After online rumors stoked fears yesterday of yet another potential flash mob - this time at 40th and Market Streets - police told businesses there to close, parked cruisers in the middle of street, and stationed officers at each corner.
»Read story: City takes hard stance on flash mobs
»Read story: City takes hard stance on flash mobs
Comments (72)
Well the good news is that this has made the NY Times. In that article this is what your mayor had to say “This is bad decision making by a small group of young people who are doing silly but dangerous stuff,” Mayor Michael A. Nutter said in an interview Wednesday. “We intend to do something about it immediately.” Doeds anybody find it amazing that the mayor would describe this criminal behavior as 'silly'. Once it spreads around the country that you can't walk the streets of Philly even at 3pm in the afternoon that will really help business. Maybe they can install cells in the new convention center and use it as a prison.— cacjf- Sorry, EaglesFan2008. whassup67 is correct. Check urbandictionary.com, not Websters. In my opinion, these started as flashmobs and, due to the age and socioeconomic composition of the crowd, exploded into riots. Notice I didn't say "race". A fun-loving group of Fishtownites would likely have the same outcome. Remember that Phillies parking lot tragedy last year? I think common sense dictates that only kids involved in after school activities should have Septa passes that are valid after 4pm.— vent
Everett Gillison, deputy mayor for public safety, stressed that the city was taking the flash mobs seriously and predicted that the phenomenon would fade in time, particularly if public hysteria can be avoided."I think this is a fad. I do not think this is something we should be frightened about," Gillison said.While business owners and some nervous adults might prefer to see every large gathering of teens immediately dispersed, Gillison noted there was nothing illegal about socializing in a public place."There is the right to free assembly in this country. People have the constitutional right to be an idiot," Gillison said.......Gillison needs to be drop kicked out of Philadelphia.— argonne- The irony of it all is that the tax base and businesses of Queen Village and Center City in-large-part supports these deadbeats that are responsible for destroying Queen Village and Center City. That just sucks man.— argonne
- psyrus, I agree with you concerning Ckott's loss of credibility. Ckott posts like a hopelessly out-of-date refugee from the drug-addled hippie culture of the Sixties. Just like Ckott, they talked about revolution being "fun" and a total rejection of what they called the "Establishment," their term for the system. As Ckott's "hippie" forbears found out, the "revolution" stopped being fun when the targets of their verbal and physical abuse started fighting back. In a way, we all should feel sorry for Ckott; he/she/it is just a naive, idealistic youth living in an ideological fantasy land. Ckott's irrelevance becomes even more glaring when he/she/it tried to defended this flash mob phenomenon. Ckott, your revolution was over before Woodstock happened! The students in your "movement" are in desperate need of a new hobby.— George Tomezsko
- @george, I care neither for movements nor hippies. Sorry, your categorization of my politics is stuck in the past.— Ckott
- marcphilly I'm always amazed that when a white person speaks negatively about a situation like the black flash mobs it is considered racist. What is the best way to describe these incidents without being branded as a racist?— Teddyballgame
- @Ckott, your comments have nothing to do with politics, they are misguided beliefs based on something that you read or were told not something that you have experienced. Flash mobs used to be fun when they were groups of kids gathering to perform silly and sometimes strange things. They'd gather, do something odd, then disperse like they never existed. The perversion of that phenomenon that the kids in the AA community of Philly have performed is neither political nor can it be categorized as civil unrest. Comparing what they have done to some sort of civil uprising borders on the absurd.— psyrus
- These incidents are not flash mobs. They are riots pure and simple. All participants are young African-American teenagers or children. The city has done nothing to stop them. Black leaders have done nothing to stop them. The police has done nothing to stop them. This is a law and order issue pure and simple. Those who do this should be arrested/fined/imprisoned. Our leaders have no courage and no will to stop these incidents.— fallout818
Crown Fried Chicken - Flash Mob????? They will not mess with their God.— The Pope- next time call in the fire department and hose them down— franknbeans
- amc312: Have you seen the videos? Here's one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I7DbQJkwxY. Watch that and tell me those 28 kids didn't deserve a felony conviction.— nickpip25
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