Danielle Outlaw becomes first Black woman Philadelphia police commissioner

Source: Mark Makela / Getty

Danielle Outlaw Becomes First Black Woman Philadelphia Police Commissioner

The city of Philadelphia has a new voice in charge of the police department. A voice they’ve never heard before…

According to Pennsylvania Capital-Star, an African-American woman, Danielle Outlaw, will be the Philadelphia police commissioner for the very first time. Although this is great progress, Danielle isn’t taking an easy job. She will be the end-all-be-all for 6,500 police officers, many of who have been exposed as racists, Islamophobes, sexists, as a result of the Plain View Project.

Moreover, Philly is a city plagued with violence, especially against Black bodies.

Of the 356 homicides that occurred in the city last year — the highest total since 2007, when there were 391 — 260 victims were African-American men, and 179 of them were Black men between the ages of 18 and 34.

Of the 1,463 shooting victims in the city last year, 1,211 victims were African Americans. Of that number, 799 were African-American males also between the ages of 18 and 34.

Whether it’s fair or not, many are hopeful that a Black woman, the mother of two Black boys, will take a different approach to curb those aforementioned stats in addition to police-related shootings that take place almost exclusively to young African-American men.

Says Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney:

“It’s absolutely important, especially when it comes to police interaction with youth of color in our city,” Kenney said. “She understands the trepidation that young Black and Latino men have to go through — women, too — when it comes to interactions with police. You never know what’s going to happen. And I think that she can get that through to our police force — that your first interaction with a police officer is a lasting impression that a person has. People need to be respected and they need to be shown respect. And if they are shown respect, they will give respect in return. They will cooperate with police more than they ever have. And we’ll be a safer city. And ironically, the officers will be safer, too. I think she is the perfect person to give that message to both the community and the police department. I’m looking forward to getting her started.”

Shout out to Commissioner Outlaw. We’re not the biggest fans of cops, but we hope that she can be successful as a force of change within the badge-wearing community.