‘You Can’t Be Paralyzed By Fear’: Gov. Josh Shapiro Addresses Security Concerns After Arson Attack

At a press briefing on Wednesday, Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) was asked about his security measures after an arson attack on the official residence.

Transcript

00:00Jewish families out there that may themselves have been shaken by this that they have to talk

00:05to their own kids about this. Do you have a message for for them? Well, first, I want to

00:12thank them for so many of the messages of support they've they've shared with us. I want them to

00:19see that my wife and I and our kids continue to celebrate our faith proudly and openly.

00:27I want them to see that people from all different faiths have reached out to condemn this act and to

00:37lift up our family in prayer. And that's the Pennsylvania way. Remember, this is a place that

00:44was established by William Penn to be warm and welcoming for people of all faiths. Back in the

00:491600s, he established Pennsylvania for that very purpose. And I am absolutely committed to continuing

00:56to ensure that people of all faiths have the ability to practice openly and proudly however

01:01they choose to practice. Governor, did it ever cross your mind that this was even a possibility

01:06for something like this to happen at the governor's mansion, surrounded by fencing, security cameras,

01:10security details?

01:11When you're in a position like this, with the kind of profile I have in doing this work, you're

01:27mindful that there are people out there every day who, you know, want to do you harm. And that is a reality

01:37of this world that I live in. It's an unfortunate reality. Shouldn't be that way. But I can tell you

01:45that I don't, while I'm mindful of that, I don't really spend any time thinking about any kind of

01:54specific ways that might manifest itself. In part, because you can't be paralyzed by fear. And in part,

02:01because I've got confidence that the state police will keep me and my family safe.

02:08And that's just how I try and go about my work and my business every day. I've got a lot of work to do

02:17for 13 million people. I'm honored to do this work. And I'm not going to be captive to fear. And I'm not

02:23going to be captive to worry. And I'm not going to think through those scenarios that others might be

02:30contemplating to do us harm. I'm just going to go about my work every single day.