Let me get it out of the way, I am a criminal defense attorney.

That being said, I fail to see the logic in your reader's email and your assessment of it. Does local corruption really affect the murder rate? Do we mean "pay to play", Mariano's problems, Kemp's? Do we mean some shorting of the police department budget? I just don't see the direct connection between the two.

No one doubts the serious spike in violent crime, but isn't it true that violent crime is up in most US cities? So now Bloomberg in NY, Williams in DC, and the mayors of Norfolk, Tulsa and Saint Louis are all more corrupt than their predecessors.

I don't know the answer to why there is this spike, but to blaming local corruption seems to be a simplistic answer to a complex problem.

As to the corruption of judges and attorneys, well, not sure what to say. Everybody gets an attorney, the DA's office always has a right to appeal decisions of law and there is already an elected bench in Philadelphia. What kind of corruption, specifically, are you saying the judges and defense attorneys are engaged in?

The crime rate is more about the culture than the politicians. The politicians represent the culture. What happened to philly culture? Anyway, looks like Fattah has a huge lead over the other candidates. For some reason, I don't think he has the best intentions for philly. He's way too much of an opportunist, to do this town any good. It's just a notch on his belt.

So what about the culture needs to change? How can we change it? Is the culture a part of being American?

I'm of the opinion that what we are witnessing is the aftermath of the crack epidemic of the 80s. We are looking at children that grew up in increasingly violent neighborhoods with little or no parental supervision. They learned their morals and ethics from the street thugs and dealers. Since no one values them, they find no value in anyone. This is a whole generation we are losing to violence.

I really don't see a quick and easy viable solution. What is really needed is a multi-facted shift across the boards. More community leadership, more neighborhood focused police, more opportunites and outlets being offered to the affected youth, etc. In essence... more, more, more. All this "more" however will cost a lot in time, energy, and money. And I just don't see people caring enough to make that selfless sacrifice.

What needs to be done, is quit playing catch and release with gun offenders, prosecute under federal statutes, take the plea bargaining away from prosecutors and give them mandatory time, federal statutes are in place to give a minimum of five years in gun-related offenses, instead of releasing on low bail after they fire at police.

I'm sure if the criminals know the revolving door is closed they would think twice about recommitting the same crime.

Mike S.,

Prisons are overcrowded. We'll need to build more. Prosecutors are overworked, we'll need to expand offices and hire more. Police are undermanned and under-prepared. We'll need to hire more and better train the ones we have. Also, keep in mind that we will not see overnight results. So there can be no easy benchmark to gauge the effectiveness of our actions.

So after knowing all that, are you willing to see a significant increase in taxes as the least of your sacrifices to fight the increase in violence?

I'm so happy that the respondents didn't sink to the level of David with his childish analysis. I wish I could do the same.

First, I must ask: When doesn't the Daily News focus on the negative aspects of this city?

Of course "corruption" doesn't necessarily correlate into increased murders. This is the type of brain-dead logic the people who live in this city are stuck with from the local dailies.

Does "corruption" in other municipalities result in a higher murder rate? What type of corruption are you talking about? What about statewide "corruption"? Or "corruption" on a national scale? What about "corruption" in suburban communities. I know, it's hard to believe, but there is "corruption" in the suburbs. Does it lead to increased deaths?

And why is "corruption" suddenly such a focus in this city? Why are feds spending so much time and money investigating a black, Democratic Philadelphia mayor? Why does the Daily news act like multi-million-dollar federal investigations are only happening in Philly when the truth is that it seems to be happening to Democratic officials in American cities throughout the country? After all of these millions of dollars being spent, what have they got on Street?

More importantly what is the end result of these "corruption" investigations? To put a couple of people behind bars or to tarnish the image of a city?

Why is it that "corruption" isn't being investigated in suburban communities with the same zeal? I would say that the same thing goes on in white suburban communities but there's a different name for it. What's defined as "corruption" in American cities is called "entitlement" in the surrounding communities.

Why do the local dailies just jump on the "corruption" bandwagon and do little more than print "leaks" from federal authorities. Why don’t reporters with their blogs don’t look at better answers to complex issues?

Also, murder rates are rising in cities throughout the country. It's a national trend based on what the current administration has decided to prioritize. Why isn't this being reported? If local reporters are too overworked or unable to handle the assignment, then collect stories from wire services and other legit sources to put what is happening in perspective.

There are many of us who live in this city and have as little contact with violence as people in the suburbs. But yet our lives don't exist. This part of the city gets almost no coverage.

I keep hoping a publication comes along that can provide an accurate portrayal of life in the city of Philadelphia.

Instead, we get reporters who do nothing more than count.

Fante,

Real quick, buddy: "I'd like to hear from our faithful blog readers -- what do you think needs to happen to our town to get it on the right track?"

I mentioned the corruption angle because a couple of readers had sent me like-minded e-mails. But I left the post open -- people were free to write in with a wide array of thoughts, and the broad topic of corruption was just a way to get the ball rolling. (Sorry I couldn't expand on it more; my day job got in the way.)

Frankly, I couldn't be more proud of the comments the "My City of Ruins" posts have generated. They've reinforced an idea that I've always held dear -- that the DN (and even our little blog)have a lot of thoughtful, intelligent readers with a ton of interesting ideas.

You opted to start your post by lobbing a pointless insult in my direction; your choice, not mine. But even you, dear Fante, hit on something interesting: you live in a peaceful part of town that gets no coverage. So, where is this divine stretch of the city at? What's going on out there that we need to know about?

I mentioned the corruption angle because a couple of readers had sent me like-minded e-mails. But I left the post open -- people were free to write in with a wide array of thoughts, and the broad topic of corruption was just a way to get the ball rolling. (Sorry I couldn't expand on it more; my day job got in the way.)

Dear David,

"Hard to argue with that one" was your response to the "corruption angle" you posited. Well, I argued with it. And I havd a "day job."

As far as "being proud" of the responses, as if your inept prejudicial, ignorant prose facilitated it, get real. Don't take credit for other people's good work. It's unflattering.

I will respond directly to this piece of trite:

"But even you, dear Fante, hit on something interesting: you live in a peaceful part of town that gets no coverage. So, where is this divine stretch of the city at? What's going on out there that we need to know about?"

"Even I"? Even I"? hit on something interesting? "Even I"?

"Divine stretch of the city"? Talk about projection. The projection is almost as bad as the uncreative and unimaginative idea to use song lyrics to declare: "My City of Ruins."

That song was written by Springstein about his hometown of Asbury Park, a city in real ruins. It was performed on national television for a city that was bombed by terrorists.

To compare Philadelphia to these cities brings projection to new levels. My wife and I celebrated New Year's in New Orleans, where we received a personal tour of the devastated areas. You want to compare Philadelphia to a city in real crisis?

Have you ever been to places like St. Louis, Cincinnati, Cleveland? (considered, by some, to have the worst real estate market in the nation?) I could go on and on. These are not cities in ruins and yet Philadelphia is doing far better than any of these cities. There is new construction going on in neighborhoods that were left for dead. I could point you to one of the best food sources of Indonesia food in the nation. There's new immigration. There are people moving into the city from the 'burbs. There's optimism among many, many residents who stopped bothering to read the local dailies because it doesn't accurately portray life in this city.

Where do I live? Less than one mile from that Godawful PNI building. Where do you live?

It's "tripe," not "trite."

Oh, and yeah. The corruption levels of government do reflect on the public's acceptance of a criminal overtone in the city. Take a good look at the "Stop Snitching" attitude of many neighboorhoods. They're afraid, but in the end, the good citizens do outnumber the felons in this town. We put up with being intimidated. We put up with the corruption. The citizens elect people who will be more leniant on these things. There is a connection. Maybe not direct, but there's a definite correlation.

Also, it's "have," not "havd," and "posted," not "posited." It's a blog, Fante, and people are exchanging ideas. We could do without the epic indignation you're trying to push across -- we don't give out Emmys for "Best Dramatic Cameo on a Blog."

Thanks for returning the conversation to a normal tone, Gtown. You brought up an interesting idea: lenient leaders. Earlier this week, the mayor and police commissioner visited our office to meet with members of the editorial board. When I get some time later, I'll post some of the eye-popping things that the mayor said, including his flat-out outrage over the mention of Michael Nutter's crime plan.

Unfrigginbelievable

When your poorly thought out, prejudicial ideas are challenged, David, you, and "Gtown," are reduced to pointing out spelling and grammar errors—ON A BLOG. LOL! The only thing that could possibly be more pathetic is that two of the three "errors" you pointed to were words that were used correctly. To wit:

posit
One entry found for posit.

Main Entry: pos•it
Pronunciation: 'pä-z&t
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): pos•it•ed /'pä-z&-t&d, 'päz-t&d/; pos•it•ing /'pä-z&-ti[ng], 'päz-ti[ng]/
Etymology: Latin positus, past participle of ponere
1 : to dispose or set firmly : FIX
2 : to assume or affirm the existence of : POSTULATE
3 : to propose as an explanation : SUGGEST

trite
One entry found for trite.

Main Entry: trite
Pronunciation: 'trIt
Function: adjective
Inflected Form(s): trit•er; trit•est
Etymology: Latin tritus, from past participle of terere to rub, wear away -- more at THROW
: hackneyed or boring from much use : not fresh or original
- trite•ly adverb
- trite•ness noun

You two must really feel foolish.

And, David, I gave you the respect of answering your questions. You have yet to answer my one question. Where do you live?

P.S.: Here's a link to help you with your spelling and grammar: http://www.m-w.com/dictionary.htm

I promise I'll use simpler words until you get a better grasp of the English language.

The function is an adjective. Not a noun. You used the word as a noun. Don't you feel foolish. Learn the rules before putting words to use. "Piece of trite" would be a tangible object, hence a noun. Tripe is the lining of a cow's stomach, and is commonly used to describe a statement that doesn't have merit.

"Gtown," do you have special mind-reading skills? You're telling me what word I meant to use?

I chose the word "trite" to describe the "hackneyed or boring from much use : not fresh or original" thought that went into "My City of Ruins."

I also chose to use it as a noun. I chose to break a grammatical rule on a blog. In fact, I like doing this on occasion to see if there is a pompous ass out there willing to take the bait. Looks like you're the winner.

I didn't use the word "tripe," because:

1. It is a "trite" word to use, and

2. It is food. It has historical significance. It is the main ingredient in "Philadelphia Pepper Pot" soup and is often used with pho (Vietnamese noodle soup), and, occassionaly, I enjoy it in other more refined dishes of French and Italian origin. It was a source of nourishment for the poor. It takes great care and attention to detail to make it delicious.

It would be a disservice to use the word "tripe" to criticize a blog thread that was created in such a careless manner.

Another thing required in making a good trip soup or stew is a cook who can coax the flavor and tenderness out of the offal. It requires the sensitivity and intuition of an artist or craftsman who can combine sound technique with good judgment. A niminy-piminy person such as you, who prefers to feign intelligence by nit-picking irrelevant details rather than actually write something intelligent, would fail miserably.

There you go, feeling all foolish again.

Fante,

I live in the city, also within about a mile or so of 400 N. Broad.

I don't mind the lively discussion. When I said earlier that I was proud of the comments people have posted, I wasn't projecting or taking credit -- I genuinely meant that I was heartened to see a growing handful of people take the time to discuss their thoughts on the state of our city on our blog.

In one of your earlier vitriolic comments, you suggested that I was doing a disservice by comparing Philadelphia to other cities in the throes of crisis (which I never did, by the way). Philly, after all, has new buildings and ... Indonesian food.

The trouble is, I spend most of my nights sitting in a living room with a mother while she sobs uncontrollably after learning that her son/husband/daughter/brother/cousin has just been stabbed or shot or raped or worse.

Am I focusing too much on the negative, while good things are happening where you live? Maybe. But if you found yourself, night after night, in my position -- face to face with people who aren't enjoying the fruits of the real estate boom or the tastes of our top-notch restaurant scene, and who are only feeling loss, sadness and desperation .... what would you say to them? That things are worse in other cities? That people are moving here from the suburbs? That optimism abounds in neighborhoods where people don't read the Daily News?

I typically end up in a variety of conversations with them, ranging from the sorry state of police deployment numbers to the broken juvenile justice system to the morally corrupt mayor and commissioner, who both recoil in horror every time someone suggests we need to try New York's smarter and more aggressive police tactics.

But then, I'm just a guy counting numbers ... right?

Wow, nice little trap you're setting in order pick a fight. We need an NBC After School Special on the methods and tricks of predatory bloggers. Oh, and thanks for desperately trying to cover up your grammatical error. Using extremely elaborate explanations to make yourself appear "fool-proof" only discredits your original argument. References that are more obscure than last year's reference to "Keystone Cops" aren't really worth putting into a blog. But, we're digressing off-topic, and it's getting us no where in our discussion.

Back to your original post. The Daily News is a local newspaper company. They publish news about the region. So, if there is corruption news, it's usually local. If there's a murder, it's usually local. One more; If the news suddenly stopped investigating murder and corruption stories, I'd be upset. Murder is a heinous act. Wanting to know who was murdered, where, and why is integral to informing public opinion. Especially, when it comes to upcoming elections, and policy.

The Federal corruption probe is not race based. Mariano was sentenced like everyone else in the current mess. People who are taking advantage of the public trust should be exposed, and prosecuted. That includes our current federal executive adminitration. Apart from our suburban counterparts, Philadelphia gets a ton of federal and state money for everything from schools, to police, to transportation, to housing. And, many of the contracts that go out are not be awarded fairly to sub-contractors. Or, those funds are being grossly mismanaged. The federal government wants answers. So... the corruption probes. It's what happens when so much of our city is subsidized.

In addition to David's response about interviewing the disenfranchised families that are not part of the housing boom, and cultural upswing this city has seen in recent years. I teach some one hundred seventy students every year in a school that houses over three thousand students every day. Sixty to seventy percent of those students live at or below the poverty line. Many are the children that come from the neighborhoods where these stories happen. I have students that hear gun shots at home, hang out late at night, and get themselves in trouble. They arrive at school late, distracted, tired, or not at all. The current state of our schools, and our students are a direct result of what is going on in the streets. That's why our test scores are so low. Our leaders are not enforcing policy to get our children into school, off the streets, and out of trouble. Sure, Philly has culture, and it's a fascinating city with plenty to do. But, if we don't focus on that elephant of a rising crime rate, our renaissance will be short lived. We will be Asbury Park, or Flint Michigan. Families won't want to move here. "The Schools are soooo bad!" "The crime rate is too high!"

Wow, you go away for a weekend and miss all the fun!?!?!?

I hate to say it, but the "lenient leaders" theory seems way to simple a way to describe the problem of rising crime. Suggesting that Fattah affects the "culture" more than say poverty, poor schooling, lack of economic opportunities, etc. seems like a simple way to look for individual scapegoats for a problem bigger than one person or a set of individuals. And for this "lenient leader" theory to really hold water, we need to say it applies to all cities that are experiencing a rising crime rate, which is well, a large amount of American cities.

I agree that schools can play an important part of avoiding the troubles we are discussing. The problem is school is at best 1/3rd of the day. I don't want to spoil the Wire for David, but can we really expect school to be this deus ex machina that makes up for all of the other problems that affect incredibly impoverished neighborhoods?

The conversation that needs to be had is bigger than Fattah, schools and snitching. It has to do with the loss of stable jobs, the disinvestment in the city, the relatively low rate of taxation, the shredding of the safety net for poor families. These aren't the fault of a few devious villians, they are a problem that grew over years and years and require more than just a quick fix of throw the bums out or mandatory jails sentences for guns.

David,

Hate to be a pest about it, but the comment about judges and lawyers? What specifically are you talking about?

Philly Resident,

I agree that leniant leaders are NOT the root of the problem. I'm saying that they are only a symptom of the actual problem. We elect these leaders, so what does it say about us? What does it say about what we want as a political body? They're there because those were the "type" of people that were able to rise to the top of the heap. They represent us, and many are corrupt.

Schools are not a panacea for the ills of these children and our culture. Our current school situation is a direct result of the values we as a society place on education. And, it's obvious that the inner-city folk don't believe in them. Even though education is the best road out of poverty. We need a tough administration that will put pressure on families so there are consequences for parents to control and monitor their children. i don't know if you've been in a school recently, but a large majority of students don't even know when the curfew is. Kids run the streets because their parents allow them to, and the administration doesn't care either. Why were 3 kids gunned down after 1am in my old neighborhood on a school night?

I have to argue about disinvestment, and low rate of taxation. We get taxed like crazy in the city. Certainly not property tax, but the small biz tax, wage tax, and all the other crappy taxes we have to pay. Oh, and let's not forget about comcast's strangle hold on cable, internet, and soon-to-be phone. We get so much federal and state subsidies it's not even funny. Tons of grants, aid, and whatever else you'd care to look up downtown. We're also expected to buck the housing market bubble, and private housing investment is still strong in the city. My only hope is that we get some compotent officials in office so we can keep all of this going.

And, for the record, Fattah didn't even resign his congressional seat to run for mayor. At least Nutter had the cajones to put his chips in the stack. Plus Fattah, can't even make it to public forums. He better not get the Dem nod. We'd have an absentee mayor.

Gtown_teach,

Fair enough, I guess that the posts above and David's post made it seem like fixing the lenient leader (or bad judges or lawyers) somehow solves the problem. That's the part I find kind of ridiculous.

Thanks for the response.

Philly Resident,

sorry to be over zealous on these issues. I see their impact every day, and I get passionate about it. I also have to extend my apology to fante. I shouldn't have taken a cheap shot at the spellng/grammar.

Many of these issues bring up some seething monsters in us. From all sides. I just hope that we all can do something positive that's within our power.

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