AMEN: Philly Mayor Nutter givies black kids a blunt wake-up call

Black Conservatives Commend Philadelphia's Mayor Nutter for Giving Youth a Reality Check

Washington, D.C. - Activists with the Project 21 black leadership network are commending Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter (D) for giving young people a blunt wake-up call regarding self-destructive behavior.

"Mayor Nutter deserves credit for stepping up and being a leader," said Project 21 Fellow Deneen Borelli. "Nutter is doing what Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, President Obama and the Congressional Black Caucus have thus far failed to do by speaking out against the epidemic of violent 'flash mobs' and rampant, random crime and violence."

Project 21 spokesman Jerome Hudson supports Nutter's get-tough attitude, adding that parents who aren't on the mayor's bandwagon already should join it: "I applaud Mayor Nutter for his effort to quell the violent flash mobs. However, disciplinary action such as curfews should be made and enforced by parents and not the police. If one likely underlying cause -- a soaring number of single-mother households -- is not addressed, these misguided teenagers will continue to be a scourge to society. Ultimately, the transmission of self-control and self-respect can only come from inside the home and not city hall."