Sixers fan fatally shot outside of Game 2 watch party while the city officials continue to focus resources elsewhere
A Sixers fan in the Germantown section of Philadelphia was shot dead while returning to his friend’s house, where he was attending a watch party for Sixers-Raptors Game 2.
The 21-year-old guy was just trying to get some Chinese food and enjoy his favorite basketball team when he was shot at least 12 times. As if Philadelphia couldn’t get any worse, now you need to wear a bulletproof vest just to watch the Sixers. Just lovely.
According to Police, at least six bullets were fired through the door of the home where ten people, including 2 children, were trying to enjoy the eventual Sixers 112-97 victory. The day before on Easter Sunday there were 6 separate shootings, that left 10 people injured and one dead.
In 2022, homicides are up 5% over the previous record of 562 set in 2021. Philadelphia’s also had 2,326 separate shooting incidents in 2021, which was the highest mark since the city started keeping track in the 1960s.
You don’t even have to live in a ‘bad’ area to become a victim. Normal everyday people in public places are becoming victims in the crime epidemic. Even our representative in Congress Mary Gay Scanlon was carjacked and robbed while touring FDR Park in December.
It’s not just homicides though, currently, Philadelphia is a dirty, crime-ridden city.
Meanwhile, what are Philadelphia’s elected city leaders and police doing about it?
Well, Mayor Kenney has been spending the majority of this time convincing citizens that its time to reinstate a mask mandate that even the most bleeding heart liberals are having trouble rallying behind.
In an effort to save the lives of the 142 people who tested positive for Covid in Philadelphia, the city administration will now be busy responding to lawsuits filed by business organizations and managing confusion from residents and the workers tasked to enforce such an unpopular mandate.
And the police? The boys in blue are busy actively preventing public enemy #1, aka a fan wearing a plague mask, from entering the Wells Fargo Center. Maybe instead of enforcing weird politically motivated fashion rules, try getting out of your warm cruisers and actually walk the streets you are paid to police.
Don’t even get me started on City council, who seemingly spent most of March deciding whether to enact a symbolic ‘no-fly-zone‘ in response to the war in Ukraine.
Maybe…do something more productive with your time?
Just the other day Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw, said she ‘considered it an honor‘ that Philadelphia wasn’t higher on the list of American cities that have been experiencing an uptick in crime.
Really? Tell that to the next guy that gets shot just walking home while wearing his Sixers jersey.
Listen, I’m not here to wax poetic on gun violence, and I’m surely not qualified to offer solutions on how to prevent crime. There are a multitude of reasons why violence occurs and preventing it is an ever evolving science.
Sports really is one of the few things in life that can bring an entire community together. It sounds corny, yet a team like the Sixers making a deep playoff run can provide a common shared experience capable of uplifting the city.
And lets face it, the city of Philadelphia really needs something to boost its spirits. A recent poll suggests that residents haven’t been this jaded about ‘brotherly love’ since 2009, when everyone just lost their entire life savings.
Joel Embiid trolling the entire city of Toronto and causing their head coach Nick Nurse to cry about free throws only lasts a special few hours every other day.
During that time, can we all at least come together and at least agree to stop shooting each other during Sixers games?
