Chester responds to spate of killings

Wendell N. Butler Jr. leaned back in a lawn chair today at Veterans Memorial Park pool in Chester, looking surprisingly relaxed for a mayor who had responded to a spate of murders by declaring a state of emergency in the impoverished city.

Four homicides in eight days, one of them a toddler, prompted Butler on Saturday to impose a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. in five areas of the four-square-mile city - including the park - where violence has flared.

Butler also ordered increased police patrols, with the help of state troopers and Delaware County sheriff's officers. On Wednesday, he will ask City Council to extend the emergency order for 30 days.

"I wouldn't be surprised if somebody has an issue" with the order, Butler said over the sound of splashing, squealing children. "When you're in any leadership role, you're going to be damned if you do, and damned if you don't."

But reaction to the nighttime restrictions was overwhelmingly positive, at least at the pool, where Joni Williams of Third Street even hugged Butler to thank him.

"We're pleased with it," said Hassan Patterson, founder of Men are the Protectors of Women and Children, a nonprofit mentoring organization, who was lingering at the pool entrance.

Eric Jones, adult program supervisor for the city, praised the mayor for taking decisive action. Jones speculated that the rash of violence reflects the underlying economic problems of the city. Census data shows 27 percent of the 36,000 residents live in poverty, compared to 11 percent for all of Pennsylvania.

"The city is building back up, but still we've got to find a way to get jobs," Jones said. "We need summer jobs. Where did those programs go?"

Butler, 66, a former police chief, said finding a permanent fix will be difficult.

"As my friend Sylvester Johnson said, 'You can't arrest your way out of this,' " Butler said, referring to a former Philadelphia police commissioner. "It's going to take government, the community, the religious community - all of us have to work on it."

Homicide is not rare in Chester. Last year, the city had 14 murders; in 2008, there were 19. So far this year, there have been 11.

But the sudden rash of violence - and the nature of one attack - has jarred the city. A week ago, a gunman ambushed a man and his family around 2:30 a.m. as they returned to their home in a public housing development. After the family ran inside, the gunman shot through the door. Terrence Webster, 2, died when a bullet hit him in the forehead; his father Thomas and mother Tisheta Green were both wounded, according to police.

In response, more than 300 people attended a community rally against violence on Thursday.

The state of emergency has already caused a minor disruption. Today, the neighboring township of Chester canceled the annual morning Father's Day parade that gathers at Veterans Memorial Park.

"That was their call," Butler said. "Some of our problems cross over our borders."

Butler said he was confident that City Council would extend the nighttime restrictions for 30 days, but he couldn't say whether an exception might be made for July Fourth festivities and fireworks in Chester Park.

"I'll have to get the views of City Council," he said.

The five places where no one is allowed on the street "without a legitimate reason" from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. are: west of Lamokin Street to the city's boundary; the area bounded by Ninth Street, Morton Avenue, and the city's eastern boundary; the area bounded by Edgmont Avenue to Upland Street between 20th and 2701 Madison Streets; the area bounded by Crosby Street and the city's boundary with Upland Borough; and the area bounded by Penn and Parker Streets between Third and Sixth Streets.

Chester's new PPL Park, near the Commodore Barry Bridge, is not near the restricted areas. The park will host the Philadelphia Union Soccer team's long-awaited first game there on June 27 against the Seattle Sounders.