Dave,
why did you have to tell the truth, and break my heart. When reality is in print, it hits so much harder. The sad thing is that it will take an act of God for this town to turn around. Or a mayor and a president who actually give a crap about domestic issues and human life.

It is hard to imagine, 406 homicides.
Such sad statistics you show us here. I believe the war in Iraq has its influence on the already disturbing the numbers, It does erode the basic respect people have for human life even more.
As a contrast: my hometown Amsterdam, capitol of the Netherlands, with a population of aproximately half that of Philly, counted 17 violent killings in 2006.

I think Bruce did a protest song a couple years ago about cops in New York who had killed a guy in some disputed situation.

"My City of Ruins" is a terrific song, though, off of his 9/11 tinged album ... what was it called .... hmm .. "The Rising!" That's it. Play that song, flip through a couple DN articles and it'll all hit home.

Well, according to Simon (the writer of the wire). In the new season coming out: the new police reorganization, the new mayor, and everything else that is "supposed" to cure the problem doesn't even make a dent in Baltimore's crime. Now compared to philadelphia, and other urban areas; Our new mayor, and new police reorganization is like putting a bandaid on a gigantic wound.

Thanks Kate. It's a good album! Maybe I should start a music column on here, too...

Gtown: The more time I spend on the crime beat (two years and counting) and the more I get to know veteran cops, we're all pretty much in agreement: getting rid of Sylvester and Street would be a plus for the city, but it sure won't make the homicide numbers drop dramatically.

The question is: what will?

The song by Springsteen was "American Skin (41 shots)" which he recorded after Amadou Diallo was shot and killed by police officers from the Street Crimes Unit in New York.

Not sure the song was really anti-police as much as reflecting on the tragic loss of life.

I can't think of any other songs that Springsteen wrote that were necessarily anti-police.

I don't remember the song being anti-police, either. I think it probably just ruffled some feathers up in NY at the time.

Music trivia and lost facts ... only on Philly Confidential!

I just cut and run. I got out of Philadelphia at the beginning of 2006 and moved to the Lehigh Valley. Amazing place. I lived in center city for four years and left in March of 2006. I have not been back since. As far as I am concerned, the problems of Philadelphia are due to accountability and fatherless households in minority communities. I blame both of these conditions on progressive liberals. I am certain they will continue to seek more funding and services to throw at a problem that will not be solved until those that are "kept" by the social services organizations learn to fend for themselves. People who say we need to put more money into fixing the problem I say take a look at those beautiful homes they built for "poor" people right on 76 as you head towards the stadiums. In 10 years I bet they will have to tear them all down just like the houses that used to be where the novacare complex.

whatever the reason for all this b.s. really is, don't kid yourself, it's the republican federal government that's shafted cities across this country in terms of funding for social programs that actually help people. look at the latest news about the PHA having to lay off a bunch of people because the feds are giving it less money. what about programs to help cities out? think bush's given public transportation a ton of money lately? how about money for police? that murder number the inquirer runs every day now says no. you think philly's unique in all of this or something? this entire country's going to hell.

"It extends beyond race, class and social status."

Does it though? Really?

Joe,

Well aware that Bush has shafted the whole country. I live and work in Philadelphia, hence, "My city of ruins." If someone from another city or town wants to write in with their misery, by all means, we'd love to hear from them.

Philly needs a Rudy to slap some sense into it...

http://www.city-journal.org/html/17_1_rudy_giuliani.html

"Dinkins’s political philosophy substituted can’t-do fatalism for the can-do optimism that had made New York great. As crime spiked—there were 2,262 murders in Dinkins’s first year, compared with fewer than 600 in 1963, two years before Lindsay became mayor—Dinkins declared: “If we had a police officer on every other corner, we couldn’t stop some of the random violence that goes on,” since it resulted from poverty and racism, not poor policing."

Sound familiar??

Stop whining Mr. Street and get your own house in order before you start complaining about neglect.. To quote Livia Soprano: "Ohhhh! Poor you!"

I found this blog on a google search and boy am I glad I did. I thought I heard someone mention it in a free chat room.
Awesome read!