Jimmie Moore: Call out National Guard for Philly crime
Jimmie Moore, the former Philadelphia Municipal Court judge challenging U.S. Rep. Bob Brady for the 1st Congressional District in the April 24 Democratic primary election, just called on the U.S. Army National Guard to be deployed in the streets of the city to combat crime.
Jimmie Moore: Call out National Guard for Philly crime
Chris Brennan
Jimmie Moore, the former Philadelphia Municipal Court judge challenging U.S. Rep. Bob Brady for the 1st Congressional District in the April 24 Democratic primary election, just called on the U.S. Army National Guard to be deployed in the streets of the city to combat crime.
Brady, through a spokesman, declined to comment on Moore's call.
UPDATE, 5:40 pm: Mark McDonald, a spokesman for Mayor Nutter, calls Moore's call for the National Guard deployment "a misguided proposal by a political candidate in search of media attention."
Here's Moore's statement:
Enough is Enough: Call in the Guard
The murder rate in this city has reached epidemic proportions. Our local law enforcement agencies are stretched to the limit, and that is why I am calling for the support of the National Guard to support the brave men and women of the Philadelphia Police Department in their efforts to not only respond to but also prevent the record levels of violent crime spreading across the city and leading to a state of emergency. We are only one month into 2012 and there are already 32 murders on the books, that’s more than a murder a day.
The National Guard is frequently called on to aide cities in crisis, including post-Katrina New Orleans, Camden, and Chicago. The presence of this arm of the military can have a proactive effect on communities through the prevention of violent crime. Philadelphia has seen a rise in unprovoked acts of violence that requires the most drastic of measures, including the fatal beating of a recent Temple graduate in Old City, and the Vietnam veteran assaulted by teens in Olney. That is why the presence of the National Guard is urgently needed in the city; we must not be a silent party to this culture of crime.
A particularly senseless act of violence this past weekend involving a cab driver and passenger brought to light the paralysis of a community that sits and watches in terror as these brazen assaults were perpetrated before their eyes. Our residents are gripped with fear; this is not a time to put sunglasses over the black eye that is this violent scourge upon our city: it is time to move forward and go to the doctor. Yes, we should be ashamed that a small number of criminal s have taken over our neighborhoods, but we must not be so ashamed and proud that we turn our backs on the most vulnerable to save face in front of the nation, and if that means drawing national attention to the danger in our midst, then so be it. It is time to take the bold action of asking for the federal government to step in and help us take back the city.
I applaud the law enforcement officers and public officials who work tirelessly to make this city a safer place to live. The federal government should be providing all available resources to help these public servants protect the citizens of Philadelphia, and that includes the deployment of the National Guard to patrol and provide surveillance in our most at-risk neighborhoods and populations. Just like the community leaders in the movie “Jaws” didn’t want to close the beach down because it would be bad for tourism and a black eye on their town, there will be those that don’t want to stigma of having what they might call martial law in Killadelphia. Meanwhile, we cannot stand idly by while the jaws of violence are terrorizing, maiming, and killing our neighbors. In 2011 Philadelphia had the highest murder rate of large cities in this country. Building a coalition between local and national law enforcement bodies is the solution we need to defeat the violence that has swept across our city, and overcome the fear that has taken hold in our communities.
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hey nat, while you're investigating the trade unions, be sure to investgate the ranking officers of the phila. fire dept., find out why they are instructing freshman minority fire fighters to file racial discrimination charges in exchange for choice of fire house to work out of!!!
racism is big business, if it gos away, so do all the benefits associated with it, thats why when census numbers showed latinos were the NEW MINORITY, the african americans challenged those numbers in federal court.
thats why i find it so funny that "minorities" don't vote for republicans because "they are all millionaires" that only care about millionaires, so they vote for MULTI-MILLIONAIRE democrats, the very people they claim republicans only look out for.— tmstr929- I have a better solution--how about all tax payers just refuse to pay their taxes for a year or so or until the problem is cleaned up?— crystalrainbowspirit1
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- Where's Chris Brennan's snide remark about Moore? Or does he only save them for Republicans?— Northeaster
- Pandering fool.— Tkat
- One word, concealed carry permits for all law abiding citizens. Its friggin Dodge City out there!!!— gtb513
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- I was XO of a National Guard company in Puerto Rico in 1975 when the Guard was mobilized because of threats of civil unrest. We were not trained in crime fighting, so we fell back on the urban combat tactics we had drilled for. It took one day for politicians and the press to rake us over the coals for our "brutal stance". In response, we were limited to carrying five (5) rounds of ammunition per man, and we had to account for every round taken out of the installation. Two weeks of movilization did nothing to stop the civil unrest, so we were called back. The cost of the operation almost bankrupted the island government. Anyone calling for a National Guard movilization should also provide the million$$$ it will cost and for the total lack of results.— DonQ
- i think the real problem is judges putting violent criminals back on the street who have long history of crime. perhaps we should call for the resignation of the individuals that fail to protect the people. this includes many in the DA OFFICE.— the1hawkeye
- TMSTR, you're missing it....Featherman said that he plans to go up against Brady in the general election...i.e. he is NOT jimmie moore and must be either an independent or a republican....— Tasha
- Nat turner - these crimes have absolutely nothing to do with a lack of jobs. These crimes are for fun - for sport. These kids have better clothes and shoes and electronics than you do. If jobs were available in their neighborhood, they wouldn't be working them. This is about being untouchable - "what are you going to do to me?" And guess what? They're right! Nothing is being done.— lulu
- on the money. they want to be criminals. this is a game to them. i hear their conversations all day at school. retail store owners- let this be a warning- if two or more black kids come into your store(old navy, gap, h&m) they are coming to steal your clothing. my students steal tons of clothing from area malls. trusting suburbanites.
- So that would mean ANYWHERE the "EL" and Septa buses travel should have "guards" on board, besides the neighborhoods where not even a bird should fly by.
— tulipwalk - Judge Moore tried to speak to the youth at school earlier this year and got talked over. Moore knows- these are not confused kids. these kids want to be criminals.
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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics – which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com
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Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans. E-mail tips to ransomj@phillynews.com
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Sean Collins Walsh is from Bucks County and went to Northwestern University. He joined the Daily News copy desk in 2012 and now covers the Nutter administration. Before that, he interned at papers including The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News and The Seattle Times. E-mail tips to walshSE@phillynews.com
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