The city of brotherly love might be facing civil unrest in the wake of the Derek Chauvin trial results. Democrat Governor Tom Wolf has activated over 1,000 PA National Guard troops in Philadelphia, PA, to be prepared for civil unrest if the trial results upset residents of the city, which has a population over 1.5 million.
The city of Philadelphia requested help and Gov. Wolf signed a proclamation of disaster emergency, as reported by Hannah Kanik of Philly Voice.
“This declaration allows the commonwealth to take preemptive steps to ensure the safety of our fellow Pennsylvanians,” Gov. Wolf said. “The activation of the National Guard supports the current efforts in Philadelphia to protect our beloved neighbors and city.”
Protests and demonstrations spread nationwide following the killing of George Floyd last summer. In Philadelphia, the demonstrations were mostly peaceful, though some turned violent.
The Philadelphia Police might be bracing for quite a struggle if activists and protesters turn from peaceful to not-so-peaceful.
Democrat Mayor Jim Kenney may put a curfew in place, but it’s unclear if that will be effective as people may not follow it.
Mayor Kenney has been often criticized by residents of the city, along with DA Larry Krasner, as the city of Philadelphia saw a massive uptick in murders – going up to 499 total for the year. That’s an increase of 40% compared to 2019, and more than 2013 and 2014 combined.
It’s reported the only time Philadelphia saw more than 499 was back in 1990 when the city suffered 500 homicides as reported.
Despite numerous calls for peaceful protests, there’s always a chance bad things happen in Philadelphia.
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