[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: GEORGE W. BUSH (2001, Book I)]
[May 14, 2001]
[Pages 525-527]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks Announcing the Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative in 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
May 14, 2001

    Thank you. You're still the man, Mr. Mayor. [Laughter] It's an honor to be introduced by the mayor. 
One of the reasons why I asked him to sit next to Laura during my State of the Union Address--or state of the 
budget address, I guess--is because of the fantastic work the mayor has 
done with faith-based programs in Philadelphia. He understands that 
government is limited. We can spend money, but what government cannot do 
is put hope into hearts of our fellow citizens. And Mr. Mayor, I 
appreciate your leadership, and I'm honored that you would welcome me to 
this great city.
    I was thinking, coming in, that had things worked out differently, 
Philadelphia could have been the Nation's Capital, and I would have been 
calling you neighbor. And we would have had a baseball team in the 
Nation's Capital, and it would have been a pretty good one, too. 
[Laughter]
    I'm honored to be traveling with the Attorney General, who I'll introduce in a minute. It's a great honor to be 
with the senior Senator from the State of Pennsylvania--that's 
Arlen Specter--as well as the junior Senator, 
Rick Santorum. Thank you both for being here.
    And we've got members of the congressional delegation here as well, 
Weldon, Hoeffel, 
and Toomey. I want to thank you guys for 
coming. We're flying back on Air Force One; I look forward to listening 
to what you need to tell me. I probably won't do it, but nevertheless, I 
look forward to listening. [Laughter]
    I'm honored to be here with the Lieutenant Governor and the attorney general of the 
great State of Pennsylvania. I'm sorry my close friend the 
Governor, who's not here--but I understand he's 
trying to drum up some business for the State of Pennsylvania, so he's 
got an excused absence.

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    It's such an honor to be here with leaders of the national law 
organizations, such as my friend Gil Gallegos from the State of New Mexico, who is the president of the 
Fraternal Order of Police. Thank you for being here, Gil, as well as the 
other leaders.
    And most importantly, it's an honor to be here with the men and 
women who wear the blue, and I want to thank you for your service to 
your community and to your Nation. And like the mayor, I congratulate those officers who were promoted to 
corporal. It's a well-deserved honor, and it's fitting that it come on 
National Police Week. I want to express my appreciation to all in this 
city who are involved with law enforcement, and thank you for your skill 
and your dedication and, most importantly, your bravery on behalf of 
your fellow citizens.
    During the last several years, violent crime in America has been 
decreasing, and all Americans are grateful. Between 1989 and 1999 the 
violent crime rate dropped 20 percent. And that's a huge accomplishment. 
It really is. But unfortunately, American society is still far too 
violent. The violent crime rate in the United States remains among the 
highest in the industrialized world.
    Nationally there were 12,658 murders in 1999, two-thirds of which 
were shooting deaths. And for every fatal shooting, there were roughly 
three nonfatal shootings. And folks, this is unacceptable in America. 
It's just unacceptable, and we're going to do something about it.
    Like most major urban centers--cities--in America, Philadelphia 
suffered from a stunning rise in violent crime. However, Philadelphia, 
as the mayor mentioned, has made great 
progress. For example, in 1990 there were 500 murders; last year there 
were 319. And the mayor deserves a lot of credit; so does the police 
commissioner and the police men and women of Philadelphia. And for that, 
we're incredibly grateful. And we're grateful for programs such as 
Operation Sunrise and Safe & Sound and Youth Violence Reduction Project, 
which, Mr. Mayor, is making your city more safe and more secure for all 
of the citizens.
    But gun violence is still a serious problem. Three out of four 
murder victims in this city are shot to death with handguns. Among young 
victims, that figure rises to almost 9 out of 10. In America today, a 
teenager is more likely to die from a gunshot than from all natural 
causes of death combined. These details have caused too many families to 
bury the next generation. And for all our children's sake, this Nation 
must reclaim our neighborhoods and our streets.
    We need a national strategy to assure that every community is 
attacking gun violence with focus and intensity. I'm here today to 
announce a national initiative to help cities like Philadelphia fight 
gun violence. The program I propose we call Project Safe Neighborhoods 
will establish a network of law enforcement and community initiatives 
targeted at gun violence. It will involve an unprecedented partnership 
between all levels of government. It will increase accountability within 
our systems. And it will send an unmistakable message: If you use a gun 
illegally, you will do hard time.
    This Nation must enforce the gun laws which exist on the books. 
Project Safe Neighborhoods incorporates and builds upon the success of 
existing programs. In Richmond, Virginia, for example, during the first 
year of what's called Project Exile, homicides were reduced by 40 
percent and armed robberies were reduced by 30 percent, in the first 
year alone. And thanks to Boston's Operation Cease Fire, in almost 2 
years, no one under the age of 17 was shot. These are tremendous success 
stories and ones that are worth duplicating around our Nation.
    My administration is proposing to devote more than $550 million on 
Project Safe Neighborhoods over the next 2 years. The funding will be 
used to hire new Federal

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and State prosecutors, to support investigators, to provide training, 
and develop and promote community outreach efforts. All newly appointed 
United States attorneys will be directed to certify to the Attorney 
General that the new comprehensive gun 
violence program has been implemented in their districts. We're going to 
reduce gun violence in America, and those who commit crimes with guns 
will find a determined adversary in my administration.
    ``Domestic tranquility'' is a phrase made famous in this city. 
Project Safe Neighborhoods is one step, and an important step, to making 
that a reality. And now to explain the program is a fine American, a 
great Attorney General, John Ashcroft.

Note: The President spoke at 11:32 a.m. at the Pennsylvania Convention 
Center. In his remarks, he referred to Mayor John F. Street of 
Philadelphia; and Gov. Tom Ridge, Lt. Gov. Mark S. Schweiker, and 
Attorney General Mike Fisher of Pennsylvania. The Peace Officers 
Memorial Day and Police Week proclamation of May 8 is listed in Appendix 
D at the end of this volume.