by Pat Loeb
PHILADELPHIA (CBS/AP) -- In the course of his remarks to the republican congressional retreat, President Donald Trump asserted that Philadelphia's crime rate has been terribly increasing.
Mayor Jim Kenney lept to the defense of his police force.
It's not just that crime is at a 40 year low in Philadelphia, Mayor Kenney considers the president's statement to the contrary somewhat par for the course.
"It's fake facts, he has a propensity to do it, he doesn't care about the truth," Kenney said.
But the Mayor says it belittles the police force's hard-won gains.
"I really do feel badly that the men and women of the Philadelphia Police Department, who dedicate themselves every day to driving down our crime rate and laying their lives on the line, are standing out on the street protecting him and the other dignitaries, as they should be, he denigrates them," said Kenney.
The mayor says he's not satisfied with the crime rate but that the President could help by supporting common sense gun laws.
Mayor Kenney 's full response can be read below:
"President Trump's false statements today were an insult to the men and women of the Philadelphia police force—the very same men and women who are working long hours today to ensure his safety. Our police officers have worked tirelessly and with great personal sacrifice to get Philadelphia's crime rate down to its lowest point in forty years, while also successfully implementing reforms to strengthen police-community relations and uphold the rights of all our residents. Our homicides are, in fact, slowly declining, and while we are not satisfied with even our current numbers, we are handicapped by Republican refusal to enact any kind of common sense gun control and by their obsession with turning our police officers into ICE agents – which will prevent immigrants from coming forward to report crimes or provide critical witnesses statements that can put dangerous criminals behind bars."
Trump has signed an action that would block federal grants from sanctuary cities, like Philadelphia. But still, Mayor Jim Kenney has said Philadelphia will remain a sanctuary city, at least for now.
He insists the Trump administration will not be able to immediately carry out the threat to pull federal dollars from cities who maintain protections for undocumented people.
(TM and © Copyright 2017 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Kenney On Trump's Comment On Philly Murder Rate: 'Homicides Are, In Fact, Slowly Declining'
/ CBS Philadelphia
by Pat Loeb
PHILADELPHIA (CBS/AP) -- In the course of his remarks to the republican congressional retreat, President Donald Trump asserted that Philadelphia's crime rate has been terribly increasing.
Mayor Jim Kenney lept to the defense of his police force.
It's not just that crime is at a 40 year low in Philadelphia, Mayor Kenney considers the president's statement to the contrary somewhat par for the course.
"It's fake facts, he has a propensity to do it, he doesn't care about the truth," Kenney said.
But the Mayor says it belittles the police force's hard-won gains.
"I really do feel badly that the men and women of the Philadelphia Police Department, who dedicate themselves every day to driving down our crime rate and laying their lives on the line, are standing out on the street protecting him and the other dignitaries, as they should be, he denigrates them," said Kenney.
The mayor says he's not satisfied with the crime rate but that the President could help by supporting common sense gun laws.
Mayor Kenney 's full response can be read below:
"President Trump's false statements today were an insult to the men and women of the Philadelphia police force—the very same men and women who are working long hours today to ensure his safety. Our police officers have worked tirelessly and with great personal sacrifice to get Philadelphia's crime rate down to its lowest point in forty years, while also successfully implementing reforms to strengthen police-community relations and uphold the rights of all our residents. Our homicides are, in fact, slowly declining, and while we are not satisfied with even our current numbers, we are handicapped by Republican refusal to enact any kind of common sense gun control and by their obsession with turning our police officers into ICE agents – which will prevent immigrants from coming forward to report crimes or provide critical witnesses statements that can put dangerous criminals behind bars."
Trump has signed an action that would block federal grants from sanctuary cities, like Philadelphia. But still, Mayor Jim Kenney has said Philadelphia will remain a sanctuary city, at least for now.
He insists the Trump administration will not be able to immediately carry out the threat to pull federal dollars from cities who maintain protections for undocumented people.
(TM and © Copyright 2017 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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