So we can clearly see part of Philly's problem: their police commissioner is a moronic boob who can't comprehend simple English. (Hint to Mr. Sylvester: did the cartoon actually compare black youths to KKK members? In your own words, what was the cartoon really saying?)
Mr. Sylvester isn't a moron, he is a liar. Lies are more acceptable than the truth if the truth is something they would rather not acknowledge. It is precisely like the ABC reporting on the riots in Ohio a couple of months ago when they reported that white supremacists were rioting.
The politician or the news network doesn't expect to fool anyone with their lies anymore. They want people to love them because they are willing to tell it how their audience or constituents wish or prefer it to be rather than how it is.