PHILADELPHIA, June 20, 2019 – Today, City Councilmembers unanimously passed a resolution, introduced today by Councilmember Derek S. Green (At-Large), that will permit hearings examining the findings by the watchdog organization, Plain View Project (PVP), on thousands of offensive, discriminatory and biased Facebook posts by law enforcement officers in Philadelphia.
Earlier this month, the PVP released its database cataloguing 2 years’ worth of over 3,000 racist, demeaning and discriminatory Facebook posts, comments authored by both current and former members of law enforcement in 8 U.S. cities, including Philadelphia. Since reports surfaced, Mayor Jim Kenney, along with the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, Police Commissioner Richard Ross and members of Philadelphia City Council have condemned these posts by those sworn to protect and defend every citizen of the city in which they serve. This week, Commissioner Ross announced that 72 of the more than 300 officers involved would be removed from street patrol and placed on desk duty pending the outcome of an internal investigation.
“As a citizen and especially as a parent, the news of these posts disturbed me more than words can say. That is why I felt compelled to introduce this resolution,” said Councilmember Green. “Many of my colleagues and I have worked and continue to work with upstanding and committed police officers through programs like PAL and other initiatives. However, it is unsettling to know that there are police officers who would make these types of offensive statements who make up many of our communities.”
Hearings, which will be conducted by the Committee of the Whole, will be scheduled upon completion of the Philadelphia Police Department’s ongoing investigation. The resolution will soon be available to view in its entirety here.
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