Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker marks 100 days in office
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Mayor Cherelle Parker marked 100 days in office on Thursday with a speech at a middle school in Kensington.
"We are here today to announce the beginning," Parker said to a crowd of people who gathered at Conwell Russell Middle School.
She and other members of her administration outlined what had been done in the 100 days since taking office, and what will be done over the years to come.
"Change is difficult and whenever you're trying to change culture, culture is difficult," Parker said.
She listed several accomplishments, including securing more than $500 million in federal funding, executive orders she signed, and announcing a settlement with two manufacturers of ghost guns.
Philadelphia filed suit against Polymer80 and JSD Supply in July, accusing the manufacturers of perpetuating gun violence in the city by manufacturing and selling untraceable, self-manufactured weapons commonly known as "ghost guns."
David Pucino, legal director of Giffords Law Center, which represented the city, accusing Polymer80 and JSD Supply of "reckless business practices ... that threatened public safety."
Under the settlement, JSD Supply, based in Butler, Pennsylvania, agreed it would no longer sell its products in the state for four years, city officials said. JSD-owned Eagle Shows, which bills itself as Pennsylvania's largest gun show, will be required to prohibit vendors from selling such gun parts for two years.
Dayton, Nevada-based Polymer80 agreed to a four-year ban on sales to customers in Philadelphia and the nearby counties of Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lehigh, Montgomery and Northampton, which include the cities of Allentown, Easton, Reading and Lancaster. Additionally, Polymer80 agreed to pay $1.3 million, which Philadelphia officials said will fund efforts to address gun violence.
The settlement was expected to be filed with the court on Friday. Messages were left at both companies seeking comment on the agreement.
Mayor Parker used SEPTA to get to the middle school, which is in the heart of Kensington.
The school itself is only feet away from an active open-air drug market.
City crews spent the morning cleaning the streets, but there was still noticeable trash, drug paraphernalia and drug use nearby during the speech. But the Parker administration said they had a plan to tackle the problem.
"We have a multi-phased approach and we will establish an implementation team," said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel.
That approach starts with going after the open-air drug market and dealers, first with a warning period. After that period, which is expected to last 30 days, the next enforcement phase would begin. That would include patrols guided by intelligence and in coordination with federal partners.
However, Bethel would not put a timeline on when all this would take place.
"This is probably one of the most unique situations in America. There's only been a handful of open drug markets in America. There are things that could potentially happen as we go, so we want to be able to be nimble and fluid enough to change and adjust as necessary. So, I will not put a timeline on it," Bethel said.
Mayor Parker plans to hold sessions across the city to discuss her plan and solicit feedback.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
