Philly Mayor Blasts Teens, Flash Mobs

[Chris_]

From pulpit, Nutter throws book at roving mobs of black teens

Nutter's 30-minute sermon in front of a white-robed choir invoked rousing applause from the packed house at Mount Carmel Baptist Church, in West Philadelphia, where he's been a member for 25 years.

The only problem was that the median age of the congregation appeared about four times that of the 11- to 19-year-olds who have randomly accosted Center City pedestrians this summer in large groups of mostly black youths.

Chad Dion Lassiter, president of the advocacy group Black Men at Penn, agreed.

"I don't see it as speaking to the choir because the black church has an opportunity to play a pivotal role of addressing the ills of our society," he said. "The black church can no longer sit idly by maintaining the status quo as young people loudly proclaim, 'We want to know that you care, before we care to know what you know.' "

Nutter's speech to the mostly black congregation was a prelude to an announcement that he and other city officials are expected to make today regarding an increased citywide response to the youth mobs.

Philadelphia Enquirer

‘You’ve Damaged Your Own Race’: Philly Mayor Blasts Teens, Flash Mobs

“You’ve damaged yourself, you’ve damaged another person, you’ve damaged your peers and, quite honestly, you’ve damaged your own race,” Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter said in a fiery address before his congregation Sunday. “You damaged your own race.”

Nutter’s chastisements—which didn’t spare parents, either—included:

•“Take those God darn hoodies down, especially in the summer. Pull your pants up and buy a belt ’cause no one wants to see your underwear or the crack of your butt. Nobody.”
•“If you walk into somebody’s office with your hair uncombed and a pick in the back, and your shoes untied, and your pants half down, tattoos up and down your arms and on your neck, and you wonder why somebody won’t hire you? They don’t hire you ’cause you look like you’re crazy!”
•“The Immaculate Conception of our Lord Jesus Christ took place a long time ago, and it didn’t happen here in Philadelphia. So every one of these kids has two parents who were around and participating at the time. They need to be around now.”
•“Parents who neglect their children, who don’t know where they are, who don‘t know what they’re doing, who don‘t know who they’re hanging out with, you’re going to find yourself spending some quality time with your kids in jail.”
•To fathers: “If you’re not providing the guidance,and you’re not sending any money, you’re just a sperm donor.”

The Blaze

We'll see if this goes any further than a litle Sunday-morning theater and the usual nodding heads and clueless 'Halleleujah!'s' from the congregation.  Color me skeptical.

[Ballygrl]

Fabulous speech, too bad it'll fall mostly on deaf ears!

[Chris_]

I don't know about 'fabulous'.  Maybe "Too little, too late" or "Put your money where your mouth is".  The minute the poor guy tries to implement any kind of social or legal change, those same people applauding him in the pews will rake him over the coals for infringing on their "rights".

There's a lot to be said for finishing school and keeping your dick in your pants.