In a move to crackdown on what she sees as threats to public safety and neighborhood harmony, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker rubber-stamped three new bills into law. The legislative trio, signed on Wednesday, take aim at unregulated gambling machines, introduces a curfew for businesses in a particular zone, and outlaws gear seemingly ripped straight from a spy flick that hides license plates on the fly.
"If you think you can commit crimes in this city and then evade detection by taking advantage of people or obscuring law enforcement's ability to identify you, I strongly encourage you to think again," the mayor declared in a statement obtained by the official Philadelphia government website. With a nod to her administration's agenda for a "Safer, Cleaner, Greener City," Parker's actions reflect an eagerness to make good on her campaign vows.
The first of the signed bills, introduced by City Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr., places a prohibition on electronic skill games uncannily similar to those found in casinos. Operating these machines, now deemed illegal, could expose business owners to legal turmoil. In defense of the new law, Jones stated, "Nuisance locations are not one negative thing, but many negative things coming together."
In an effort to squelch nocturnal ruckus, Councilmember Quetcy Lozada piloted the second piece of legislation establishing a curfew for shops without liquor licenses between Kensington and Frankford venues and from Lehigh Avenue to Tioga Street. They must now shutter their doors by 11 p.m. and stay closed until 6 a.m. "We need to make Kensington a neighborhood where businesses can safely operate without issues caused from disruptive activity," Lozada told the official Philadelphia government website.
Closing out the legislative hat trick is a bill banning "license plate flipping devices," courtesy of Councilmember Mike Driscoll, which targets gadgets that allow one to alternate between license plates to dodge detection. Driscoll bluntly characterized these contraptions as belonging "in an action movie, not on the streets of Philadelphia," as mentioned by the Philadelphia government website.
Parker and the City Council align in their commitment to restoring order in the troubled Kensington district and beyond. This alignment manifests in the latest spate of bills aiming to bring a sense of serenity and control to the streets of The City of Brotherly Love.
