For James DeLeon, it is all about addressing gun violence — and who is left out of the conversation about solutions
Democratic mayoral candidate and former judge James DeLeon takes us to the West Philadelphia neighborhood that shaped his candidacy.
James DeLeon, who was born and raised in West Philadelphia, is a retired municipal judge but has had a peripatetic professional life that included stints as disco club owner, member of the Coast Guard, and playwright.
But it’s his time on the bench that left him deeply perplexed about why the city’s judicial branch has been constantly left out of the debate on one of the most significant issues of this 2023mayor’s race — public safety.
“I have had shotguns aimed at me. I have had handguns aimed at me. I have had a hit put on me, you know?” he told The Inquirer. “So all of these particular situations that I’ve had shaped my policies on trying to reduce gun violence and save lives.
“And that’s why I came up with my local incident management system, which is a set of policies and procedures that enables the city government to more effectively combat gun violence by enabling the necessary responders to manage more effectively the root causes of gun violence.”
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In January, more than 200 people attended a mayoral candidates’ forum sponsored by DiverseForce and the African American Chamber of Commerce on Sunday. DeLeon was among the candidates who participated.
At a Latino mayoral forum in April, DeLeon challenged his opponents: “Why was applause given for people who would not mention a specific Hispanic to put on their cabinet?”
From the Opinion team: DeLeon shared plans to activate a Local Incident Management System to respond to gun violence in the city.