The No. 1 issue in the Philly mayor’s race | Morning Newsletter
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Crime as a political issue isn’t new, but Philadelphia’s gun violence crisis is pushing it to the forefront of the mayor’s race.
Nine Democrats are vying for the city’s top job. Our lead story explores how the topic of public safety will drive the race.
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— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
Philly’s next mayor will inherit an unprecedented gun violence crisis. Here’s how it’s defining the race.
At least nine candidates will have to convince Philadelphians they have a plan to lead the city out of a shooting crisis — the same city that just two years ago had a mass protest movement challenging the role of law enforcement.
The next mayor will have to combat the gun violence problem while also addressing societal factors that drive it.
Necessary context: Homicides climbed to all-time highs in the last two years, and thousands more people survived shootings. Carjackings and vehicle thefts surged, and the police department has hundreds of vacancies.
Important figures:
The candidates’ ideas to fight the problem range from expanding social programs to calling for hundreds of new police officers.
Continue reading to understand some of the candidates’ proposals.
What you should know today
The greatest films of all time are coming to Philadelphia
Film lovers from all over the world have been arguing about the 2022 Sight and Sound survey of the 100 greatest films of all time since it was announced last month.
Trey Shields, the programming manager and senior festival programmer for the Philadelphia Film Society, lined up a screening series of the entire list.
How it’ll work: The films will run in mostly descending order throughout the year. Most will screen at the Philadelphia Film Center, but some will show at the PFS Bourse.
How to watch: Tickets are available for individual films through the end of March.
A fun fact: Belgian director Chantal Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975), took the top spot, making her the first female filmmaker to top the list.
And sorry everyone, no films with direct ties to Philly made the list. There was no love for The Philadelphia Story, Philadelphia, or Rocky.
Continue reading to figure out how Shield is pulling the screenings together.
🧠 Philly Trivia Time 🧠
Which actress visited McGillin’s in Center City to learn the Philly accent for an upcoming role?
A. Samira Wiley
B. Kate Mulgrew
C. Kate Winslet
D. None of the above
Find out if you know the answer.
What we’re…
💰Watching: The White House is pushing a “student loan safety net” that is supposed to lower student debt payment for current and future borrowers.
💉Congratulating:Penn scientists, Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman, whose research on mRNA paved the way for COVID vaccines, have been named to the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
🦅 Reviewing:The new Eagles players who helped the team climb to the top of the NFC. 🔑
🧩 Unscramble the Anagram 🧩
Hint: Positive Movement
HOMILY PELL
We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Send us your own original anagram to unscramble if you’d like. Cheers to John Cole, who correctly guessed Tuesday’s answer: Rob Dunphy. Email us if you know the answer.
Photo of the Day
That’s it from me. I’m starting my day ordering Prince Harry’s new memoir, Spare 📚. Thanks for beginning yours with The Inquirer.
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