[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 20 (Monday, May 21, 2001)]
[Pages 748-749]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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.
    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

[[Page 749]]

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 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.