Mayor-Elect Michael Nutter and Charles Ramsey at a 2007 press conference.
By Kenneth Lipp
8 and one-half years ago a newly-elected Mayor Michael Nutter introduced his newly-hired Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey. A playlist of clips from the presser, uploaded by YouTube user “TheNextMayor,” contains Ramsey and Nutter discussing issues such as “stop and frisk” and police union collective bargaining with quite a different tone than candidates in the recent mayoral primary. Nutter ran on a platform that included implementing “stop and frisk,” while the 2015 Democratic Primary winner and assumed next mayor Jim Kenney has denounced the practice and promised to end it “day one” in office.
You can watch all seven clips in the form they were originally uploaded here.
Some key moments to highlight:
Nutter refers to the Philadelphia Police as a “paramilitary organization,” and asserts that the people of the city are not worried about the “whys and wherefores and the details of how we get there” as long as they are safe. The prominence of police-community relations in the recent election indicates that on the contrary, Philadelphians are very concerned about the manner in which their police force goes about protecting them.
The mayor-elect discusses his decision to hire a Commissioner from outside the department, and Ramsey addresses his “critics in Washington” and working with the Fraternal Order of Police.
The Commissioner also addresses “stop and frisk,” the controversial policy and practice of investigative stops and searches which candidate Nutter promoted in his public safety platform. We’ve added some additional footage from a Philly stop-and-frisk that occurred in 2013 and drew national attention and criticism, and a bit more to polish the video off.
All submitted for the consideration of the electorate, who still must choose a new mayor in November. Both the Republican candidate Melissa Murray Bailey and Democrat Jim Kenney have said they would end stop and frisk if elected.
The Philly Declaration 
