A mayoral candidate in Philadelphia has a new idea on how to solve the rampant drug problem in the Kensington neighborhood — bring in the National Guard.
Cherelle Parker, a Democratic former city council member, said during a town hall event Monday that the National Guard “will be a part of the solution” to shut down the open-air drug problem that plagues the Democrat-run city.
“Will I call on them to help us, for example, shut down the open-air drug market in Kensington that’s being allowed to prevail? They will be a part of the solution,” Parker said when a resident asked how she plans to fix the drug problem and if the National Guard would be a part of it. “What that looks like, I’m going to have an experienced police commissioner who’s going to define what that plan is.”
She reiterated the positive relationship the Guard had with the city in 2020 when civil unrest erupted after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Walter Wallace Jr. in Philadelphia.
Ms. Parker’s town hall comments come two weeks before the general election on Nov. 7. She is up against Republican David Oh for the seat that Democrat Jim Kenney holds. Due to term limits, he can’t run for a third term.
