Doing Justice Fall 2007 10/18/07
EXERCISE & PURPOSE.

This is a role playing exercise. You are to imagine that it is February, 2008. Michael Nutter has been elected Mayor of Philadelphia, and inaugurated. He has announced that he is implementing his Title 10 Targeted Enforcement Zones idea. Vast sections of North Philadelphia, West Philadelphia, and Southwest Philadelphia have been designated as TEZs. (During class you will see a map of these areas, and a map of status and race variables as well.) Philadelphia City Council is holding a hearing on whether to pass a resolution endorsing the Mayor’s action. Each group at the hearing (hypothetically) represents a specific constituency in this debate, and is tasked with bringing to bear certain materials from the course for their presentation. The purpose is to bring materials from the not so recent and recent past to bear on current policy debates about how justice agencies operate.

BACKGROUND – From Michael Nutter, Democratic candidate for Mayor of Philadelphia

“ By declaring a crime emergency, the City will have the power in the designated Targeted Enforcement Zones to:
• prohibit or limit gatherings of people on sidewalks, streets, or any outdoor place in the designated neighborhoods;
• halt or limit the movement of vehicles through or within the designated neighborhoods;
• establish a curfew limiting the hours people could be outside their houses; and
• prohibit the sale, carrying or possession on the public street or public sidewalks, or in any public park or square, of weapons of any kind.
”These powers would support the many tools needed to restore a sense of safety to Philadelphia’s most dangerous streets.”

STRUCTURE OF THE EXERCISE

  1. You will be placed in designated groups. These are larger than the usual work groups, because we need to pool resources. These groups are larger than what we usually work with, but please don’t use this as an excuse to catch up on sleep. Because the groups are somewhat larger, each group is going to get out of their seats, and stand up and gather round other group members.
  2. Each designated group will be designated to represent a constituency.
  3. Each group will select a spokesperson and a recorder.
  4. Each group will have about 20 minutes to discuss, and come up with 2 or at the most 3 points the group wishes to make. The spokesperson and recorder will then come down front to address “City Council” and make those points.
  5. In the presentation you will have four minutes maximum to make the 2 or 3 points you wish to make. Someone will write these up on PowerPoint behind you. You will answer questions for two minutes from members of City Council. You are to presume that you are making a presentation to a Philadelphia City Council hearing, which is preparing to vote on a bill endorsing the Mayor’s implementation of Title 10-justified TEZs.
  6. While you are an audience member, and others are presenting, listen closely, because you will be asked to write down a) what was the most important point you heard pro TEZs, and what was the most important point con TEZs that you heard.

GROUP ASSIGNMENTS

A – CITY COUNCIL – 10 people – as a group prepare 1 or 2 questions that you will put to each group. Seat yourself in the front row, center section in the order in which you will ask your questions of the groups appearing before you. The groups will appear in the order listed below.

B – PRO - You represent the leadership of the Philadelphia Police Department, and you support this initiative. Presume it will be funded through overtime pay. You want to think about addressing the following points in your presentation: how you will insure that the program is implemented in a way that treats citizens fairly; how you will address reports, should they arise, of excessive zeal or excessive force; and what type of success you expect in what time frame. You can use the 1970s brutality charges readings to support your point of view.

C – CON - You represent a group of small business owners located in North Philadelphia. You want to make the case that the TEZ will dramatically reduce your customer flow. Think about how you can work in material from the 1970s brutality charges readings.

D – CON – You represent an alliance of social workers, employment counselors, and youth advocates working in low income, predominantly African-American West Philadelphia neighborhoods. Your group is extremely concerned about who will be targeted and apprehended in the TEZs. You can use Black material on downward law and, even better, Black material on centrifugal law to back up your points.

E – CON – You represent an alliance of local civil rights organization leaders. You are extremely concerned about what will happen to those who get picked up by the police. You can use Wickersham commission material on “lawlessness” in Philadelphia. (btw, what they mention as problems are still problems here today).

F – PRO – You represent a mixed-race group of community leaders from Southwest Philadelphia. You strongly support the initiative because your neighborhoods have been overrun with violence and drug dealing. In preparing your arguments, can you think of some ways to structure the police operations  that might counter some of the concerns the other groups might have based on Black, or based on Wickersham, or based on 1970s brutality allegations? (Think hard! – you have the most challenging assignment)

CLICK HERE to see the slides the students were viewing as they were working on this exercise

CLICK HERE to see how students reacted to the exercise