Philly Mayoral Candidates Vow to Crack Down on Crime.

Pennsylvania’s largest city is gearing up to elect a new mayor. A group of candidates spoke recently at an open house event aiming to provide solutions to rising crime and poverty in the city.

Eleven Democrats and one Republican are vying to become the 100^th mayor of Philadelphia.

Some of the candidates gathered at the Community College of Philadelphia on April 29, before the May 16 primary election.

Rebuilding Philly’s Police Force

Among them, Jeff Brown, owner of a supermarket chain, told The Epoch Times that he would rebuild the police force to reduce the city’s crime rate.

Brown, a Democrat, is one of only two non-politicians on the ballot. A fourth-generation grocer, he and his family built a chain of 12 union-represented supermarkets that have employed more than 60,000 local residents, often providing their first work experience, according to Brown’s website.

Brown said: “We have a very bad crime situation. And we have a diminished police force. We need to rebuild the police and rebuild our systems to address crime.”

Over the years, Philadelphia’s crime rate has ranked consistently high among U.S. cities. In 2021, homicide victims in the city reached a milestone of 562, and in 2022 the number of homicide victims was 516, as reported by Philadelphia police.

Its poverty rate is also skyrocketing, at 23.1 percent—more than double the nation’s average.

Brown said a failed educational system is the root cause of the city’s poverty.

“Well, I think it’s an ineffective K through 12 education. Education should be a place where you learn to make a living,” he said.

“You figure out what your God-given talents are. And the school should help you to make a living with those talents. That’s one root cause,” Brown said. “If we missed you in school, we should help you with the workforce system.”

Lack of Parenting; Rising Violence

Candidate Warren Bloom has run for office in Philadelphia six times. In the face of rising violent crimes, Bloom said that lack of parenting is the main cause of violence.

“Children are born into this community without a proper home, without a mother and a father that’s committed to the family … the family is where everything starts. But it has to be a legitimate family,” Bloom, a Democrat, said. “Put a ring on it, make it legitimate, and make sure your children have the proper upbringing that they need as a moral issue.” He added, “We need to look for God to solve the problems. We can’t do it as human beings. ”

Candidate Jimmy DeLeon, a Philadelphia judge for 34 years, said social media is the driving force for much of the violence in the city.

DeLeon, a Democrat, shared his way to stop violence: “Anyone that’s arrested for having a gun for a straw purchase of a gun, for assaultive behavior