Wrongo visited Philadelphia last week, leaving just prior to the start of the Democratic Convention. The city seemed eager for the Democrats to arrive and start spending. We met with several local retailers who had high hopes for throngs of Democrat shoppers. The many Uber drivers we spoke with were looking forward to busy days, but were concerned about getting around town with the crush.
As part of the security plans, trucks are forbidden from using I-95 through central Philadelphia during the convention. Perhaps the thinking is that big bombs are only delivered by truck. One of the local colleges is housing police in its dormitories, presumably cops brought in from other jurisdictions to assist in maintaining the peace.
Speaking of maintaining the peace, on a walk through the South Philly Market (SPM) the iconic mural of former Philadelphia Police Chief and Mayor, which graces the SPM website above, had been tagged thusly:
It reads: “Fuck Racist Pigs 4 Eva”, and “End Cops”. In talking to vendors, we heard that it had happened the night before. An elderly local resident on Market Street who was looking on, said it was the first time the mural had been tagged. But, in speaking with the two men who came to clean it off, they said it happens from time to time. Rizzo was controversial in his lifetime, and remains so today.
A law and order guy, Rizzo said during his 1975 re-election campaign:
Just wait after November, you’ll have a front row seat because I’m going to make Attila the Hun look like a faggot…
There were many incidents of police brutality and alleged racism during his years as Chief and as Mayor, culminating in a 1979 Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit charging pervasive police abuse. Rizzo’s handling of the first MOVE incident in 1978 has been interpreted as supporting the charge of racism. This radical group lived in squalid conditions, and when members of the group refused entrance to city inspectors and social services agents, Rizzo evicted them through police action. The final MOVE incident occurred in 1985, after Rizzo was out of office. At that time, a police helicopter dropped a bomb on a heavily fortified row house occupied by MOVE. The bomb sparked a firestorm which killed 11 MOVE members and gutted 61 homes, leaving 250 people homeless.
Some see political and stylistics resemblances between Donald Trump and Frank Rizzo. You be the judge.
Philadelphia has decorated its downtown with 56 plastic donkeys, one for each state and US territory.
Here is North Carolina:
And here is Missouri:
It’s unclear why Missouri chose to make its donkey a green zebra, but it is also unlikely that Democrats will win Missouri any time in the next 20 years, so the artistic choice doesn’t really matter.
Today, the Democrats didn’t disappoint, if your standard for convention success is WrestleMania.
First, discredited and soon-to-depart Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz was repeatedly interrupted and booed as she sought to speak to Florida’s convention delegation. Florida is her home state.
Later, Bernie Sanders spoke to his supporters, and they booed every mention of Hillary Clinton. Nothing like a lefty frenzy against the “Democratic Establishment.”
Circular firing squad, here we go!
