Dennis Prager Show - Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney's Soft Stance on Rioting
Aired: 2020-10-31
Duration: 05:46


=== Philadelphia's Riots Erupt (05:46) ===

[00:00:00]  In Philadelphia, the fatal police shooting of 27-year-old Walter Wallace from City Journal in West Philadelphia has set off another round of mass looting, arson, and violence.
[00:00:11]  Wallace, who had a long criminal history and evident mental problems, was confronted by two police officers who ordered him repeatedly to put down the knife that he was wielding.
[00:00:22]  Wallace refused to drop the knife, charged the officers, and was shot multiple times.
[00:00:27]  The shooting sparked looting and vandalism in and around West Philadelphia's 52nd Street corridor, where the 18th District Police District is located.
[00:00:45]  Incidentally, I have very vivid memories of arriving to give a speech in Philadelphia On the night of the Philadelphia Phillies winning the World Series.
[00:01:01]  And we could not travel directly to our hotel in downtown Philadelphia because of all the rioting that was taking place.
[00:01:11]  So Philadelphia has a tradition of riots that are caused by all sorts of things.
[00:01:22]  And the primary source It has nothing to do with events.
[00:01:28]  Events are excuses to riot.
[00:01:31]  The people who riot are bored, painless, and they have no conscience that you and I can relate to.
[00:01:42]  They probably have no father.
[00:01:45]  They certainly have no Ten Commandments.
[00:01:49]  Just thought I'd throw that out.
[00:01:55]  That police cars are now routinely burned is a crisis, a serious crisis in American life.
[00:02:06]  The West Philadelphia riots accelerated into a fever pitch resulting in injuries to 30 police officers and necessitating the hospitalization of 12 others.
[00:02:17]  Officers managed to arrest 30 people As the riot spread throughout West Philadelphia, where ATMs were destroyed and businesses looted, including a Rite Aid, several clothing stores, and a restaurant.
[00:02:31]  Newsweek reported that over 1,000 people ransacked and looted stores like Walmart and Foot Locker in the Port Richmond section of the city.
[00:02:41]  District Attorney Larry Krasner.
[00:02:44]  Larry Krasner is a bad human being.
[00:02:50]  He seeks the destruction of Philadelphia.
[00:02:54]  And he is, nevertheless, the district attorney.
[00:02:59]  He embodies my view of the left that I've had all of my life.
[00:03:05]  The Achilles' heel of the left is evil.
[00:03:08]  They do not fight evil.
[00:03:10]  Instead, they fight good.
[00:03:13]  Those who do not fight evil will fight good.
[00:03:19]  Take off on the Talmudic dictum that those who are nice to the cruel will be cruel to the nice.
[00:03:26]  That is Larry Krasner's motto.
[00:03:28]  I am nice to the cruel, and I am cruel to the nice.
[00:03:33]  But he was elected by you in Philadelphia.
[00:03:39]  Philadelphia Police Chief Danielle Outlaw promised a full investigation into the looting.
[00:03:44]  Krasner praised peaceful demonstrations but said nothing specific about the mayhem and violence.
[00:03:50]  Mayor Jim Kenney, after a lengthy statement promising to investigate the police officers involved in the shooting, later added a much softer postscript directed at the rioters.
[00:04:02]  Vandalism and looting is not an acceptable face of First Amendment expression.
[00:04:08]  That is one serious condemnation.
[00:04:10]  I think these rioters...
[00:04:13]  When they heard that, they went, you know, that's a very good point.
[00:04:18]  Nah, I'm going to really have to ruminate on that.
[00:04:24]  But he did not condemn the disorder or promise to stop it.
[00:04:27]  On the second day of rioting, Outlaw, that's the police chief, Danielle Outlaw, stated, I have directed the officer-involved shooting investigation, Unity, to begin its investigation.
[00:04:41]  While at the scene this evening, I heard and felt the anger of the community.
[00:04:46]  Everyone involved will forever be impacted.
[00:04:49]  I also plan to join the mayor in meeting with members of the community and members of Wallace's family.
[00:04:59]  There you go.
[00:05:01]  That's a statement of support of the rioters, is it not?
[00:05:04]  Am I in any way distorting the message?
[00:05:09]  Outlaw statement contained no mention of the community suffering the ill effects of smashed up businesses and boarded up banks.
[00:05:19]  The Inquirer, that's the Philadelphia Inquirer, declared that Wallace's killing was part of a, quote, 190 years of brutality against black people in Philadelphia.
[00:05:33]  There's your media for you, folks.
[00:05:37]  President described the media as an enemy of the state.
[00:05:44]  Of the people, sorry.
[00:05:46]  Correct.