“That said, a disaster or emergency declaration would have no discernible impact on strengthening what is already a highly collaborative and innovative approach to addressing this public health crisis.” | From NBC10 (Read more.)
Connecting victims of gun violence to resources that may help them achieve a sense of well-being means navigating a complex system with ambiguous rules. When you’re trying to find resources to pay for counseling, medical care, or funeral services for a family member who was a victim of gun violence, there are a lot of acronyms you might want to learn. | From: Love Now Media (Read more.)
In addition to taking the lives of more than 3,700 Philadelphians since it first hit the city in March of 2020, COVID-19 exposed a host of other societal ills and sent the economy into a deep depression that’s affected everyone in some way, shape or form over the past year and three months.
At the very beginning of lockdown, crime rates dropped dramatically, but Philadelphia then saw a similar dramatic rise in gun violence that’s continued to this day.
As of July 12, 2021 the city has recorded 295 homicides, the majority of which are gun related. It is also a 35% increase from the same date a year prior.
In the process, the frequency of this devastating loss of life is scarring a generation of young people and pushing public mental health resources to its limits. | From AL DÍA (Read more.)
New research out of Philadelphia puts a fine point on the correlation between chronic unemployment and gun violence in neighborhoods with high instances of violence. | From WHYY (Read more.)
Horton, board chairperson for Disability Pride PA, said shooting statistics don’t capture the physical and mental toll it can have on a person.
Disability Pride Philadelphia is looking to change that by asking people affected by gun violence to flood Instagram and Facebook with their personal stories. | From: WHYY (Read more.)
Anti-violence advocates, progressive activists and urbanist groups are pressuring Mayor Jim Kenney and City Council to drop proposed tax cuts in favor of increased spending on community services and programs. | Metro Philly (Read more.)
With Philadelphia on pace to set a new single-year record for homicides, several members of City Council are calling on Mayor Jim Kenney to spend an additional $50 million — or more — on anti-violence efforts designed to keep young people safe from gun violence. | From WHYY (Read more.)
Standing near a South Philadelphia basketball court where a 14-year-old boy was shot six months ago, seven members of City Council on Tuesday said Mayor Jim Kenney’s proposed budget doesn’t sufficiently fund gun-violence prevention and backed a plan to pour $50 million into programs for children and teens. | From The Philadelphia Inquirer (Read more.)
To alleviate the costs of gun violence, the city has allocated $155 million towards anti-violence spending. Most of these funds are going towards the Philly PEACE budget, which focuses on preventing gun violence by comprehensively targeting its root causes. | From: Love Now Media (Read more.)
In a first, City Council and Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration are forming a new committee to evaluate the effectiveness of anti-violence grant spending. Members of the Violence Prevention and Opportunity review committee will help decide how to allocate funding to grassroots organizations. | From: Billy Penn (Read more.)
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