For real.
This is very serious. Police now confirm that two men, who were -- in a horrific touch -- wearing "Knox for Mayor" t-shirts -- entered a Knox satellite campaign office at about 12:56 p.m. and pulled a gun on a campaign staffer there.
The robbers demanded money. They got a canvas bag of money that was full of what police are calling "employee salaries" -- and I think we would call "street money" -- and left.
The campaign isn't sure how much money was taken.
Campaign Manager Josh Morrow is en route to discover what he called the "gory details" of the crime, but he quickly pointed to politics, not random neighborhood crime, as the cause. "How many crimes have to happen before Philadelphia decides it needs new leadership?" he asked.
Comments (38)
The robbers were wearing Knox for Mayor t-shirts. Seriously. That's what happens when you hire crooks to do your politicing for you.
Posted by Anonymous | May 15, 2007 2:17 PM
WHOA !!!
What a dirty deed. Besides Brady's goons acting uncivilized. Someone just had to break into a Knox campaign office to steal money.
The Knox candidature is alive and on the move.
Jas.....
Posted by Jasper Zeigler Jr | May 15, 2007 2:19 PM
It is one of the problems with hiring a bunch of ne'erdowells and paying everyone in cash. Not that the Knox campaign is alone in doing this but as a West Philly resident I have seen an awful of our residents with um . . . substance abuse problems walking around in Knox shirts lately. Nice touch keeping the cash in big canvas bag - its so Warner Bros Cartoons.
Posted by seand | May 15, 2007 2:25 PM
Glad no one was hurt. . .
That's awesome, Knox tries to buy the election, and his workers steal it back!
Brilliant!
Posted by HaHa | May 15, 2007 2:28 PM
The Knox for Mayor T-shirts were thin enough to barely see the robbers' shirts underneath. I could only make out some of the letters though: ca***nte*** *or ***dy.
Posted by Witness | May 15, 2007 2:31 PM
ha...stayed on message. i was thinking the same thing
this is why campaigns i've participated in already had money orders written out to specific people instead of just cash laying around.
Posted by Anonymous | May 15, 2007 2:33 PM
The Knox for Mayor T-shirts were thin enough to barely see the robbers' shirts underneath. I could only make out some of the letters though: ca***nte*** *or ***dy.
Posted by Witness | May 15, 2007 2:33 PM
ha...stayed on message. i was thinking the same thing
this is why campaigns i've participated in already had money orders written out to specific people instead of just cash laying around.
Posted by Anonymous | May 15, 2007 2:33 PM
Wearing Knox for Mayor tee shirts? hmmmm... Sounds like Doc's guys are turning on him... speaking of Doc's guys turning - a gang of them were overheard (last night at an Irish bar on Cottman) talking abount how they would take the money to "stand around" for Knox today but vote for Brady when they got in the booth, "cause Knox or any of those other idiots wouldn't get anything done like Brady could"
Posted by Non Voter | May 15, 2007 2:33 PM
Were they referring to the Brady who doesn't do anything sustantial for us in Washington, DC?
LOL!!!!
Posted by Anonymous | May 15, 2007 2:36 PM
Though I feel sorry for the Campaign Worker who had to live through that ordeal, the whole thing sounds like Karma to me. Knox robbed people....Knox got robbed.
Posted by Anonymous | May 15, 2007 2:39 PM
How dumb can Knox's people be? They actually admitted that they have cash on hand at their satellite offices?!?
1.) They basically just admitted they were buying votes.
2.) I imagine that every office is going to get knocked over before the polls close.
Posted by CM | May 15, 2007 2:41 PM
people wonder why unions geta bad name well I guess they speak for them selves taking money to help one campaign then voting for another >once again it goes to show that the status quo doesnt work lets put all these hooligans out to pasture VOTE FOR CHANGE!
Posted by jim | May 15, 2007 2:42 PM
I also saw the robbers fleeing the scene in Knox for Mayor tees. One of them had cut a slit down the back of his shirt to accommodate his protruding dorsal fin.
Posted by Anonymous | May 15, 2007 2:45 PM
All the campaigns give out street money -- that is the "get out the vote" effort, when it comes down to it
Posted by Wendy | May 15, 2007 2:46 PM
I haven't been to the polls yet, but I don't foresee myself voting for a... (for all intensive purposes)candidate?!??, (and I use that word loosely) who would put his street money in canvas bags at the office! Huh?!? Why didn't you just leave it in a piggy bank on the desk? Duh!
If you'll do that with your money, what would you do with our hard-earned tax dollars? (I mean, with the exception of charging us exorbitant amounts of interest on it.)
Posted by What Difference Does It Make? | May 15, 2007 2:50 PM
Wow! This really happened. I had to check WPVI's website. I thought this was a hoax blog. Interesting.
Posted by Morty McNutt | May 15, 2007 2:51 PM
Its a known fact that Knox has been hiring people straight out of rehab programs to work on his street operations.
Sounds like some of those guys got wise to how much money was lying around and made a run for it.
Sounds like people working on Knox's street operation may not get paid for a few days.
Posted by Jill | May 15, 2007 2:54 PM
this just shows the incompetence of the Knox team.
i fear what he and his people would do in office
Posted by Anonymous | May 15, 2007 2:55 PM
"Were they referring to the Brady who doesn't do anything sustantial for us in Washington, DC?"
Brady would do something substantial for union guys...just not for the rest of us.
Posted by mike b | May 15, 2007 3:02 PM
I stand corrected. LOL ;)
Posted by Anonymous | May 15, 2007 3:08 PM
CM, you are obviously a moron. Every campaign puts money on the street. If you had half a brain. You'd be asking whether the robbery was the dirty work of the Brady, Fattah, Nutter or Evans camps. This robbery was calculated.
Posted by Anonymous | May 15, 2007 3:09 PM
give me a break. . .a calculated robbery?
knox hired shady characters to work for him, and he got burned.
Posted by Anonymous | May 15, 2007 3:14 PM
God I love this city
Posted by Anonymous | May 15, 2007 3:19 PM
Hey! We wouldn't hoax you! Seriously, I am being very very picky about we report today...everything has to be confirmed before we post it. That item was confirmed by police.
Posted by Wendy | May 15, 2007 3:20 PM
Did knox owe the Teamsters money
Posted by Anonymous | May 15, 2007 3:21 PM
I saw the robbers too, one of them dropped a hammer and the other dropped a box of nails during the getaway. I don't know how they got out of there with all that cash and those 2x4s they were carrying.
Posted by Anonymous | May 15, 2007 3:28 PM
Not fair! CM is not running for office, ergo he should not be the target of insults. Let's stay focused here people. KNOX is aware of the street money (but obviously not of the laws regarding giving cash for the purchase of an election). He, and his workers should have been more careful in the handling of the money. CM had an opinion you didn't agree with, but Knox has obviously been inept in the handling of his campaign finances. (Which still, by the way, have to be reported.) It's a pity they didn't calculate what was in the bag.
Posted by Anonymous | May 15, 2007 3:28 PM
In a related story Knox was sighted in Nicetown in a long stretch limo thowing gold coins to throngs of school children.
Ok thats a joke, but still . . .
Posted by seand | May 15, 2007 3:30 PM
Philly Dems are legend for their efforts to hire the rehabilitation in progress types and they usually lend color to every election in the form of using the addresses of empty or abandoned properties as home addresses.
I spoke with one last year, and he admitted that he lived in West Philly.
Posted by Anonymous | May 15, 2007 3:32 PM
I wish the Flyers were in the playoffs
Posted by Anonymous | May 15, 2007 3:33 PM
I am surpised that this has not happen beofre. In fact, this has not happen to my knowledge. As someone that has handle large amounts of cash during campaigns, this smells like an inside job. Maybe even a planned event.
Posted by Anonymous | May 15, 2007 3:34 PM
Philadelphia... once I think I'm over you, you remind me how sexy you are. God, I love you!
Posted by Anony-mouse | May 15, 2007 3:36 PM
Yes, you sexy beast! ;)
Posted by Anonymous | May 15, 2007 3:45 PM
Well this election is like a soap opera. As the campaign runs or All my electors or Search for the canvas bag. I'll vote but the pickings are slim.
Posted by Band wagon | May 15, 2007 4:08 PM
Michael Youngblood did a bomb scare when he worked for Katz, check his pockets
Posted by C | May 15, 2007 4:17 PM
Wow. If Nutter, Brady, Fattah or Evans would resort to allowing their workers commit felonies to further their cause, imagine what they would resort to if they were running the city and something wasn't going how they wanted. Friggin scary.
Posted by Anonymous | May 15, 2007 4:17 PM
They lost $300. That's all. It wasn't the "street money." It was for the people working inside the office. Therefore, it was at the office.
Posted by Anonymous | May 15, 2007 4:44 PM