Philly City Council wants to ban police kneeholds | Morning Newsletter
And, how Philly police and city leaders lost control during protests.
The Morning Newsletter
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After two weeks of protests and continued calls for police reform, legislation has been introduced in Philadelphia City Council to make some changes in the city’s police department. Democrats in Congress are also moving on reform plans.
And while outdoor dining is available in Philly starting today as part of the “yellow” reopening phase, another county in the region might have to delay moving to “green” because of its case numbers.
— Lauren Aguirre (@laurencaguirre, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
Council members introduced legislation yesterday that would ban police knee holds and choke holds as well as require newly recruited officers to have lived in the city for a year. This came after demonstrators’ calls for reform after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Nationally, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker is leading a push for police reform alongside other black Democratic members of Congress and the party’s House and Senate leaders. They unveiled a police reform bill that could pass the House this month.
Protests that swept the nation came to Philadelphia on May 30. What started calmly at noon on that Saturday had given way by 4 p.m. to throngs of demonstrators converging on City Hall and the Municipal Services Building. Some chanted and waved signs, demanding justice for George Floyd. Others tried to pull down the statue of former Mayor Frank Rizzo, for many a painful reminder of the city’s history of police brutality, and threw bottles of urine and chemicals that left some officers hospitalized. Four police cruisers were engulfed by flames.
This might have been avoided. Just a day earlier, officials considered a plan that featured an approach the city had successfully relied on for a decade. But they rejected it.
Chester is the only county in the Philadelphia region that has failed to meet two important benchmarks for continuing to ease coronavirus restrictions. And that could delay a move to the next reopening phase.
In Philadelphia, case numbers are down, and public health officials have said it’s OK to go out a little more, but that doesn’t mean we’re back to our old normal. Asymptomatic transmission is still a possibility and officials say there’s a “high” risk of community spread.
If you have a question about the coronavirus, be sure to check our FAQ to get answers.
What you need to know today
While outdoor dining is available in Philly, because of the pandemic hunger is expected to explode here and throughout America.
Joe Biden used a visit to West Philly to introduce his plan to restart the national economy. And former Gov. Ed Rendell said he’d pulled off his biggest fundraiser yet: a Zoom call that raised $1.6 million for Biden.
Comcast has reached a deal to carry Byron Allen’s TV channels, ending a racial discrimination lawsuit that went all the way to the Supreme Court.
The former Trump Plaza casino hotel in Atlantic City will be imploded, officials said. It has stood vacant since 2014.
Family and teachers are mourning a 15-year-old boy who died trying to save his friend in the Schuylkill.
It’s official. The Eagles and other NFL teams will not gather at their facilities this month.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
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That’s interesting
🍿 A movie theater at the Jersey Shore opened despite the governor’s orders. Six days and three summonses for violations later, the theater shut its doors.
🦅 In 1968, a pandemic hit pro sports, including the Eagles. No one remembers it or its lessons. My colleague Mike Sielski explores this forgotten moment.
🏳️🌈 The Queer Eye Fab Five helped these Philly small businesses. Here’s how it’s working out.
🍻 Parks on Tap is back for 2020 — but grounded at the Horticulture Center instead of traversing the Fairmount Park system.
💰 We’ve got a few more ways you can support Philly’s food scene.
📺 The new Artemis Fowl movie, Spike Lee’s latest, and more to keep you entertained this weekend.
Opinions
“How will the families of SEPTA workers get through the death of their loved ones without financial support? SEPTA needs to put its money where its mouth is and show its employees how much they value the extreme risks workers are taking to keep our city running.” — writes Paul Prescod, a member of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers and co-chair of the Philly DSA Labor Commission, about why SEPTA should extend benefits to families of workers who died from COVID-19.
Thank you, Jeff Brown of ShopRite and the Pa. 30 Day Fund, for helping looted businesses, writes Jenice Armstrong, metro columnist.
Will black lives from the American South finally matter on the U.S. Senate floor in 2021? Inquirer national columnist Will Bunch asks.
What we’re reading
During the protests last week, several TV helicopters hovered for aerial views. How did they avoid crashing into each other? Billy Penn asked aerial program directors.
Only a third of potential customers are ready to eat out again, Eater Philadelphia reports.
In the tiny town of Colma, Calif., a shooting in a graveyard led to its first homicide in nearly 25 years.
Your Daily Dose of | The Upside
Walt Carey has been a school bus driver for 14 years, and 12 of those were in Lower Merion. When he decided to retire after this school year, he never expected his last day to be March 13 — the day the coronavirus forced the district to shift all its classes online. “That is the difficult thing. I wanted to tell the youngsters and their parents what a pleasure it was to drive them,” Carey said.