Philadelphia police budget cuts sought by 4 councilmembers during week of riots, looting: report - Fox News

National Guard troops arrived in Philadelphia Friday after nights of unrest and riots following Walter Wallace Jr.'s death.

Four first-term City Council members in Philadelphia vowed Friday to continue pushing for cuts to the city police department’s budget – during a week that saw more than 200 stores looted in reaction to the Monday police-shooting death of Walter Wallace Jr.

The four councilmembers – Kendra Brooks, Jamie Gauthier, Katherine Gilmore Richardson and Isaiah Thomas – pledged their support for police cuts and other changes during an online call with local political activists, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

In June, just after the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis that sparked riots and protests across the U.S., the Philadelphia City Council canceled a proposed $19 million budget increase for the police and diverted $14 million away from the existing police budget, in part by reassigning some police employees to other departments while they performed the same work.

During the online meeting, the councilmembers heard from some high school students who said they were afraid of police officers and activists who said the city needed to change how some mental health calls and 911 emergencies are handled, the Inquirer reported.

On Wednesday, police union leader John McNesby called upon city officials to show greater support for the police department, suggesting the Wallace case was blown out of proportion.

Wallace was shot Monday by two officers after he charged at them with a knife, police have said.

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On Monday, McNesby claimed in a statement that city police officers were “being vilified” for “doing their job and keeping the community safe,” after dealing with Wallace, whom McNesby described as “a man with a knife.”.

On Friday, city leaders said police body camera footage and 911 recordings linked to the Wallace shooting would be made public next Wednesday, in an arrangement approved by them and by members of the Wallace family.

The prospect of budget cuts wasn’t the only method councilmembers used this week in a bid to limit the police department’s ability to maintain order.

On Thursday, the Philadelphia City Council, in a 14-3 vote, approved a ban on police use of tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper spray against demonstrators, the Inquirer reported.