Mayor Cherelle Parker marks 100 days in office after historic Philadelphia election
PHILADELPHIA - Cherelle Parker made history when she was elected Philadelphia's 100th mayor, and the first woman to ever take on the leadership role for the city.
Parker on Thursday reflected on the first 100 days of her mayoral tenure, and looked ahead at initiatives to make Philadelphia safer and cleaner.
Parker said Philadelphia City Solicitor Renee Garcia settled a 2023 lawsuit against two ghost gun manufacturers, Polymer 80 and JSD Suppy.
She added that the two companies are the primary manufacturers and distributors of illegal ghost guns recovered in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia's 100th Mayor: Cherelle Parker vows to bring 'sense of lawfulness' as city's first female mayor
Cherelle Parker has officially made history, becoming Philadelphia's 100th mayor and the first woman to ever take on the leadership role for the city.
"We needed to find a way to hold them accountable for their role in supplying the crime gun market and perpetuating gun violence," Parker said.
The settlement, according to Parker, requires the companies to halt the sales of ghost guns online and in-stores for four years, and at Philly gun shows for two years.
The city will also receive money as part of the settlement that Parker estimated will total close over $1M to fund gun violence reduction efforts in Philadelphia.
Parker also vowed to help those afflicted by mental and behavorial health, drug addiction and homelessness in Kensginton and other troubled communities.
"This is a challenge we're dealing with across the city, it's just silent in other communities," Parker said.
With Kensington at the forefront of her 100th day address, Parker said her initiatives strive to turn the impoverished community into a "beacon of hope."
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"Those who are suffering from addiction, facing mental health and behavioral health challenges, and are unhoused or homeless: We want you to know today that the status quo that's been able to prevail here in Kensignton in particular -- the open air drug market, the widespread addiction, the deep despair -- is unacceptable and change is on the way," she said.
Other highlights of Parker's address included comments from Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel, who stressed the importance of strengthening the relationship between the police department and the communities they serve.
Bethel spoke excitedly about working with community partners and modernizing the city's police work, including installing cameras in police cruisers and having sensors on officer's service weapons and Tasers that will automatically turn on their body worn cameras when drawn.
"Our work will not just be about enforcement and making arrests, but we will be moving into enforcement," Bethel said. "We will be setting goals for ourselves to reduce our homicides and our shootings and our stolen autos," Bethel said.
FOX 29's Jeff Cole asked, "Commissioner when will you sweep Kensington?"
To which Commissioner Bethel replied, "Not using a sweep. You’ll see in the plan structure and execution of objectives we’ll use a phased-in approach.'
Some streets and a well-known park in Kensington are already clear of the open drug use recently seen, but troubles remain. And, while Parker says change is coming, no one will say precisely when.
Cole, "So, when do you warn and when do you begin to arrest?"
"Right now, we have a resolution. We have an encampment on the block. We issued a resolution they have 30 days and individuals will be removed from that space," Bethel replied.
During her inaugural speech, Parker vowed that she was "fully committed to ending this sense of lawlessness, and bringing order, and a sense of lawfulness, back to our city" by enacting new approaches, initiatives and policies within her first 100 days in office.
In her 100-day action plan, Parker promised an aggressive focus on "clean and green" by taking a hard look at illegal dumping, as well as detailing a vision of a "diverse teaching workforce" in "state-of-the-art" schools.
The mayor has also continued to expand her administration, appointing nearly 70 officials and senior staff to help lead the city. Her most recent appointments include a new commissioner for the Department of Prisons and a new chief information officer.