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Monday, February 25, 2008

Nutter is blunt about snowball slaying

Mayor Nutter, when asked about the tragic shooting of a boy who had been throwing snowballs in his Feltonville neighborhood yesterday, was blunt:

"The snowball incident has got to be the dumbest-ass event of the year," the Mayor said.

Actually, in context, the Mayor said: “All deaths in Philadelphia are tragic, but it is particularly gut-wrenching with these children. The snowball incident has got to be the dumbest-ass event of the year. And unfortunately we’ve seen these events in the past.

“At least in the snowball incident the person is still at large," Nutter said. "He needs to turn himself in.”

Nutter said he had discussed the snowball incident with his police commissioner, Charles Ramsey. “I’ve had a couple conversations with Commissioner Ramsey about what other things we can do.”

And he expressed faith that the solutions in his crime plan will help stem the city's tide of homicides.

Finally, the mayor said the city would continue going after illegal guns and be tough on crime. “We will be relentless.”
Posted by Catherine Lucey @ 12:30 PM  Permalink | 11 comments
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:33 PM, 02/25/2008
    What CAN the mayor or the city do? Nothing. The mayor can't change people's hearts and minds. That comes from the home. The mother of this dead boy is as responsible as the killer. She should have taught him how to apologize...how to say "I'm Sorry". And the killer shouldn't have had a gun in the first place. Now both will have to pay for this, and the mother ought to pay too.
    — CommonSense in Philly
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:33 PM, 02/25/2008
    What CAN the mayor or the city do? Nothing. The mayor can't change people's hearts and minds. That comes from the home. The mother of this dead boy is as responsible as the killer. She should have taught him how to apologize...how to say "I'm Sorry". And the killer shouldn't have had a gun in the first place. Now both will have to pay for this, and the mother ought to pay too.
    — CommonSense in Philly
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:53 PM, 02/25/2008
    Common Sense Did you say this to John Street? The mother should have taught the child better? YOU SOUND STUPID!!! This was a child who had disagreement with an ADULT!! The ADULT should have shown restraint... The Adult should have knocked on the boy's door to speak to his parent.. IT IS NOT THE KIDS FAULT!!! Second thing... IT'S A SNOWBALL!!! Common sense...you prove to one thing to me... Since when has sense been common?
    — pyle70
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:20 PM, 02/25/2008
    It hurts to read about that incident. Now a few of the slain friends and family will need support as to not have this thing elevate to eye for a eye deal. 16 years of age, that hurts, lets stay positive, the Mayor nor city could have stopped this incident. All of us must begin to change our culture a day at a time
    — BOB
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:24 PM, 02/25/2008
    What is the score, and same period last year, what are the comparisons. Former Mayor John Street and Police Commissioner Johnson must be keeping score. God knows that they did as much as humanly possible to prevent this mess, it is pure mess.
    — rmship
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:33 PM, 02/25/2008
    Unfortunately we live in a City where manners are few and far between; some of th children are rude and disrespectful, which is directly tied to home training.
    — MsMot
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 6:06 PM, 02/25/2008
    I have to agree with CommonSense and disagree with pyle70. The family of the kid is also at fault. I watch everyday as kids on the number 2 bus leave garbage everywhere and harass people. And these are the same kids who's parents can't afford to get them to school without a paper pass but every kid has a new iPod. I pay rent and utilities so I can't afford to waste my income. How can they ? How can parents continue to just ignore their kids ? Philly Kids = Future Criminals
    — SouthPhillyJ
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:32 PM, 02/25/2008
    Thanks SouthPhillJ. I see these kids too. Clearly Plyle70 missed the point. Of course the adult should've shown restraint, but trust me Pyle70, knocking on the door the the kid's home and complaining to the parents would've been a total waste of time. The parents would have cursed the him out too. As the original article said: when the adult complained to the kids, they "sassed" him.
    — CommonSense in Philly
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:03 PM, 02/25/2008
    And God knows kids only sass adults in Philly. Kids have been rude since the beginning of time. Where I'M FROM, we set rude kids straight whether we're their parents or not. And if they continue to be rude, oh well, you tried. But we DON'T SHOOT THEM!! Common sense my AZZ!!
    — tootincommon
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:12 AM, 02/26/2008
    Commonsense you must not have any children and it is apparent that the adult would not have been willing to hear an apology or anything else. If that was the case why did he return with a gun in the first place. When they searched his apartment they found drugs which basically tells you what type of person he is in the first place. With the amount of single working parents raising teenagers, why are we blaming the victim? RIDICULOUS
    — shaliyah6
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:44 PM, 02/26/2008
    ITA with those that thinks it's absolutely asinine to blame the victim or the victims parents. Since when do you handle a child sassing you with a gun? Whoever shot this child needs to be put under the jail.
    — KWinn


11 comments
About The Philly Clout Team
PhillyClout
Chris Brennan, a native Philadelphian and graduate of Temple University, joined the Daily News in 1999. He has written about SEPTA, the Philadelphia School District, the legalization of casino gambling, state government, the mayor, the governor, City Council and political campaigns.
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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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Catherine Lucey joined the Daily News in 2002 and has written about murderous drug gangs, political protesters and Harry Potter. After covering the 2007 mayoral election, she moved over to the City Hall bureau where she has been reporting on the Nutter administration.
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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.
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Catherine Lucey
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Chris Brennan
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