PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Gun violence has taken a severe toll on the city of Philadelphia, so much so that the mayor said he was looking forward to the day when he’s no longer mayor.
But on Tuesday, Mayor Jim Kenney told KYW Newsradio his comments Tuesday morning after the shooting of two law enforcement officers along the Parkway Monday night were simply "expressing frustration."
“It’s my personality. It’s who I am and who got elected twice with 80% of the vote, and who intends to stay in office until the last day and help the next mayor transition to be a great mayor too,” said Kenney, who acknowledged he should not have made his initial comments following the shooting, but did not apologize for them.
“I expressed a level of frustration that, again, I probably shouldn’t have expressed.”
Two police officers were grazed by gunfire during the Fourth of July celebration along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, near Spring Garden Street, shortly before 10 p.m. Monday night.
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The officers were treated at the hospital and released. No arrests have been made yet.
Kenney stuck to his long-held argument that guns are a problem outside the city government's control, and said he takes every resulting tragedy personally.
“My frustration is with a legislature and a Congress and now a Supreme Court — ‘gun huggers’ — that control our destiny and, at midnight, 1 a.m., with two officers injured and a situation that could have been much, much worse,” Kenney told KYW Newsradio.
Outside the hospital early Tuesday, Kenney called the shooter a nitwit, blaming the Second Amendment, the Republican-controlled state Legislature and the Supreme Court for the widespread availability of guns.
“There’s not an event or a day when I don’t lay on my back and look at the ceiling and worry about stuff,” he said. That worry has caused him to dislike big events like the Fourth of July, 2016’s Democratic National Convention and 2017’s NFL Draft.
“I’m waiting for something bad to happen all the time,” he said, “so I’ll be happy when I’m not here, when I’m not mayor, and I can enjoy some stuff.”
A reporter followed up with his statement, asking, “You’re looking forward to not being mayor?”
“Yeah, as a matter of fact,” Kenney replied.
Kenney shared a statement on Twitter condemning the shooting:
“We will continue to do everything we can to combat our city’s gun violence–including taking a record number of guns off the streets – but we are fighting an uphill battle. We are pleading with lawmakers to help us stop the flow of guns into our city.
“Our traditions cannot and will not be ruined by the scourge of gun violence. I love this city, and as Mayor, there’s nothing more I want than to help solve this problem and keep our residents and visitors safe.”
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However, after receiving backlash for his off-the-cuff exchange with reporters overnight, Kenney issued another statement on Tuesday clarifying his remarks. He recounted and said it was a "moment of frustration," and he is "incredibly grateful to be mayor of this great city and for the people who elected" him.
“I ran for Mayor with the goal of helping every Philadelphian reach their potential," he said. "As mayor, I feel personally responsible for the well-being of every Philadelphian, and it’s a weight I carry with me every day—every waking moment. And I know that far too many residents worry daily about their safety and their loved ones too.
“I care deeply about the safety of our residents and the future of our city, and that’s why I’m disappointed with how I conveyed my sentiments last night. I made Philadelphians feel like I don’t care, and that cannot be further from the truth. I’ve said it many times before, I lay awake at night thinking about the challenges facing the residents in our city and what more we can be doing or doing differently to solve them. Being mayor comes with a lot of restless nights, so I am looking forward to a good night’s sleep."
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