Blame Philly gun violence partly on Iraq, mayor says

Mayor Street said yesterday that the Iraq war is a contributing factor in the frustrating increase in gun violence and homicides on the streets of the city.

Speaking to the Daily News editorial board, Street said the daily dose of violence streaming back in news reports from the Iraqi battlefields has changed attitudes in the city.

"I believe the fact that we are a country at war has something to do with the attitude of people in the streets. Let me tell you, it's not just this city. I have seen it everywhere and I've talked to people a lot about it," Street said.

"We are a country that is becoming less and less civil. We are a place where people will pull out a gun and shoot it at the drop of a hat," he said.

He recalled the shock 10 or more years ago when reports began to surface of youths brutally beating another child over a pair of sneakers. Today, he said, adults draw guns and fight over seats in a restaurant, over parking spots and over highway indignities.

"I am stunned at the kind of social interaction that leads to the use of a weapon," he said.

Street said an administration goal this year is to train 1,000 clergy members in conflict-resolution techniques and then get them talking with young people on the streets, in churches and in schools.