April 20, 2008

Councilwoman Wants To Ban Toy Guns

Philadelphia Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller is concerned about the gun violence in this city.

Crowd: How concerned is she?

Why, she's so concerned with the gun violence in this city she's going to ban the sale of toy guns!

(Pause for laughter.)

Exactly, that's not funny. Because, of course, it's true! It's buried in this Friday Inquirer City Council roundup: "Just how to determine which toy guns meet those characteristics will be discussed in hearings, Miller said. Her legislation includes detailed exceptions, including toys that are made of see-through plastic or have bright coloring."

Hey, wait, that doesn't even sound that awful. Oh no, has a City Councilwoman finally introduced stupid nitpicky legislation that's well-thought out in advance and essentially bulletproof? Oh well. I guess I could complain about time wasted in hearings, but it's not like that time was going to be used for something more important. I'll have to investigate more.

The legislation isn't up on the website yet, but hopefully the wording will be better than it was for the voluntary toy gun sale moratorium last fall, which began: "The City Council Of Philadelphia Calls Upon The Responsible Merchants Of Philadelphia – During These Troubling Times, With Gun Violence At An All Time High - To Implement A Voluntary Moratorium On The Sale of Toys Guns In The Philadelphia Stores." (Other than that, it wasn't that bad, surprisingly. Donna Reed Miller clearly does not want to be made fun of for this.)

For more restrained commentary on this issue, please head to the place where I first read about this, Domelights. An example: "I'm sick of 'it's society's fault, it's the gun's fault, there ain't enough jobs.....etc. etc." Ha, how dare politicians attempt to end poverty and improve society.

Posted by D-Mac at 07:45 PM | Comments (2)

February 25, 2008

Snowball Fight Leads To Shooting

While most Philadelphians spent the weekend indoors watching injuries befall our sports teams and movies they haven't seen win awards, there still was some snow on the ground from Friday's first real snowfall of the winter. And so smarter Philadelphians spent most of their time playing in the snow. (Me, I spent most of the weekend indoors sick. Duh.)

A few tow-headed residents even decided to throw snowballs at people, a tradition of young brats since snow was invented. Unfortunately, uh, somebody shot one of the teenagers throwing snowballs. Two sixteen year olds were having a snowball fight when one of their throws accidentally hit a neighbor in the face. And, then, the neighbor returned and shot one of 'em in the head at point blank range.

Continue reading "Snowball Fight Leads To Shooting"

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February 12, 2008

Vince Fumo, Moving To Camera 2

Challenger Anne Dicker's camp sent over this ad for Vince Fumo's State Senate re-election bid yesterday, complaining that Fumo really hasn't done much for illegal guns on the streets. Fair enough.

But I believe the real beauty in this ad is, um, the ad itself. I didn't really notice how brilliant it was 'til it aired after Gladiators last night: Fumo serving the people dinner, the face of the dude at the kitchen table, the little head-tilt by Fumo at the end. Forget the State Senate, we need to get Vince Fumo a sitcom.

If I were Anne Dicker, I'd just show this ad on an infinite loop at one of her watering hole meetups; I can't see how a night of drinking and watching this ad over and over could do anything but increase attendance.

Posted by D-Mac at 10:47 AM | Comments (4)

November 12, 2007

Clip Art Shows Gun Violence Who's Boss

The clip art above is from a promo flier for Bowling Against Bullets (.pdf), an anti-bullet event being held at Lucky Strike Lanes on Nov. 30. (Personally, wouldn't Bowling Over Bullets better? Plus you've got the BOB acronym; it's kind of perfect. Somebody get me a consulting gig.)

The $30 event is attempting to stop the violence; whether it will do that or not, I cannot say. I can say, though, that the clip art of literally bowling against bullets is one of the finest marketing uses of Adobe Illustrator I have seen in years. Do you think the pins will actually be painted up to look like bullets on the 30th?

Dress code will "strictly" be enforced on the 30th, which bans sports jerseys, baggy clothes and "MC Colors." Right.

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October 31, 2007

Police Shooting In West Oak Lane

Hey, not fun news update: A second cop has been shot in Philadelphia for the second time in the past day; he was shot in the head at Dunkin' Donuts in West Oak Lane. If you can get to a TV, the coverage is weird and surreal; going from, say, Guiding Light to coverage of a cop being shot, then back to the soap opera. This shooting was near a plaque dedication of fallen officers, which had to be postponed. (Update: Clarified that previous sentence.) That means there were a lot of officers nearby, and they're chasing after the suspect. The officer shot in the head is in critical condition.

NBC 10 is going from the morning news magazine show with everyone dressed up in Halloween costumes to the coverage. Meanwhile, last night a police officer responded to a shooting at 15th and Sansom -- hey, right outside the PW offices -- and was shot at 22nd and Sansom in the shoulder. He's going to be okay, reports say.

The suspect in the shooting last night at 9 apparently dove into the Schuylkill and died.

Philadelphia Police Officer Shot In Head [NBC 10]
Cop wounded by suspect in shooting of 3 [Inquirer]

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October 18, 2007

NRA Exec Lets People Know Where To Murder

Oh, that wacky, wacky NRA! Always saying wacky things like this!

In August, Wayne LaPierre, NRA executive vice president, spoke at a rally in Ames, Iowa, and blamed Philadelphia's murder rate on lax law enforcement rather than the proliferation of guns. "You want to kill people, go to Philadelphia, where only a third of all murderers will even be arrested," LaPierre was quoted by the Iowa State Daily.

Wait, I thought that was the fault of Stop Snitchin'! This came at the end of an article discussing how the NRA is against one-gun a month laws and blah blah blah blah. I can't imagine why someone would need more than one handgun a month, but then again I don't see how limiting Philadelphia gun shops to selling only one gun a month per person is going to actually solve any problems.

Everyone will just argue over things like this over and over and over and over until everyone in Philadelphia is dead.

NRA chief denounces Phila. antigun effort [Inquirer]

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September 07, 2007

Nude TV Reporter Gets Murder Confession

Back in 2004, ex-NBC 10 anchor Sharon Reed posed naked for an artistic nude shoot, but after disrobing chickened out, because, as Americans, we're taught to fear nudity. (She also threatened NBC 10 reporter Alycia Taylor back in 2002 on an online messageboard. What is it with news anchors?)

Well, since then, she's moved on to reporting more serious events, it seems, as Reed recently went all Nancy Phillips and got a murder suspect to confess to shooting a 12-year-old girl.

{Eric] Wilson confessed his role during a phone interview with 19 Action News Anchor Sharon Reed Monday evening - and apologized to the victim's family.

Wilson says he understands - having five daughters of his own.

Wilson is still on the lam, but there's a $5,000 reward for his capture. Reed is planning to celebrate by stripping off all her clothes over the phone.

Funeral Arrangements Set for Murder Victim Asteve'e "Cookie" Thomas [WOIO]
Sharon Reed Gets Naked [Metacafe]

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July 31, 2007

Mayor Finally Introduced To His Police Commissioner

It may have taken a triple homicide at a bar -- and a bunch of shootings over the weekend -- but Mayor John Street met with Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson for a brainstorming session! This marks the first time the mayor has met Johnson, and the two were said to get along pretty well.

And, apparently their solution is to ban alcohol or something.

A couple of recent shooting incidents drew special attention during the meeting with Mayor John Street: "I am really concerned about bars and the proliferation of shootings and violence that are taking place in bars. We had another triple shooting in a bar over the weekend. We had a triple homicide in a bar the weekend before that."

Hey, the mayor's doing something, everybody! Gather around, this is about as common as a full solar eclipse or the installation of a new pope.

Mayor Meets With Phila. Police Brass To Address City Crisis [KYW 1060]

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July 25, 2007

Loch Ness Monster Shuts Down Crime Cameras

A 23-year-old man was shot and killed outside a Chinese restaurant over the weekend. Fortunately, there were cameras outside the restaurant, and the killer will hopefully soon be identified.

Ha ha, just kidding! (Not about the homicide, but about the cameras.) In yet another example of the incompetence of Big Brother, the cameras outside the Chinese restaurant were not working. (If Nineteen Eighty-Four were real, Winston's time in Room 101 would have been spent playing with puppies.) Back in March, the cameras -- installed by the Philadelphia Commercial Development Corporation -- also didn't work, so they've really made a lot of progress on the issue. (Hey, another parenthetical aside: Perhaps one of the problems was that ex-PCDC president and soon-to-be-City Councilman Curtis Jones said he had a master's degree when in fact he had a certificate of compliance from a weekend seminar of some sort.)

Anyway, the PCDC does have an excuse for the non-working cameras.

The Philadelphia Commercial Development Corporation which runs the cameras, says hackers and a lightening strike were the reasons the cameras were off. The president of the PCDC says the cameras should be working again by Friday, and he wants the D-A and the US attorney to investigate the hackers.

Hackers and a lighting strike? Usually when you comes up with ideas for a ridiculous excuse to save face, you only choose one one those ideas.

But who knows. Perhaps there really were hackers. I don't know what they were like, but I can only assume they are like Angelina Jolie and Jonny Lee Miller's characters from the 1996 film Hackers, not nerdy script kiddies in their parents' basement. This makes for a sexier story.

Anyway, next time this blog happens to be down, it's the fault of Bigfoot and solar flares.

Crime Cameras Stall in Wynnefield
March 26: Get Ready For More Of This In The Coming Weeks

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July 24, 2007

I Love The Smell of Napalm In The Morning

As you may have seen on the CBS Evening News With Katie Couric's Legs last night, Philadelphia is having a bit of a homicide problem. Well, okay, it's a "homicide problem" in the same way that the Delaware River is "wet." But anyway, you probably didn't see it, actually, since like 14 people watch it, and I'm guessing they're all over the age of 70 and don't have the Internet.

Anyway, now that the homicide crisis has hit national news (uh, again, right?), the mayor has kicked it into high gear and closed a bar where a triple homicide took place after an argument over the Bernard Hopkins fight. (Well, okay, the ridiculous situation might have a lot to do with it, too.)

Anyway, national correspondent Byron Pitts also wrote a blog post about the story, and, hoo, boy.

I’ve seen war up close and there is no mistaking what’s going on in places like Afghanistan and Iraq. War zones have a certain look. A certain feel. There’s even a smell to it. After spending several days in Philadelphia, I must admit there are striking similarities.

Continue reading "I Love The Smell of Napalm In The Morning"

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May 04, 2007

City Gives State The Middle Finger

Yesterday, City Council passed a long-delayed series of bills aimed at addressing gun violence. Philadelphia isn't allowed to make its own gun laws because the rest of the state's economy is approximately 100 percent based on hunting and every citizen owns 50 or 60 guns and buys 30 a day, just to melt them down for whatever the hell guns are made out of.

Some have said the move is a way to gain votes -- duh, it is -- but that doesn't mean City Council isn't sincere. And it doesn't mean it's wrong to tell the state to fuck off every once in a while.

Actually, no matter your stance on gun laws, the citizens of Philadelphia should praise this new law. For too long Pennsylvania has... uh... well, I dunno what it's done. But, c'mon! This is pissing off the rest of the state. That's something all Philadelphians can agree is a good thing to do.

Plus, while the government in Harrisburg is figuring out a way to challenge these Philly laws, they can't do any damage anywhere else.

City Council sets up showdown with state [Metro]

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April 27, 2007

Lawmaker For Gun Control To Begin Carrying AK-47

State Rep. Jewell Williams, who's from Philly, is a co-sponsor of an Angel Cruz bill that has no chance at passing but is a way to get attention for his gun control arguments. (The bill's about gun control, too, obviously; it's just not going to pass.)

Anyway, this morning some idiot from Allentown wrote him an email saying something to the effect of "you should be shot" for supporting his fellow democrat Cruz. Way to do your part to make gun owners look like responsible human beings, buddy!

Williams is taking the threat seriously, which is certainly his prerogative and not something you can really criticize. But, ah, could we do it so everyone's reaction to the story isn't "guh-wha"?

A Philadelphia lawmaker who supports tougher gun-control laws said Thursday he will likely start wearing a bulletproof vest and carrying his gun more often after receiving a threatening e-mail.

I think the equivalent of this move is protesting abortion by opening up a Planned Parenthood.

Lawmaker who got e-mail threat says he'll wear bulletproof vest [AP/Philly.com]

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April 20, 2007

Ironic Philly Crime Spree Continues

I'm always a little wary of using the word irony, since I don't really quite have any idea what the hell it means. I mean, I do, but anytime somebody anywhere ever seems to say something is ironic, someone says that's not really irony. Wary of looking even stupider than I usually do, I try to avoid using irony unless it's something like Oedipus Rex, where smart teachers have told me there is irony when he has sex with his mom or whatever.

But now that this has happened twice, I think it's time to call this a full-blown ironic crime spree, even if there's a chance irony only refers to old plays English teachers have told you are ironic. Last week, a peace rally in West Philadelphia turned violent.

And last night, another anti-violence rally had a shooting outside it, this time in Nicetown.

Philadelphia police at a community meeting Wednesday evening on Germantown Avenue, suddenly found themselves on the scene of a shootout just outside the building in Nicetown.

The captain was working an evening shift as part of the commissioner's response to violent crime in the city.

It was just after 6:30 when shots rang out outside the meeting hall. Some attendees fell to the floor. But Captain John McCloskey and officer Vince Laspina rushed outside, virtually into the middle of the gun battle on a busy Germantown Avenue.

Next time somebody asks me how I'm doing my part to stem the tide of violence in this city, I'll just answer honestly: By not organizing any anti-violence rallies.

Peace Rally Turns Violent in West Philadelphia [KYW 1060]
Shootout Erupts Outside Anti-Violence Meeting in Germantown [KYW 1060]
[Photo via Wikipedia page for Irony, by pschemp]

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March 15, 2007

'Phillymag' Guns Down A National Mag Award Nom

Looks like Phillymag's publicity stunt of putting a gun on the cover paid off! The posh local monthly is up for a 2007 National Magazine Award for general excellence in the 100,000 - 250,000 circulation category. (To be fair, Wired's Chris Andersen is up for an article about effing Second Life.)

Joking aside, the mag is up for its September, November and December issues, and November was the gun one. Phillymag is up against Foreign Policy, lefty mag Mother Jones, a magazine called Seed and, of course, Salt Water Sportsman. The magazine's last nom for general excellence was in 1998 under Eliot Kaplan.

Putting a gun on the cover wasn't really all that shocking or courageous -- Oh! A gun! On the cover a magazine ostensibly about a city with lots of homicides! Gasp! Let's write some articles about it! -- and the magazine clearly has bad taste in blogs -- a B+ for Philadelphia Will Do earlier this year? (Grade Inflation at its finest.) Now, we all know that Phillymag is no Salt Water Sportsman, but the mag has gotten better in recent months under current editor Larry Platt.

Can it beat out gay-porn (well, you tell me what it is, then) mag Seed? I guess only time will tell. But I think we know one thing: Next year's national mag awards will surely give a nomination to Joey Sweeney and Ruth Carpenter in the "Reviews and Criticism" category.

National Magazine Awards: Finalists [Magazine.org]
Why we put a gun on our cover [Phillymag]
Feb. 26, 2007: Hipsters Now Popular Enough To Shill $30K Cars

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March 14, 2007

Throwing A Slowdown On This 'Speed' Reference

Yesterday, a man was running for a the 33 bus in North Philadelphia. When the bus driver noticed him, the bus slowed down and the man was able to make it on the bus.

Unfortunately for him, a man was on the bus waiting for him. Immediately after the 45-year-old man got on the bus, a 50- to 60-year-old-man leaped at him, asked him where his money was, then shot him twice in the head.

Now, check out the Daily News story by David Gambacorta and Wendy Ruderman about the incident:

As in the movie "Speed," no one was killed in this real-life violent-action scene, although a man was shot in the head, and a 12-year-old girl was trampled in the ensuing panic.

Uhh, what? Clearly, this lead was written by somebody who has never seen the movie Speed. (Which is a shame, because it's Dennis Hopper's best performance besides his role as King Koopa in Super Mario Bros.) Even if you only count the bus part of the movie, it's still incorrect. Plot summary from Wikipedia:

The police commandeer a large flatbed truck to try to unload the passengers. Jack warns his superior that the attempt would be seen by the bomber (since television news helicopters are filming overhead) and the passengers killed. However, the young cop convinces Payne to allow the bus driver off the bus. Seeing the injured man taken off safely, a woman named Helen attempts to get off too. Payne, who is indeed watching, detonates a small charge below the floor of the bus near the door; Helen falls through the floor, and is run over and killed.

Geeze. You try to write a story that finally doesn't contain the words thug or punk and you end up messing up a really stretched movie reference. Either that, or maybe this was a nice, comforting way of telling us that the 12-year-old girl trampled in the aftermath died.

Man scrambles to catch bus, only to catch bullets to the head [Daily News via 14th Windiest State]
Speed (film) [Wikipedia]

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March 12, 2007

Camden Very Slowly Catching Up To Philadelphia

In recent months, much attention has been lavished on Philadelphia's fine neighbor to the east, Camden. 20/20 profiled the city in an unflattering light, there was a brawl at Camden High School and the city still ranks among the nation's most dangerous.

And, yet, Thursday, March 8, was the date of Camden's first homicide of the year. (It was, naturally, a double.) Philadelphia has (at least) 71 at this point.

The two men killed were originally thought to have died in a car accident, until investigators realized both men had been shot and killed before the car crashed. The 67-day homicide-free streak to start the year was the longest since at least 1980.

So what's the deal? Camden is much smaller than Philly, but that disparity is pretty large. Maybe Philadelphia has better marksmen. Or maybe even Camden knows how to stop homicides while on this side of the river everyone twiddles their thumbs and waits for the new mayor to be elected.

Camden has first 2 homicides of year [Camden Courier-Post]
Waiting on the World to Change [ABCNews.com]

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February 21, 2007

The Cos Is Back In Town To Lecture Us All

Hey, people of Philadelphia! Get excited! Bill Cosby's back in town!

Yes, the Cos (inset, with his Dandie Dinmont Terrier) himself will be speaking tonight at a forum organized by Men United for a Better Philadelphia.

Cosby was, of course, at one time a great comedian. The problem is, the only time he's funny anymore is when he's being sincere about attempting to stop gun violence and goes off about kids shooting each other over a piece of pound cake and it just seems like another bit. (For example, this doesn't seem too far from the truth.)

But, man, remember that Penn Relays episode of The Cosby Show? Now that was awesome. I guess we all still love him.

Update, 4:20 p.m.: The Cos talked and told people to stay away from violence. However, I must take umbrage -- can you do anything with umbrage but take it? -- at his one statement:

"Gone is a potential president of Community College. Gone is a potential doctor of medicine. Gone is a potential great father, gone is a potential honest human being."

I agree with everything except that last one. I don't think such a thing exists.

Wow, that was depressing, wasn't it? Uhh, I mean, "Hey hey hey!"

Cosby Back In Philly To Discuss Gun Violence [CBS 3]
Comic Bill Cosby Tells Phila. Teens to Eschew Violence [KYW 1060]
Archives: Bill Cosby
Related: Philadelphia Will Do at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

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February 13, 2007

Four Dead In Navy Yard Shooting

It was like the City of Philadelphia woke up and said, "Hey, we haven't had a murder in a while. Let's make this next one really memorable!"

Last night at the old Navy Yard, three people were killed and a fourth critically injured before the gunman committed suicide, allegedly after a dispute over money at a board meeting.

The papers have conflicting reports about what business it actually was; the Daily News reports "much of the bizarre mayhem took place inside the second-story offices of Zigzag.net, a prominent black-owned advertising and marketing firm based in a business center near the banks of the Delaware River," while the Inquirer says "the shootings occurred about 8:30 p.m. during a meeting of the board of directors of a company called Watson International." So, ah, the biz is Watson International but the shootings took place at Zigzag.net. Of course.

It's the worst killing in the city since the Lex Street Massacre in 2001 where seven people died and three were injured. Apparently the conference room scene was "utter chaos." More on this as more information comes out.

Gunman kills 3, then himself at Navy Yard [Inquirer]
4 ARE SLAIN IN S. PHILA. [Daily News]

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January 18, 2007

Iraqi Kids Shoot Each Other, Too

As Philadelphians continue to be killed at a rate of more than one per day, people -- especially the politicians in charge -- are looking for answers. They're looking for something to blame, something to change that would fix the problem (hopefully without having to do much work or lose any political capital, of course).

And, of course, our city's fine mayor is simply continuing to find out how he can make everyone know it's not his fault. Oh, things are bad everywhere, he says. Oh, I've seen other cities and it's not just Philadelphia, blah blah blah. No shit, Mr. Mayor. But, as the person in charge of this city, it doesn't matter what's happening in other cities, since that's not his problem.

But Street will continue to try to find excuses rather than answers, and his latest event to blame is, of course, the Iraq War.

Let's say this again: Yesterday, John Street blamed the city's rising murder rate on the Iraq War. "I believe the fact that we are a country at war has something to do with the attitude of people in the streets," he said. "Let me tell you, it's not just this city. I have seen it everywhere and I've talked to people a lot about it." (Street is correct, of course. It's not just this city. Things are bad in Baghdad, too.)

Street's point is, I guess: We in America -- on Earth? -- celebrate violence. We love violence. We hate sex and swear words, but holy fuck do we love violence. (And reality singing competitions, for some reason.) All of this leads to more violence in real life, since we love watching representations of it. I guess?

Anyway, while I'm trying to figure out how Iraqi suicide bombers are making it more likely for teenagers to get shot in drug gang wars, Street will actually be coming up with some sort of attempt at an answer. His plan this year is to train 1,000 clergy members in conflict resolution and get them talking to people. And while they are telling kids not to kill each other, they can also tell them the boys if they kiss another man, God hates them and they're going to hell.

Might want to invest in a flak jacket.

Blame Philly gun violence partly on Iraq, mayor says [Daily News]

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December 29, 2006

If Only We Could Make The City One Big Church

It's been a tough year, violence-wise, for Philadelphia. 400-odd murders and such will do that.

But it hasn't been all bad, according to State Rep. Curt Thomas. While proposing new legislation to restrict guns and make offenders work in prison, etc., he also points out there is one place where there hasn't been any murders. He tells KYW 1060's Steve Tawa:

While there have been more than 400 homicides this year in Philadelphia, State Representative Curt Thomas says there has not been one act of violence inside a house of worship: ”Our places of worship have remained sacred ground.”

And the Spectrum. Nobody's been killed at the Spectrum.

Legislator Wants Faith-Based Help to Make '07 Year of Peace [KYW 1060]

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December 12, 2006

Student Shoots Self At Montco H.S., School District Posts Note On Website And Moves On

Earlier today, reports -- KYW 1060! NBC 10! Muthafuckin CNN! -- came out of a shooting at Springfield (Montco.) High School.

The Springfield Township School District has released a statement and the cable TV news networks are already bored and have moved away to more important stories about Christmas trees at Seattle's airport:

We have received a report that a student brought a rifle to the High School. Shots were fired. Some students left the building. What we know is that an unidentified student shot himself. NOBODY ELSE HAS BEEN INJURED. All buildings will remain in Lockdown until further notice. The Police are escorting students from the High School to the Middle School. We will keep you informed every ten minutes as we receive more information. Parents, please stay away from all buildings until we have more information. Students are safe and emergency response and District personnel are on site. It is now 10:15 a.m

The school seems to be saying, "Geeze, guys, it's just a little case of a student buying a rifle and shooting himself in school. We updated a note on our website, calm down now."

Springfield Township School District
Report of Shots Fired by Student at Springfield (Montco) H.S. [KYW 1060]
District: Student Shoots Self At High School [NBC 10]

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December 08, 2006

Power 99 Soothes Gunshot Wounds With Pie

Subhead from a press release from Power 99 that just arrived:

Power 99 fm’s Sam Sylk Morning Show Will Distribute Holiday Pies to Families Who’ve Lost Loved Ones to Violence

It doesn't really get any better than that, but the full release is after the jump.

Continue reading "Power 99 Soothes Gunshot Wounds With Pie"

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Update: Club Shooting A Murder-Suicide Attempt?

The accidental shooting at a strip club last night the Daily News reported this morning apparently wasn't an accidental shooting at all.

Police are now calling it an attempted murder-suicide, KYW 1060's Sonya Rincon reports.

The man shot the dancer -- not merely spattered his blood on her breasts, as was reported earlier -- and then attempted to take his own life, police say. He was a regular customer at Cheerleaders, but no motive has been offered.

Neither party was killed. The 31-year-old dancer was just upgraded to stable condition, while the 49-year-old man is in "extremely critical" condition at Jefferson Hospital.

Update update: The shooter passed away this afternoon.

Double Shooting at Phila. Strip Club Investigated As Murder- Suicide Attempt [KYW 1060]

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December 07, 2006

New North Philly Movie Theater Reaches Franklin Mills Theater Status In Mere Two Days

Monday's opening of the new Pearl Theatre at the Avenue North complex in North Philly near Temple was hailed as the first step in a transition of North Philly into a nicer, happier place with gooey gooey gumdrops and residents whose shit smells like rainbows.

Well, it only two days, but North Philly's new movie theater has already had a shooting. Philly isn't really a city for much movie theater mayhem -- mostly because there aren't many movie theaters -- but the Pearl apparently is looking to change that.

The shooting, actually, may haven't even been related to the theater. A 16-year-old boy was shot near the theater complex and taken to Hahnemann in critical condition around 7:30. But the theater was evacuated, which led to even more mayhem afterward. And police aren't even sure who made the call to evacuate the theater, Will Bunch and David Gambacorta of the Daily News write:

As a result of the shooting, about 100 paying customers were evacuated from the theater. Detectives were unsure last night who had decided to evacuate the theater, but they confirmed that it had led to chaos, with numerous fistfights breaking out. "Basically, they all went crazy," said one detective. "We don't really know why, either."

Indeed, when a reporter arrived minutes after the shooting, groups of youths were still running in every direction, and police had cuffed and pinned two men against a car about 100 feet from the theater. "I didn't hit you," an officer yelled at one of the handcuffed men. Later, police said that none of at least four handcuffed people outside the movies was linked to the shooting.

If you're keeping score at home, that's: Shooting near movie theater, movie theater evacuated, patrons decide to beat each other up since they have nothing else to do.

However, a member of the anti-violence group Men United for a Better Philadelphia said that, well, this is why North Philly can't have nice things:

Rich Ford, of Men United for a Better Philadelphia, watched hordes of adolescents yell and shove one another outside the complex, and then questioned the wisdom of putting a theater in North Philly.

"This is not Center City or Manayunk," he said. "It's the heart of North Philadelphia. This place is going to draw a multitude of young kids from all over, and these kinds of events will probably be ongoing at this location."

It's good to see our anti-violence group members are so committed to finding things for kids to do other than violence. "A movie theater? Hell, don't put one of those up here!" Sigh.

Violence erupts outside theater [Daily News]
Photo via Philebrity
Tuesday: North Philly Residents Rush To See Crap

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November 28, 2006

Urban's 2006 Publicity Tour Heats Up

Last week the Inquirer began the annual Urban Outfitters Controversy™, where Urban Outfitters stocks some stupid item that offends some people and gets a lot of free publicity out of the whole deal.

This time, it was a Christmas ornament in the shape of a glittery plastic handgun. After the Inquirer called all the requisite people -- anti-violence groups, the governor's office, NAMBLA, etc. -- the chain of events was set in motion. A call for a boycott and protests followed, as well as a few more articles in the paper.

And, yet, despite yesterday's protest outside the company's Center City store on Walnut Street, the ornament has sold out and the company is ordering more from China or Taiwan or whereever. (Well, replace "despite" in that previous sentence with "in part due to.")

The Daily News wrote that "Urban Outfitters issued a statement saying the gun was one of a number of 'dark humor items,' including 'devil monkeys' and skulls, providing an 'ironic twist' to holiday tradition." Well, no, that's not true. The only thing being celebrated here is commercialism, and there's nothing ironic about that in America.

Ornament is a sellout [Daily News]
Nov. 22: Newspapers Joining In On Half-Assed Thanksgiving Eve Fun

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