiel said there were concerns about the structural integrity of the shop. A clothing store adjacent to Jim&#8217;s was also damaged by the fire. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Established in 1976, Jim&#8217;s Steaks is one of Philadelphia&#8217;s iconic cheesesteak shops, along with a handful of other establishments around the city. According to its <a href="https://jimssouthstreet.com/about-us">website</a>, Jim&#8217;s was named &#8220;Best of Philly&#8221; five times by Philadelphia Magazine, and is rated on the Zagat survey.
Silver committed to rebuilding the shop, a local institution. “Absolutely, absolutely. I owe it to my father’s legacy,&#8221; Silver said. &#8220;I owe it to the street and I owe it to Philadelphia. We are too important a business to go away and I truly view it that way.”

Jim’s Steaks South Street

More Than 100 Firefighters, Medics Respond As Blaze Engulfs Iconic Philly Cheesesteak Shop

Fire

Food

An <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/illegal-immigration">illegal alien</a> suspected of a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/murder">murder</a> and unrelated stabbings in the northeast was arraigned Friday in West Roxbury, Massachusetts following his arrest on Thursday.
Wagner Tejeda-Pena, 24, appeared in municipal court Friday afternoon on two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in connection to two stabbings in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/boston">Boston</a> neighborhood in February, <a href="https://www.bostonherald.com/2022/07/15/philadelphia-murder-and-boston-stabbing-suspect-an-illegal-immigrant/">reported</a> the Boston Herald. He is also facing charges of being a fugitive out of Philadelphia, and a murder charge from June. After he fled Philadelphia, multiple warrants were placed for his arrest, and a multi-state search led the to arrest in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
&#8220;We got some information from a resident, a confidential tip that they may have possibly seen this individual,&#8221; Lawrence Police Chief Roy Vasque told an NBC affiliate after Tejeda-Pena was taken into custody.
According to the Herald, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has placed a detainer on the man. He was arrested during a routine traffic stop by Lawrence authorities.
In February, Tejeda-Pena <a href="https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/suspect-in-murder-stabbings-could-be-in-mass-or-ri-police-warn/2773207/">allegedly</a> attacked his barber shop co-worker in Boston after the illegal alien approached his colleague and accused him of being his biological father. The two men got into an argument outside of a Domino&#8217;s pizza franchise and Tejeda-Pena reportedly stabbed his co-worker at 10:20 am ET. Tejeda-Pena then allegedly stabbed another person that same day hours later at his aunt&#8217;s house.
Tejada-Pena is the primary suspect in the Philadelphia murder of a 76-year-old man, Loi Nguyen, on the morning of June 21. Nguyen died at approximately 5:44 a.m. ET from a gunshot wound that day.
Democratic Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney expressed his exasperation as to why somebody like him would commit such an atrocity or have access to a gun in the first place.
&#8220;Someone as inhumane as that should not have access to a gun ever, I mean what type of person would do that to another human being?&#8221; Kenney <a href="https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/suspect-in-murder-stabbings-could-be-in-mass-or-ri-police-warn/2773207/">told the press</a> regarding the murder of Nguyen. &#8220;I can’t explain to you what is in a person’s brain or doesn’t have a heart that would do that and then give them access to a gun and we have what we have.&#8221;
Critics have <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/07/05/hey-philly-mayor-jim-kenney-the-feelings-mutual-the-city-wants-you-out/">argued</a> that Kenney&#8217;s own policies as well as Philadelphia&#8217;s District Attorney Larry Krasner&#8217;s soft-on-crime approach have caused the uptick in Philadelphia violence in recent years. In 2021, there <a href="https://broadandliberty.com/2022/07/08/arrests-fall-57-in-philadelphia/">was</a> a record 562 homicides in the city. There <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/homicide-philadelphia-gun-violence-random-shootings-west-oak-lane-20220715.html">have been 292 murders</a> so far in 2022 in Philadelphia.
Kenney has also welcomed illegal aliens flouting federal law to find safe harbor in Philadelphia.
In 2018, Kenney celebrated that The City of Brotherly Love was a sanctuary city after a federal judge ruled that the city could not be prevented from certain federal funding because it declined to cooperate with ICE on certain matters relating to illegal aliens and suspected criminals.
&#8220;We are a sanctuary city!&#8221; an excited Kenney said while dancing around his office.
A staffer for the Mayor posted the video to social media, saying, &#8220;Needless to say, I think @janeslusser and @PhillyMayor are pretty excited about today’s ruling affirming Philadelphia as a Sanctuary City.&#8221; Jane Slusser was Kenney&#8217;s chief of staff at the time.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Needless to say, I think <a href="https://twitter.com/janeslusser?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@janeslusser</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/PhillyMayor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PhillyMayor</a> are pretty excited about today’s ruling affirming Philadelphia as a Sanctuary City. <a href="https://t.co/gdnnjZT9ps">pic.twitter.com/gdnnjZT9ps</a>
&mdash; Steve Preston (@StevePrest) <a href="https://twitter.com/StevePrest/status/1004406985343848448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 6, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Tejeda-Pena is being held without bail. It is unknown when he will be extradited to Philadelphia.

Wagner Tejeda-Pena

Illegal Alien Wanted For Philadelphia Murder, Two Boston Stabbings Found After Multi-State Search

Illegal Alien Charged In Philadelphia Murder, Two Boston Stabbings Arrested After Multi-State Search

Boston

Illegal Immigration

Immigrants

Republicans and Democrats in the <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/pennsylvania">Pennsylvania</a> House of Representatives announced a new committee this week devoted to examining rising <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/crime">crime</a> rates in <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/philadelphia">Philadelphia</a>, hinting toward the recommended impeachment of District Attorney Larry Krasner (D-PA).
The “Select Committee on Restoring Law and Order” — led by three Republicans, as well as two Democrats representing Philadelphia — was created through the adoption of House Resolution 216. The <a href="https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2021&amp;sInd=0&amp;body=H&amp;type=R&amp;bn=0216">legislation</a> calls for lawmakers to investigate violent crime rates and the use of funds to prosecute offenders, and to make determinations on Krasner’s performance and suggest “removal from office or other appropriate discipline, including impeachment.”
“This bipartisan group of lawmakers understands that what residents and visitors of Philadelphia are currently experiencing must change,” House Speaker Bryan Cutler (R-PA) said in a <a href="https://www.pahousegop.com/News/31102/Latest-News/Speaker-Names-Committee-to-Investigate-Rising-Crime-Rates">statement</a>. “I am confident these members will work together to find solutions and hold those in power accountable for allowing crime in Philadelphia to reach the levels they have today.”
After assuming his post in 2018, Krasner <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/unsustainable-soros-backed-philadelphia-da-loses-hundreds-of-attorneys-in-first-term">prioritized</a> progressive changes to the criminal justice system, including lax bail policies and reduced prosecutions for certain crimes, prompting hundreds of attorneys to leave his office.
With 562 homicides, the City of Brotherly Love experienced its <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/04/01/1089406018/philadelphia-set-a-homicide-record-in-2021-now-police-hope-a-new-tactic-deters-c">highest level of homicides</a> in 2021. The most recent surge in killings began in 2020, according to Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) <a href="https://www.phillypolice.com/crime-maps-stats/">data</a>. Yet Krasner has denied that violence is a growing issue in Philadelphia.
“We don’t have a crisis of lawlessness, we don’t have a crisis of crime, we don’t have a crisis of violence,” he said at a press conference last year. “It’s important that we don’t let this become mushy and bleed into the notion that there is some kind of big spike in crime.”
News of violent crime in Philadelphia has repeatedly made national headlines, however. Last month, three people were murdered and 11 wounded in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/three-dead-11-wounded-in-late-night-mass-shooting-in-philadelphia-restaurant-and-bar-district">mass shooting</a> that involved multiple gunmen in a neighborhood of Philadelphia known for its bars and restaurants. “The events that transpired last evening on South Street are beyond devastating,” Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney (D-PA) said at the time. “Once again, we see lives senselessly lost and those injured in yet another horrendous, brazen and despicable act of gun violence.”
In another high-profile incident, seven juveniles <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ten-year-old-and-brother-surrender-after-old-man-beaten-to-death-with-traffic-cone">beat an elderly man</a> to death with a traffic cone. “The teens struck the victim several times with objects, knocking the victim to the ground causing injuries to his head,” the PPD said. “The victim was transported to the hospital where he died of his injuries the following day.”
Krasner is by no means the only progressive prosecutor to face scrutiny in recent months. San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, who likewise eliminated cash bail and shifted priorities away from prosecuting shoplifters, was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chesa-boudin-soft-on-crime-son-of-terror-group-members-bitter-after-recall-as-san-francisco-da">successfully recalled</a> last month by the city’s voters. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón presently faces a recall after more than 715,000 citizens endorsed a petition to begin the process, according to the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-07-09/715-833-signatures-turned-in-to-recall-los-angeles-county-da-gascon-election-officials-say">Los Angeles Times</a>.
A study from the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/george-soros-invested-40-million-to-help-elect-dozens-of-progressive-prosecutors-across-the-u-s-study">found</a> that George Soros — a progressive billionaire and founder of the Open Society Foundations — has spent roughly $40 million over the past decade to elect dozens of progressive prosecutors across the country. The officials preside over 20% of Americans and more than 40% of homicides in the United States.

Philadelphia Mayor Kenney Names Danielle Outlaw As New Police Commissioner

Democrats And Republicans Join Forces To Investigate Philadelphia’s Woke District Attorney

Pennsylvania House Makes Move Toward Impeaching Philadelphia's Woke DA Larry Krasner

George Soros

A man managed to fight off two armed assailants in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/philadelphia">Philadelphia</a> while being shot twice.
Video from nearby buildings recorded a 46-year-old man fighting off two armed attackers in the early afternoon on Monday. The attempted muggers fled the scene in a dark SUV after the man managed to wrestle a gun from one of the attackers and fired upon the other.
The video, obtained by the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11014161/Dramatic-robbery-moment-victim-shot-fends-two-attackers-crime-ridden-Philadelphia.html">Daily Mail</a>, shows one assailant walking down a sidewalk. Another camera angle is then shown of the victim struggling with the assailant over a gun as the two collide with a stop sign before falling to the pavement.
The second assailant is seen running from across the street as the victim and the first attempted mugger struggle on the ground over a gun. The second assailant pulls a gun and appears to look for an open shot. For a moment, the victim is able to hold the first assailant between himself and the second before gaining control of the gun and exchanging fire with the second attacker.
The two men exchange fire as the second attacker drops to the ground, apparently shot. The first assailant is seen fleeing the scene as soon as he loses his gun.
The two attackers fled in a dark SUV that authorities thought to be an Infiniti. The victim was transported to a nearby hospital with bullet wounds to his buttock and left ankle.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Shooting Incident 4201 Cheltenham Ave DC 22 15 050237" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hJb8XNEjeek?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Shootings in the City of Brotherly Love are at a record rate so far this year. Police crime data from the first of the year through June 21 <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/crime/philadelphia-gun-violence-2022-shootings-data-20220622.html">show</a> that shootings across the city have increased 8% when compared to the same time period last year. That amounts to nearly 1,100 people being shot.
The record rate in shootings has been somewhat tempered by a year-to-year decrease in homicides. Over the same time period, there have been 15 fewer homicides in the city than last year, a 6% drop.
Still, the chaos fed by crime has led to “a general feeling of fear” across the city, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw told <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/philadelphia-police-commissioner-danielle-outlaw-discusses-state-violent-crime-general-feeling-fear">Fox News</a> last month.
&#8220;Residence are feeling dismayed, obviously. There&#8217;s a general feeling of fear, whether it&#8217;s perception or reality just because of the numbers we&#8217;re seeing,” Outlaw said. “Our homicides have been trending slightly downward, but … we’re still seeing a vast number of shootings.”

WATCH: Victim Fights Off Two Attempted Muggers In Philadelphia Shootout

Shooting

Two of the seven juveniles who allegedly beat an elderly man to death with a traffic cone last month in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, turned themselves in on Monday to authorities.
According to <a href="https://twitter.com/KeeleyFox29/status/1546593914567761922">local media</a>, two unidentified brothers, ages 14 and 10, turned themselves in to the Philadelphia Police Department&#8217;s Homicide Unit for their involvement in the murder of 73-year-old James &#8220;Simmie&#8221; Lambert. Currently, the suspects have not received formal charges.
Authorities released security camera footage last week showing the group of teens violently beating Lambert with traffic cones. They described the suspects as &#8220;four black males and three black females who appear to be in their early to mid-teens.&#8221;
&#8220;The teens struck the victim several times with objects, knocking the victim to the ground causing injuries to his head,&#8221; Philadelphia PD <a href="https://blotter.sites.phillypolice.com/2022/07/wanted-suspects-for-homicide-in-the-22nd-district-video-3/">said</a>. &#8220;The victim was transported to the hospital where he died of his injuries the following day.&#8221;
The video shows the suspects chasing Lambert across the street before one clocks him in the back of the head with a traffic cone that knocked him down. Another teen then picks up the cone and throws it at the elderly man while he&#8217;s on the ground. Lambert then gets up and attempts to get away, but the group of juveniles once again pursues him before they are out of the camera&#8217;s frame.
NBC10 reported video surveillance shows the suspects leaving the crime scene with one hopping on a scooter and talking to another young person walking alongside him right after the attack. They can later be seen gathering again, with one teen mimicking a person stumbling.
Authorities transported Lambert to a nearby hospital, where he died the following day.
Lambert&#8217;s family, who saw him hours before the attack, told NBC Philadelphia they&#8217;re heartbroken and in disbelief that the attack happened by a group of kids.
&#8220;It&#8217;s so evil,&#8221; Elsie Stephens, the victim&#8217;s older sister told <a href="https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/deadly-traffic-cone-beating-north-philadelphia/3293913/">NBC10</a>. &#8220;How could you do that to a person. You have a mother and a father — how could you just beat a man until you take off half of his skull?&#8221;
Lambert&#8217;s niece said she couldn&#8217;t comprehend teenagers would beat an older person in the street for no apparent reason.
&#8220;I&#8217;m sick to my stomach over this,&#8221; Tania Stephens, Lambert&#8217;s niece, told the <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/07/09/family-of-philadelphia-beating-victim-james-lambert-speak/">New York Post</a>. &#8220;We all can&#8217;t stop crying.&#8221;
&#8220;Who does this? Anyone normal doesn&#8217;t beat up and kill a senior citizen walking down the street,&#8221; she added. &#8220;Simmie didn&#8217;t deserve this.&#8221;
Philadelphia law enforcement offered a $20,000 reward to identify the seven suspects.
&#8220;These kids should come forward,&#8221; Stephens told the New York Post. &#8220;Their parents should come forward. Something is very wrong when kids are out at 2 a.m. beating and killing an old man. We&#8217;ve lost God. We&#8217;ve lost family. What&#8217;s happened to us?&#8221;
NBC10 reported Philadelphia police data shows the city has seen 280 homicides in 2022 — only 2% lower than the same time last year.
Homicide data shows 2021 in Philadelphia as the deadliest year in history.
Zach Jewell <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/city-of-brotherly-love-newly-released-video-shows-group-of-philly-teens-beating-elderly-man-with-traffic-cone">contributed</a> to this report.

High Angle View Of Traffic Cone On Road At Night

Ten-Year-Old And Brother Surrender After Old Man Beaten To Death With Traffic Cone

Two Juveniles Surrender Themselves In Connection To Murder of 78-Year-Old Man

Homicide

Murder

A shocking video released by the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/philadelphia">Philadelphia</a> Police Department shows a group of seven teenagers beating an elderly man with a traffic cone as he attempted to cross the street.
James &#8220;Simmie&#8221; Lambert was violently beaten by teenagers in the city in the early morning hours of June 24. He died the next day from the injuries he sustained in the attack, according to police, NBC 10 Philadelphia <a href="https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/deadly-traffic-cone-beating-north-philadelphia/3293913/">reported</a>.
“The teens struck the victim several times with objects, knocking the victim to the ground causing injuries to his head,” Philadelphia PD said. “The victim was transported to the hospital where he died of his injuries the following day.”
Security camera footage shows the group of teens chasing Lambert across the street before one of them nails him in the back of the head with a traffic cone, knocking him down. Another teen then picks up the cone and throws it on the elderly man while he’s on the ground. Lambert then gets up and attempts to get away, but he is once again pursued by the group of juveniles before they are out of the camera&#8217;s frame.
The graphic video is age-restricted by YouTube, but can be viewed <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWac6z6kEWo">here</a>.
Philadelphia PD is <a href="https://blotter.sites.phillypolice.com/2022/07/wanted-suspects-for-homicide-in-the-22nd-district-video-3/">offering</a> a $20,000 reward as it searches for suspects it describes “Four black males and three black females who appear to be in their early to mid-teens.”
Lambert&#8217;s family told NBC 10 reporter Danny Freeman they are heartbroken over his death and in “disbelief” that a group of teenagers would attack him.
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This is James “Simmie” Lambert, the man who was killed. 
His family tells me they’re heart broken and they saw him just hours before he was attacked.
They’re in disbelief a group of kids did this.<a href="https://twitter.com/NBCPhiladelphia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBCPhiladelphia</a> <a href="https://t.co/U0Lko1MCf5">https://t.co/U0Lko1MCf5</a> <a href="https://t.co/gtkY7UVe7I">pic.twitter.com/gtkY7UVe7I</a>
&mdash; Danny Freeman (@DannyEFreeman) <a href="https://twitter.com/DannyEFreeman/status/1545447627965272064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The attack on Lambert is yet another recent example of violence in the Democrat-run “City of Brotherly Love.” On July 4, the city’s fireworks display was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-crowds-panic-and-flee-as-shooter-disrupts-philadelphia-fireworks-hits-two-officers">disrupted</a> when a shooter fired into a crowd, injuring two police officers, and in early June, a mass shooter <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/three-dead-11-wounded-in-late-night-mass-shooting-in-philadelphia-restaurant-and-bar-district">killed</a> three people and wounded 11 in the city’s restaurant and bar district.
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WATCH: Chaos erupts on the streets of Philadelphia after a shooting during a Fourth of July fireworks display. <a href="https://t.co/UGelIRcdi1">pic.twitter.com/UGelIRcdi1</a>
&mdash; BNN Newsroom (@BNNBreaking) <a href="https://twitter.com/BNNBreaking/status/1544148559607767040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney (D) even <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mayor-of-philadelphia-admits-on-camera-ill-be-happy-when-im-not-mayor">admitted</a> earlier this week that he will be happy when his term ends because he’s “waiting for something bad to happen all the time.”
There’s not an event or a day where I don’t lay on my back and look at the ceiling and worry about stuff. So everything we have in the city over the last seven years, I worry about,” Kenney remarked. “I don’t enjoy the Fourth of July, I don’t enjoy the Democratic National Convention, I don’t enjoy the NFL draft — I’m waiting for something bad to happen all the time.”
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“I’m waiting for something bad to happen all the time. So I’ll be happy when I’m not here, when I’m not mayor, and I can enjoy some stuff,” Philly Mayor Jim Kenney said. <a href="https://t.co/ZkvrGTmwKH">https://t.co/ZkvrGTmwKH</a> <a href="https://t.co/R9X4TIBMcR">pic.twitter.com/R9X4TIBMcR</a>
&mdash; Matt Petrillo (@MattPetrillo) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattPetrillo/status/1544253177461088256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2022</a></blockquote>
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City Of Brotherly Love: Newly Released Video Shows Group Of Philly Teens Beating Elderly Man With Traffic Cone

Newly Released Video Shows Group Of Philly Teens Beating Elderly Man With Traffic Cone

A coffee shop in <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/philadelphia">Philadelphia</a> known for its <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/lgbtq">LGBTQ</a> brand identity closed its doors after employees revolted against the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/business">owners</a> and demanded that they “redistribute” the company.
Mina’s World, located in the neighborhood of West Philadelphia, was characterized by <a href="https://www.bonappetit.com/story/minas-world">Bon Appetit</a> as a business that doubled as a “hangout spot for people of marginalized identities.” Sonam Parikh, who ran the company alongside partner and co-owner Kate Egghart, told the outlet that Mina’s World was the city’s first coffee shop owned and operated by queer, trans people of color (&#8220;QTPOC&#8221;). The pair had named the company after their cat.
Parikh blasted other coffee shops for neglecting to “protect their Black and trans employees” and allow customers to enjoy coffee in a space that was not “whitewashed.” However, as chronicled by the <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/minas-world-cafe-west-philly-people-fridge-philadelphia-20220702.html">Philadelphia Inquirer</a> and <a href="https://www.libsoftiktok.com/p/queer-owned-business-shut-down-by?sd=pf">Libs of TikTok</a>, Parikh and Egghart are now facing similar allegations.
An Instagram page called the &#8220;Minas World Workers&#8221; began posting <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CezUOrlJEiz/">accusations</a> against the ownership last month, claiming that they had subjected workers to “manipulation, abuse of power, exploitation, anti-blackness, ableism,” and other charges summarized in a “List of Grievances.” The employees demanded “immediate payment” and told the owners to “redistribute the business.”
Egghart and Parikh apologized in an Instagram video, which has since been removed from the Mina’s World account. “We’re going live as part of a radical accountability process. We’re complicit in the gentrification and anti-blackness on 52nd Street. We put our community at risk with our presence as well as our workers,” the pair said, per Libs of TikTok. “With the guidance of the workers and Black and Brown Workers Collective, we’re trying to raise funds to buy the business and turn it over to our staff.”
Days later, the building that hosted Mina’s World was listed for sale. According to the workers, Kate Egghart’s mother, Eunjoo, was the owner of the building as well as an 18% owner of the company. The workers claimed that despite Parikh and Egghart’s best efforts, she “refused” the request to redistribute the business.
The workers attempted to raise $200,000 via <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-the-workers-of-minas-world?member=19986061&amp;sharetype=teams&amp;utm_campaign=p_na+share-sheet&amp;utm_medium=copy_link&amp;utm_source=customer">GoFundMe</a> to purchase the building, as well as the share of the business allegedly owned by Eunjoo Egghart. They managed to raise over $11,000 by July 6. In early July, however, Mina’s World <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cfe5u5qpnpB/">said</a> it did not “have enough money to continue operating” and closed its doors.
Mina’s World failed despite substantial media attention since its opening in 2020. <a href="https://philly.eater.com/22517795/minas-world-west-philly-sonam-parikh-kate-egghart">Eater</a> lauded the business for selling “crispy spinach-and-onion pakoras, creative chai lattes, and ceramic incense holders made by local artists” even as it remained a “safe, inclusive culture” that prioritized fair worker pay. <a href="https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/tyler-ford">Complex</a> mentioned Mina’s World as a “lovely and queer and trans owned,” praising its ability to “sell artwork and books from people in their community and make a lot of their own homemade recipes.”
Yet as Libs of TikTok commented, the owners still appeared to be cannibalized by their fellow activists.
“Egghart and Parikh’s surrender to the outrage shows a point proven again and again — no matter how many times you bend the knee to the mob, you will never be able to adhere to their insatiable standards for progressive enlightenment,” Libs of TikTok remarked. “No matter how much of an ‘ally’ you are, you will never be safe from becoming just another trophy head on the wall of wokeism.”

People waiting on an LGBTQ pride parade

Woke Coffee Shop Closes Down After Insane Demands From Even-More-Woke Employees

Queer-Run Coffee Shop Shuts Down After Employees Cannibalize Owners For Not Being Woke Enough

Business

LGBTQ

Wokeness

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/philadelphia">Philadelphia</a> Mayor Jim Kenney (D) admitted on the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fourth-of-july">Fourth of July</a> that he would &#8220;be happy&#8221; when his term is complete and he is no longer leading the city.
During an Independence Day fireworks display put on by the City of Brotherly Love, a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mass-shooting">shooter</a> <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-crowds-panic-and-flee-as-shooter-disrupts-philadelphia-fireworks-hits-two-officers">hit two police officers</a> — grazing one on the forehead and the other on the right shoulder. Footage of the attack shows civilians near the city’s art museum fleeing the scene.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
WATCH: Chaos erupts on the streets of Philadelphia after a shooting during a Fourth of July fireworks display. <a href="https://t.co/UGelIRcdi1">pic.twitter.com/UGelIRcdi1</a>
— BNN Newsroom (@BNNBreaking) <a href="https://twitter.com/BNNBreaking/status/1544148559607767040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2022</a></blockquote>
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In subsequent comments to <a href="https://6abc.com/philadelphia-july-4th-shooting-philly-police-officers-shot-party-on-the-parkway-officer/12019494/">6ABC</a>, Kenney admitted that incidents like the Fourth of July shooting make him look forward to no longer serving as mayor.
“There’s not an event or a day where I don’t lay on my back and look at the ceiling and worry about stuff. So everything we have in the city over the last seven years, I worry about,” Kenney remarked. “I don’t enjoy the Fourth of July, I don’t enjoy the Democratic National Convention, I don’t enjoy the NFL draft — I’m waiting for something bad to happen all the time.”
“So I’ll be happy when I’m not here, when I’m not mayor, and I can enjoy some stuff,” he added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
“I’m waiting for something bad to happen all the time. So I’ll be happy when I’m not here, when I’m not mayor, and I can enjoy some stuff,” Philly Mayor Jim Kenney said. <a href="https://t.co/ZkvrGTmwKH">https://t.co/ZkvrGTmwKH</a> <a href="https://t.co/R9X4TIBMcR">pic.twitter.com/R9X4TIBMcR</a>
— Matt Petrillo (@MattPetrillo) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattPetrillo/status/1544253177461088256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The bewildered reporter clarified, “You’re looking forward to not being mayor?” Kenney replied, “Yeah,” before appearing to laugh awkwardly.
Kenney assumed office as mayor of Philadelphia in 2016 after serving on the Philadelphia City Council since 1992. His current term expires in 2024.
Despite his pessimism, Kenney took a different approach on social media. “Our traditions cannot and will not be ruined by the scourge of gun violence,” he <a href="https://twitter.com/PhillyMayor/status/1544183263584976896?s=20&amp;t=oteafu0lr1wPaspEQCsnyQ">said</a> after the shooting. “I love this city, and as Mayor, there’s nothing more I want than to help solve this problem and keep our residents and visitors safe.”
Yet Philadelphia has languished in recent years. The city experienced its <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/04/01/1089406018/philadelphia-set-a-homicide-record-in-2021-now-police-hope-a-new-tactic-deters-c">highest level of homicides</a> in 2021, with 562 murders. The most recent surge in killings began in 2020, according to <a href="https://www.phillypolice.com/crime-maps-stats/">Philadelphia Police Department</a> data.
Last month, three people were murdered and 11 wounded in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/three-dead-11-wounded-in-late-night-mass-shooting-in-philadelphia-restaurant-and-bar-district">mass shooting</a> involving multiple gunmen in a neighborhood of Philadelphia known for its bars and restaurants. “The events that transpired last evening on South Street are beyond devastating,” Kenney said at the time. “Once again, we see lives senselessly lost and those injured in yet another horrendous, brazen and despicable act of gun violence.”
Economic woes have also struck the city as soaring gas prices impact low-income residents. The Daily Wire recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/everything-is-too-high-right-now-in-west-philadelphia-residents-battle-inflation-and-gas-prices">interviewed</a> residents of West Philadelphia — where median household income is 43% of the national level — about their struggles to make ends meet.
“It’s too high. I don’t know what happened, because the price of everything is too high now,” Mohamed, a West Philadelphia resident and immigrant from French-speaking Africa, told The Daily Wire. Gas prices have significantly impacted him due to his daily commute to nearby New Jersey.
“I was using maybe $30 per week. Now I use almost $100,” Iliassou Koukpelerou, who drives a Hyundai Ioniq hybrid, told The Daily Wire. “It’s too much. I don’t know what they’re going to do about it.&#8221;
“They have to do something to lower the prices, so we can enjoy the way we were before,” he continued. “People don’t have money in their pockets anymore.”

Jim Kenney

Mayor Of Philadelphia Admits On Camera ‘I’ll Be Happy… When I’m Not Mayor’

Mayor Of Philadelphia Admits He Will 'Be Happy' When Term Is Complete

4th of July

Mass Shooting

Mayor

Crowds scattered on Monday night as an active shooter disrupted Philadelphia&#8217;s July Fourth celebration, Party on the Parkway, injuring two police officers.
According to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/philadelphia-2-police-officers-shot-fourth-july">news reports</a>, the shooting happened just after the fireworks display got underway, around 10 p.m. local time. Witnesses say the shots came from the area in front of the Art Museum, and two police officers were hit. Subsequent reports stated that the officers are in stable condition following the shooting — but no arrests have yet been made and the suspect has not been publicly identified.
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🚨<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BREAKING</a>: Reports or active shooter at Ben Franklin Parkway during firework show in Philly 
📌<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Philadelphia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Philadelphia</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PA</a> 
Right now multiple authorities are responding to a active shooter situation at Ben Franklin Parkway during firework show in Philadelphia causing mass panic <a href="https://t.co/4v521s6AfO">pic.twitter.com/4v521s6AfO</a>
&mdash; R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) <a href="https://twitter.com/rawsalerts/status/1544145430430228480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2022</a></blockquote>
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WATCH: Chaos erupts on the streets of Philadelphia after a shooting during a Fourth of July fireworks display. <a href="https://t.co/UGelIRcdi1">pic.twitter.com/UGelIRcdi1</a>
&mdash; BNN Newsroom (@BNNBreaking) <a href="https://twitter.com/BNNBreaking/status/1544148559607767040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Action News, Philadelphia&#8217;s ABC affiliate (WPVI) <a href="https://6abc.com/police-offier-shot-ben-franklin-parkway-shooting-investigation-4th-of-july/12018760/">reported</a>, &#8220;Police say a Philadelphia officer assigned to highway patrol sustained a graze wound to the head. A second officer assigned to Montgomery County Bomb Squad sustained a gunshot wound to the right shoulder. That officer was there to assist Philadelphia police, as officers from surrounding counties often do during large events in the city.&#8221;
Philadelphia Police officers warned people to &#8220;avoid the area,&#8221; directing spectators who may have been separated from their friends and family in the melee to meet &#8220;at 1901 Vine Street in front of the Free Library of Philadelphia.&#8221;
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For those looking to reunite with loved ones on the Parkway, please meet at 1901 Vine Street in front of the Free Library of Philadelphia. All others, please avoid the area.
&mdash; Philadelphia Police (@PhillyPolice) <a href="https://twitter.com/PhillyPolice/status/1544149987424145409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Monday evening&#8217;s <a href="https://www.visitphilly.com/things-to-do/events/july-4th-festival-concert-and-fireworks/#party-on-the-parkway">Party on the Parkway</a> — which included a free concert featuring Jason DeRulo, AvaMax, and Tori Kelly in addition to the fireworks display — was supposed to be the grand finale of the annual <a href="https://welcomeamerica.com/about/">Welcome America</a> celebration. Welcome America sixteen days of family-friendly programming that began on June 19th — in order to incorporate Juneteenth into the celebration of freedom and liberty — and ended July 4th.
According to a report from Fox News, the 2022 Welcome America celebration was the first since COVID-related lockdowns shuttered a number of large gatherings in early spring of 2020 — and some 100,000 people were expected to attend.
Pennsylvania Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D), who represents northern Philadelphia&#8217;s 181st District, responded to the shooting on Twitter.
&#8220;We shouldn’t have to live like this. Family after family and community after community forced to live with the gut wrenching pain of gun violence. I’m absolutely gutted by the reports of a shooting tonight in the Philadelphia Art Museum area during the July 4th concert,&#8221; he said.
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We shouldn’t have to live like this. Family after family and community after community forced to live with the gut wrenching pain of gun violence. 
I’m absolutely gutted by the reports of a shooting tonight in the Philadelphia Art Museum area during the July 4th concert.
&mdash; Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (@malcolmkenyatta) <a href="https://twitter.com/malcolmkenyatta/status/1544145905988812801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The shooting comes just hours after a <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/shooting-sends-4th-of-july-parade-into-chaos-multiple-feared-injured-or-dead/">shooter</a> fired on an Independence Day parade in Highland Park, Illinois, killing at least six and wounding two dozen others.

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Video Shows Crowd Panic, Flee As Shooter Disrupts Philadelphia Fireworks, Hits Two Officers

Crowds Panic And Flee As Shooter Disrupts Philadelphia Fireworks, Hits Two Officers

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