Mexico's anti-drug ad featuring Philly addicts shows US is the new 'cautionary tale,' critics say
Ad reportedly was 'proudly presented' to the Mexican public by the Lopez Obrador administration in Mexico City
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A controversial Mexican anti-drug ad shows the United States has essentially become a cautionary tale for the drug smuggling and addiction crisis – a distinction that used to belong sorely to other countries, Fox News host Greg Gutfeld suggested Tuesday.
A Mexican ad warning against the dangers of drug addiction notably featured scenes from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – home to one neighborhood Republican surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz dubbed the world's "largest open-air drug market" in recent weeks.
On "The Five," Gutfeld remarked Americans are supposed to be the ones pointing out how "bad" Philadelphia is, not the Mexican government.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It says something now that our country is a cautionary warning," he said.. "I don't see a way out until we have legal alternatives for our own oblivion."
Scenes from Kensington – a long-troubled neighborhood in Philadelphia --were featured in the ad, which the AP reported was "proudly presented" to the Mexican public by the Lopez Obrador administration in Mexico City.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Gutfeld said there is another aspect to the video ad that is notable – reports of people being upset they did not grant consent to be filmed.
"And I'm thinking to myself, sorry, did the drug addicted zombie get your consent when they defecated in front of a packed school bus?" he asked. "I think that goes out the window when their stuff is going out of their bodies on a sidewalk."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador gestures during a news conference at the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico, June 20, 2022. (REUTERS/Edgard Garrido/File Photo)
Officials in Philadelphia, which voted heavily for Democrats in the midterms, have the power to change course if they so choose, fellow "Five" co-host Katie Pavlich added.
"You see the Mexican side of the border doing nothing to stop it," she said. "And the people in charge of Philadelphia and other cities in America have the power to change things and they refuse to."
Pavlich added that it was "embarrassing" that a country like Mexico, known for it's troubles with drug trades and cartels, could present an anti-drug ad that focuses on th
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In a statement responding to the ad, Philadelphia Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney lamented it being "hard to see our city's people and neighborhoods portrayed in a limited and negative light."
"No neighborhood and no person should be defined by this tragic and widespread crisis," Kenney said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Meanwhile, the city's elected prosecutor, Democratic District Attorney Larry Krasner, encountered the first step in impeachment proceedings Tuesday – in response to claims his leadership has exacerbated the city's crime wave.
A committee led by State Rep. Rob Kauffman, R-Chambersburg, voted 14-8 to move forward with Articles of Impeachment.
Krasner responded by saying the GOP proved "yet again that they have no desire to govern responsibly," while pointing to the party's losses in the midterms as evidence Pennsylvanians' public sentiment isn't on their side.