Philadelphia's first female mayor was sworn in and immediately signed an executive order declaring a public safety emergency to combat rampant crime.
Cherelle Parker, a 51-year-old Democrat and longtime city councilwoman, ran on a centrist platform of safety, jobs and city services.
She promised during the campaign to hire 300 more police officers, including municipal officers, and to restore “constitutional” stop-and-frisk traffic. She also put forward the idea of running the school year-round to reduce juvenile crime.
Her plans include increasing the number of police officers on the streets with an emphasis on community policing – a policy she has already championed on the City Council.
Cherelle Parker, the newly sworn in 100th mayor of Philadelphia, delivers her inaugural address during Tuesday's ceremony
Parker swore in new Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel on Tuesday
“Officers exist as guardians, not warriors, getting to know the people they are charged with protecting and serving,” she said during her inaugural address Tuesday night.
Parker takes over a city where violent crime is declining — homicides are down more than 20 percent from last year, and nonfatal shootings are down 28 percent.
But Philadelphia had a grim reputation in 2020 and 2021 as one of America's most dangerous cities, with over 500 murders per year – significantly more than New York, which is five times larger.
And thefts on Philadelphia are increasing rapidly, with the number of reported vehicle thefts up 72 percent. Retail thefts are also increasing rapidly, increasing by 28 percent in the last year.
Drug use is also a major problem. The Kensington district is particularly hard hit and there are shocking scenes of addicts injecting themselves in broad daylight. More than 90 percent of the heroin found in Philadelphia today contains xylazine, or “Tranq,” which was developed in 1962 as an anesthetic for veterinary use. The drug causes a fainting state and deep, festering wounds that often lead to amputations.
In the picture, drug users lie stretched out in the park and wait for their next drug use. The city of Philadelphia is struggling to cope with the increase in xylazine use
A preacher speaks to drug users in McPherson Square Park on Kensington Avenue
The downtown district has long been a draw for drug users looking for their next high
A bustling industrial district until the 1950s, Kensington is now described by the Philadelphia Inquirer as “the poorest neighborhood in the poorest big city in America.”
Exclusive images from Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood show a shocking scene of drug mayhem with addicts injecting themselves in broad daylight
A sad scene continues on Kensington Avenue in Philadelphia this Christmas
Parker said her public safety emergency will “quickly bring all available resources to neighborhoods struggling with the scourges of crime, gun violence, drugs and addiction.”
She said her new police commissioner, Kevin Bethel, has been tasked with making plans for these crises and for quality of life crimes such as car theft, shoplifting and illegal use of all-terrain vehicles.
In early October, the city was shocked when a dirt bike rider jumped off his bike to jump onto the roof of a parked car while a 23-year-old mother and her children were inside.
The man jumped onto the rear window glass and shattered it. When the woman got out to confront him, a gun fell out of his pocket and, with his motorcycle helmet on, he head-butted her before speeding away.
Cody Heron, 26, was arrested and charged with assault, among other things.
A Philadelphia dirt bike rider recklessly smashed the rear window of a car driven by a young mother who showed complete disregard for her children in the back seat
The biker completely smashes the rear window of the car with both feet
The mother got out to confront him, even though he was armed and had a gun pointed at her
Angry about what happened, Bullock confronts the motorcyclist, who then headbutts her
Parker also said cleaning up Kensington's drug market was a priority.
“If someone tells you, 'We think she lacks compassion because she wants to be too aggressive in cleaning up the open-air drug market,' tell them to think about whether they want to see their mother, their father, their sister, his brother, “A loved one was on the streets openly using intravenous drugs,” she said.
She said she aims to prepare the city for 2026, when Philadelphia will celebrate America's 250th anniversary.
The Declaration of Independence was signed in the city's Independence Hall on August 2, 1776, completing the colonies' break with England.
Philadelphia will also co-host the FIFA World Cup in 2026.
“If we don’t get our own house in order before society comes and if we don’t take care of public safety, we won’t be ready to accept anyone in 2026,” she said.
“I want the world to know that I am fully committed to ending this sense of lawlessness and bringing order and a sense of lawfulness back to our city.”
She said Philadelphia is open for business.
“We will bring together local, state and federal officials — along with our business leaders who have a stake in our city's economic success — so that we can leverage Philadelphia's intellectual resources and truly seek to create economic opportunity for all.”