PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — An independent investigation by the Philadelphia Office of the Controller says city leaders “failed” their citizens as civil unrest unfolded in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
The new report reviewed 1,700 documents and dozens of interviews with city leaders, the police commissioner and the city managing director. It determined a lack of leadership and planning led to the destruction, unrest and tear-gassing of protesters.
The biggest issue, according to the report, says city leaders did not plan ahead for unrest or protests — even as they unfolded across the country in other major cities.
“That lack of planning was a real lack of leadership from the highest levels of our city government,” said City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart.
“The police department itself declined a request to activate the Emergency Operations Center. There was no robust planning going on. The state police were told by the city police here in Philadelphia that they would not need assistance, and as of May 29, regular days off were not canceled.”
Chaos erupted in Center City and rippled to other neighborhoods the afternoon of May 30.
And because there wasn’t a plan, that’s why, Rhynhart said, overwhelmed police had to use excessive force, such as dropping tear gas on expressway protesters on June 1 — a tactic that hadn’t been used since the MOVE bombing in 1985.
“The mayor and key leadership need to take real responsibility for what happened here and to make real change,” she added, which would include a blueprint plan to handle crowds, similar to other big events like the Eagles parade or the Democratic National Convention.
And, she said the vacant director of homeland security position should have been filled. She believes there should be a separate director of emergency management, rather than having the fire commissioner helm two jobs.
“All of that does roll up to the mayor, and the investigation details how, according to the city’s own emergency management doctrine, the mayor is at the helm and is responsible,” Rhynhart continued. “Therefore, it is a failure of leadership from the mayor himself.”
Related
A statement from a city spokesperson rejected the controller’s “unsubstantiated claims” that city officials did not “exercise leadership.” It said, in part, that Rhynhart “appears fixated on platitudes and attempts to cast blame for mistakes that have been acknowledged on multiple occasions.”
The spokesperson also noted that the mayor and police commissioner “previously owned up to mistakes made and committed to reforms that are ongoing.”
The statement continues: “The fact that the Controller chose to make such an inaccurate claim about dedicated public servants is repugnant. … Admitting mistakes, committing to fixes, following through: that is far greater leadership than Monday morning quarterbacking by an official more focused on her own resume than in actually making Philadelphia a better place.”
City officials say they are fully reviewing the controller’s report and have already implemented several measures laid out in a separate investigation commissioned by the city and released last month.