The city of Philadelphia was plunged into chaos recently as marauding mobs stormed the streets, wreaking havoc on police officers and patrol cars in a stunning show of lawlessness. What started allegedly as car meetups/Main Streets-illegal in and of themselves-took new twists with an eruption of violence in various forms throughout the city that prompted outrage both police and public figures alike.
According to CBS Philadelphia, chaos descended from the very late hours of Saturday night into early Sunday morning when rowdy crowds hit the streets, along with a number of vehicles, between 9:30 and nearly 4:30 am, police said, confirming at least 11 different meetups that occurred, six of which devolved into confrontations with police. Police say one officer was hospitalized, and five patrol cars sustained heavy damage as crowds lashed out, using everything from cars to literal fire.
The officer was taken to Temple University Hospital in stable condition after one of the fleeing vehicles struck his patrol car. Philadelphia Police said that he’s frustrated with the growing boldness of such gatherings amid the violence.
“Everything they are doing is disrupting. They’re destroying the quality of life,”
Police said, gesturing to the participants’ extraordinary recklessness.
“At one point in time, they pulled out a flamethrower-yes, there is video of them with a flamethrower.”
Police described the scene with the containment of such speedy mobs:
“It was like playing whack-a-mole.”
No sooner did officers attempt to break up one event than crowds would flee and resurface elsewhere. Some of the most violent clashes occurred near City Hall, where participants took aggressive action against officers.
“They physically went after our officers,”
Police added.
“They just don’t care about their safety, our safety. It’s chaos, plain and simple.”
That rampant scene in Philly has now earned its place under the national spotlight; critics of city leadership place the blame squarely on the shoulders of Democratic officials. House Judiciary Republicans wasted no time weighing in to warn Americans:
“You’re not safe in Democrat-run Philadelphia.”
Even loudmouthed billionaire Elon Musk got in on the action, saying via Twitter, “Pretty sure I saw this scene in The Joker,” invoking that film’s vision of a collapsing, lawless Gotham.
While this violence and unrest keep officials on high alert, the people of Philadelphia have to put up with the crime. The question is, how much longer will the City of Brotherly Love put up with this as clashes and violent events turn the streets practically into a war zone?
