[Eugene V. Debs]

Article completely ignores the fact that the police are part of the problem here. PPD is well-known for corruption and brutality. Also ignores the problem of the Drug War.

Simply putting "more cops on the street" won't do a damn thing without changing the structure, training, culture, mentality and priorities of the Police Department. Until big changes are made, the so-called "racial paranoia" regarding the police will remain and most Philadelphians will regard the police as just another gang.

When you have the Police Commissioner and FOP on TV defending a cop who maced kids and beat-up women and men at a baby shower for no reason other than the fact he was pissed off he lost a suspect in a foot chase, and that same officer was caught on tape a few years ago standing by while other officers brutally beat an unarmed suspect (and recived no discipline), well...you got a fuckin problem.

What we need here are 1) jobs with good pay and benefits, 2) community organization and self-defense, 3) serious structural/systemic police reform, 4) an end to the drug war. Any proposed "solutions" that don't include that are mindless conservative reaction, Liberal fantasies, or half-ass bullshit.

We need real political vision and leadership to get it done, which is absent from both the Republicans and Democrats in this town, regardless of color.