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The Democratic mayor of Philadelphia is waiving several hundred citations issued to city residents who violated curfews and failed to disperse as ordered by police during recent demonstrations supporting Black Lives Matter.
In addition, Mayor Jim Kenney is tossing out scores of additional violations of the city’s civil codes, according to local reports.
“Philadelphia’s Law Department and Office of Administrative Review previously recommended that the city drop most CVNs that had been enforced during the height of civil unrest in the city. Protests have persisted for more than a month in Philadelphia following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in late May,” Philly Voice reported.
CVNs are not criminal offenses, as they only result in fines. During prolonged recent protests, scores of people were actually arrested, but they were only jailed in groups until they could be processed.
“My decision to waive these violations is not a statement on the validity of the individual citations,” Kenny said. “Rather, it is a recognition of the core concerns that caused thousands to demonstrate on the streets of Philadelphia.
“In waiving these notices, I recognize that those issues are vitally important, that the pain of those marching is very real, and that their message — black lives matter — needs to be heard every day until systemic racism is fully eradicated from this city and nation,” he continued, Philly Voice reported.
“As city officials and employees focus on reform and reconciliation, the city must use its administrative resources consistent with those efforts,” added City Solicitor Marcel S. Pratt.
“We believe that moving forward with these CVNs would have served no useful purpose, and we are glad that the mayor approved our recommendation that they be waived.”
In all, his commutation applies to roughly 700 people and is likely to be seen by Philadelphia police as another example of Leftist political leaders abdicating their pledges to uphold the law.
In addition to the waiving of CVNs, city officials issued an apology for the “unjustifiable” use by police of tear gas during a June 1 demonstration near Interstate 676.
Philly Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said last month that the firing of tear gas to disperse demonstrators was an “unjustifiable use of force,” adding that she imposed a moratorium on its use, as well as other nonlethal munitions.
“I humbly apologize to those who were directly impacted, as well as to our communities at large,” she said after noting she was “sickened beyond description” by a New York Times video analyzing events up to the deployment of the gas.
Late in the day June 1, hundreds of demonstrators packed I-676 in protest following the death of George Floyd a week earlier. When they failed to disperse as ordered, police deployed pepper spray, white smoke and tear gas pellets.
At the time, Outlaw said that the tear gas was used to “safely diffuse a volatile and dangerous situation.”
“The option of deploying tear gas was selected when it became evident at that time other options were not effective,” she noted further.
Speaking of Philly police, the department is also reportedly in the process of implementing ‘reforms’ such as hiring an independent consultant to review the city’s response, overall, to the protests.
“We saw the hurt and frustration of black Americans — and their allies — on full display. Here at home and across the country, communities gathered to proclaim a simple but powerful truth: Black Lives Matter,” Kenney said in a statement a week after the bridge protest was cleared.
“I stand with those who have taken to the streets of Philadelphia to express their outrage and demand changes to policing,” he added.
As Democrat-run cities continue to abdicate their responsibility to uphold the law while adopting Leftist ‘criminal justice reform’ policies that demonize police and reward criminality, morale among officers continues to tank.
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Jon is a staff writer for BizPac Review with 30 years' worth of reporting experience, as well as an author and U.S. Army veteran. He has a BA in political science from Ashford University and an MA in national security studies/intelligence analysis from American Military University.
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