After enduring another looting frenzy, Philadelphia residents wonder whether mass thuggery is just a fact of life in the city.
“Here we go again—it’s a Philly Thing” was the message on Philadelphia social media, especially Facebook, where posters reported that the city was once again under siege.
Scattered first reports mentioned a caravan of looters moving from one neighborhood to another: Center City, West Philadelphia, Port Richmond, and then on to the Roosevelt Mall in Northeast Philadelphia. The marauders managed to pillage 18 state-run liquor stores, causing the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board to close all 48 of its Philadelphia retail outlets. In Center City, plunderers ransacked the Apple store, Footlocker, and Lululemon. Some wore Halloween masks as they grabbed merchandise and were cheered on by Philadelphia Instagram celebrity Dayjia Blackwell, 21, known as “Meatball,” who told her 200,000 followers: “We outside. This is what happens when we get no justice in our city. We terrorize this city!”
