November 16, 2015
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter believes gun violence, an issue he's made a focal point under his adminsitration, is no different than the type of terrorism that struck Paris Friday.
Speaking to the Associated Press in a phone interview following a meeting at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington Monday, he said the two were the same beast. Per AP:
"Domestic terrorism is international terrorism," Nutter said. "There is really no level of distinction between the violence that goes on, on the streets of America on a daily basis and the episodic acts of international terrorism that also take place - primarily in cities."
He went on to tell AP that the fear that terrorism causes for those in foreign countries is compareable to the uneasiness of residents in large U.S. cities, and pointed out that in any attack on a city - such as the one that took more than 120 lives in France - local officials are the first to respond.
The soon-to-be former Mayor of Philadelphia touted in a 2014 report from his office that violent crime and murders have dropped significantly while he's been in charge.
Nutter has frequently touched on the topic during his tenure, noting the discrepencies in responses to mass shootings compared to daily gun violence and calling for the aid of state and local governments as well as corporations to address urban violence.
So far, there have been more than 240 homicides in Philly this year, the AP reports. The number is 242, to be exact, much lower than the 351 at the same time in 2007 but 20 higher than the same time last year.
