Letter to the Editor: Hear Our Prayers

I am pleased that the following letter was published in the Philadelphia Inquirer on October 4th, 2023

To the editor:

Ed Rendell took office as Philly’s mayor in 1992. For the next four years, former Inquirer reporter Buzz Bissinger was given unparalleled access to the hellish obstacles Philadelphia (and all urban cities) faced as we struggled to survive. The result was Bissinger’s 1997 book A Prayer for the City, which depicted our mayor on his knees doing everything possible to save us. Although Rendell has not been mayor since 2000, as the ravages and deaths due to addiction increase yearly, his recent letter to the editor finds him still on his knees for his beloved city. Rendell supports overdose prevention centers, where people using drugs can do so under the supervision of trained staff, out of the view of children and families.

Two centers in New York City confirm what data collected worldwide have shown: When sites are offered, overdose fatalities are decreased, and the areas where they exist show no increase in crime. In his letter, Rendell asked that City Council not do away with the possibility of having these centers in Philadelphia, but instead follow Councilmember Jamie Gauthier’s wise guidance and trust the decision to individual communities. The next day, a misguided Council, lacking awareness or compassion, effectively killed a long and dedicated effort to finally bring overdose prevention centers to Philadelphia. In doing so, it ignored yet another prayer for our tormented city.   

SaraKay Smullens

Philadelphia

To The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 4, 2023