Once again, a Pennsylvania city is terrorized by gun violence as the nation watches. This time, Philadelphia police officers trying to serve a warrant came under attack by a heavily armed man bearing weapons of war. After a seven-hour standoff, the suspect surrendered. But first he shot at least 6 police officers, who thankfully, have all been released from the hospital. In addition, a community was traumatized, as day care centers were put on lock down, homes were evacuated, and a bustling neighborhood was caught in the cross-fire. Miraculously and thanks to the efforts of our brave law enforcement officers, no civilians were physically injured. We are also grateful to the dedicated trauma teams at our excellent hospitals who, unfortunately, are too experienced in treating multiple gunshot wounds in a short period of time -- mass shootings that don’t make the headlines. As the nation turns its attention elsewhere, this community -- the officers, their families, the first responders, medical providers, witnesses, and all whose lives were touched by this incident -- is left to deal with the trauma. Unfortunately, this is not a new experience for Philadelphia or the many neighborhoods that make up our city. Mayor Kenney pleaded for help last night from lawmakers for our City. He rightly accused Harrisburg of leaving Philadelphia without the tools it needs to make this city safer. Harrisburg and D.C. -- we’re watching from Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and all the cities and neighborhoods in between. | |
