Former Philadelphia Mayor John Street Calls Fatal Police Shooting Of Walter Wallace Jr. 'A Failure Of Leadership'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Former Mayor John Street is speaking out amid the unrest in Philadelphia following the fatal police shooting of Walter Wallace Jr. Street says the shooting resulted from "a failure of leadership."
"So this situation that we just experienced in West Philadelphia, the Wallace family, is not new. The sad part is it's so old and you wonder, 'How long is it going to take us to get the message?'" Street said. "I think this is a failure of leadership. We take nine months to train someone to be a member of the Philadelphia Police Department. We spend tens of thousands of dollars. It is inexcusable for those police officers to be there without the proper equipment. The only person that you can hold responsible is the leadership of the city. That situation should of never have happened."
Street says police departments need to rethink their use of deadly policies and redefine the position of police officers when serving citizens.
Philadelphia has been dealing with two nights of protests and looting.
A curfew goes into effect at 9 p.m. tonight and lasts until 6 a.m. Thursday.
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