We all witness how bad it was for our police forces to be defunded…but what this Philadelphia City Council has recently done will surely make you feel less safe to drive around again.
It was made official when Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney signed the two bills that will legislate to go into effect 120 days after it is signed.
The City Council have released a statement that read, “These bills end the traffic stops that promote discrimination while keeping the traffic stops that promote public safety and this approach seeks to redirect police time and resources towards keeping Philadelphians safe while removing negative interactions that widen the divide and perpetuate mistrust.”
One of the “Driving Equality” bills amended the city’s Traffic Code to reclassify seven offenses as “secondary violations.” Secondary violations include things like broken taillights or brake lights, bumper issues, improperly displayed registration stickers, and inspection violations.
Minor traffic violation bills 14 to 2 have also been passed by the city council that simply stops our police to be vigilant on a minor violation…such as freedom for crooks.
The police will still be able to pull over drivers for primary violations that will be a sure threat to public safety.
Councilmember Isaiah Thomas did introduce these bills earlier this year whom he expressed his gratitude to fellow council members for their votes to pass them this month.
He said in a statement, “I am humbled by every person who told my office of the humiliation and trauma experienced in some of these traffic stops, and to many people who look like me, a traffic stop is a rite of passage – we pick out cars, we determine routes, we plan our social interactions around the fact we will likely be pulled over by police. By removing the traffic stops that promote discrimination rather than public safety, City Council has made our streets safer and more equitable. With this vote, I breathe a sigh of relief that my sons and my friends’ children will grow up in a city where being pulled over is not a rite of passage but a measure of the safety of your driving and vehicle, regardless of the skin color of the driver.”
Since it was already passed and signed by the city Mayor, the Philadelphia police department has expressed their support to the legislation.
“We believe this is a fair and balanced approach to addressing racial disparity without compromising public safety, this modified enforcement model for car stops furthers the Department’s priority of addressing the issue of racial disparity in the Department’s investigative stops and complements the Department’s efforts to address these same issues in pedestrian stops.”
What’s happening to this city?
Source: DailyWire
