Mayor Cherelle Parker looks ahead to agenda of city improvements ahead of Trump's 2nd term
PHILADELPHIA - Preparations are underway in Philadelphia for the Martin Luther King Holiday. The holiday coincides this year with the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, presenting a choice for Mayor Cherelle Parker.
Joined by students inside Philadelphia’s Girard College, a boarding school for students from single-parent families, Mayor Parker voices her familiar call for unity. Parker, the students, and community leaders gathered at Girard in advance of the King holiday on January 20th.
As student posters depicting King’s work for civil rights were rolled out, plans for marking the holiday in Philly were announced, including community outreach by the fire, recreation departments and city schools.
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Superintendent Tony Watlington, of the School District of Philadelphia, said, "The work on behalf of all of our children is far from over with this ongoing fight in Washington, through the states to local areas across the nation. We’ve got to stay committed."
For Parker, the King holiday arrives with a complication. Incoming President Donald Trump will be sworn in on the same day in Washington, pulling the mayor in two distinct directions.
Mayor Cherelle Parker said, "I’m not sure if I’m going to be in Washington. D.C. because I will be fully engaged in all of the Philadelphia area King Day of service activities."
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Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said his department will "keep pushing" to reduce homicides and shootings in Philadelphia after violent crime dropped in 2024.
Leading a city that rejected Trump at the ballot box, Parker has been cautious not to criticize him, his policies, or nominees. Parker said, "I have not had a direct conversation with president-elect Trump."
Trump has promised mass deportations of immigrants.
FOX 29 asked Parker what she would do if U.S Immigration carried out workplace raids in the city. She said, "The president-elect hasn’t been sworn in yet. As the mayor of the city of Philadelphia, my job is to stay focused on serving the people of our city."