Mayor Nutter Asserts Papal Visit Security Maps Online Are False
By Mike Dunn
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Mayor Nutter called a news conference on Monday to refute the accuracy of security maps for the Pope's visit that are circulating on the internet. Nutter, however, won't say when the real map will be made public.
The website billypenn.com posted a map showing a large security perimeter as a well as a smaller zone described as the Papal fence. The website created this based on information from an unnamed source. This came in the wake of a different map that appeared on reddit over the weekend. Mayor Nutter says both the maps are wrong.
"No official security perimeter has been announced, or fully and finally determined, " Nutter asserted.
Nutter attributed the maps to "little people" with "little pieces of information" who put this out "in an effort to make themselves larger." Nutter chastised the media for reporting about the maps.
"Speculative reporting on this matter performs no legitimate function except to paint a false and/or misleading picture for the public."
When will the official map and details on security zones come out? Nutter said some new information on the World Meeting of Families will come next week, but he implied that traffic and access details won't come until a few weeks before the Pope's visit.
"We'll be making further announcements with new information next week," Nutter said. "We'll handle issues of perimeters, streets closures, etc., etc. pretty much the way we've handled them for other big events. Usually a few weeks out, we put out information with regard to anticipated street closures, what's going to be open, what's going to be closed. We expect to follow pretty much the same process and procedure that we have in the past."
In the meantime, Nutter said, the city and federal officials are still crafting the entire plan, with the twin goals of safety and accessibility.
