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Weekly Brief on Gun Violence Prevention in Philadelphia

Weekly Brief on Gun Violence Prevention in Philadelphia
Each Wednesday morning we share news, research, data, opinions and community responses related to gun violence and prevention in Philadelphia.

Mapped: 183 shooting victims reported this year in Philadelphia through January 30. Fatalities are denoted in red. [Office of the Controller]
Mapped: 183 shooting victims reported this year in Philadelphia through January 30. Fatalities are denoted in red. [Office of the Controller]
Credible Messenger Reporting Project Update
• We’re now accepting applications for both community journalists and professional partners to join the second cohort of our Credible Messenger Reporting Project, to leverage their combined authority and report on the root causes of gun violence, personal experiences and possible solutions – from the community perspective. [PCGVR]
• Please join us in welcoming Maxayn Gooden, who led one of our Credible Messenger Reporting Projects last year, in her new role as Community Engagement Manager here at the Center. Her work will include supporting past, present and future community journalists and helping to design and execute improvements to the program. [PCGVR]
Gun violence prevention journalism
Role of the media
Role of the media
• The latest “Save our Streets” report from FOX29 checked in on our research collaborative and the idea that the media can make a difference. You should watch the whole report but you can jump to 15:10 to hear from our team. [FOX29]
www.fox29.com  •  Share
Reporting on prevention
Reporting on prevention
• Sammy Caiola takes on the newly-created position of Gun Violence Prevention Reporter at WHYY beginning next week and is already soliciting tips. [@SammyCaiola]
twitter.com  •  Share
100 Shooting Review Committee Report
• The Philadelphia City Council released a 200-page interagency report last week, calling gun violence a public health emergency and an unconscionable racial injustice. Top recommendations under the three major headings of Enforcement, Intervention and Prevention each called for incorporating voices from the community and from people with lived experience to develop effective strategies. [WHYY/phlcouncil.com]
Philadelphia's first Victim Advocate
Adara Combs to lead new city office
Adara Combs to lead new city office
• Combs, who has lost family members to gun violence, most recently worked as a supervisor of the Juvenile Division of the District Attorney’s Office. [PHLCouncil.com/The Philadelphia Tribune]
www.phillytrib.com  •  Share
Temple campus safety
Beginning immediately
Beginning immediately
• Temple University announced that former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey will lead an audit of campus security services. Ramsey has been among the nation’s most vocal proponents of community policing. [Temple Now/Philly Voice]
news.temple.edu  •  Share
• Six shootings have been report close to Temple campuses so far this year, including one last night. [@TempleUniv]
Temple University
TUalert Shooting - Reported at N. Broad and Oxford Streets.. Use caution. Avoid the area. Police are responding.
Seeking Peace in Philly
• Photographer Vernon Ray started offering free workshops in his North Philadelphia studio after his cousin was murdered last year. [NBC10/Shoot Camera Not Guns]
• Zero Homicides Now and Frontline Dads are teaming up and recruiting others to join their Peace Patrols and make Philadelphia safer for students. [NBC10/Zero Homicides Now/Frontline Dads]
By the numbers
Chart: PCGVR.org
Chart: PCGVR.org
183: Year-to-date shooting victims reported in Philadelphia through Sunday, January 30. At least 37 people were killed.
92: Average shooting victim totals reported in Philadelphia during the month of January from 2015 through 2019.
[data.phila.gov]
44: Year-to-date homicides in Philadelphia through last night, representing a 12 percent decrease vs. the same period last year.
[PhillyPolice.com]
31: Shooting victims reported last week in Philadelphia, down from 39 people shot during the previous week.
21: Percent decrease in aggravated assaults with guns reported this year in Philadelphia, compared to 2021.
[Philadelphia Police via Google Drive]
2: Guns recovered in three days last week by TSA officers at Philadelphia International Airport checkpoints. One was loaded.
[CBS3]
Souls Shot Portrait Project
**VOLUNTEERS NEEDED**
Our next move for the Philadelphia area exhibition will be to the State Capitol at the end of February.
If you have an hour or two to spare, please reach out to us by filling out our volunteer form https://t.co/TRy78SivKr

Thank you for your support! https://t.co/Myi4KaDxt7
Not just numbers
• The Philadelphia Obituary Project published the names of everyone murdered in the city last year, as provided by the Philadelphia Police Department. [phillyobitproject.com]
Gun violence prevention jobs
• ManUpPHL is growing and hiring for several positions. [manupphl.org]
Public info
• The next city briefing on gun violence in Philadelphia is scheduled to take place today at 1 p.m. Listen live on WURD Radio 900 AM / 96.1 FM or watch live online. [Facebook]
Required reading
Dan Semenza
Every day, there is a new think piece or analysis to explain the increase in gun violence. It can be overwhelming. What matters most? Where do we start? There are still fundamental books that together can help explain much of what we've been seeing. Here are my Top Five (🧵):
• Open this thread: [@dsemenzcrim]
State funding
• Governor Wolf announced $23 million in funding for 25 projects intended to stop gun and group violence across Pennsylvania. [governor.pa.gov]
• New Jersey Governor Murphy announced $7 million for gunshot detection and other law enforcement equipment, plus $8.2 million for community-based violence intervention programming. [tapinto.net]
Domestic violence
“There is no excuse for allowing women who took the brave act of requesting a protection-from-abuse order to face a continued threat from a gun.” – The Philadelphia Inquirer
• The Center for American Progress examined five key challenges and solutions around firearms and gender-based violence. [americanprogress.org]
• The Department of Health in Anne Arundel County, Maryland released an online Domestic Violence Toolkit for victims, advocates and those who want to learn more and get involved. [civilspace.io]
Conflicting agendas
• A Colorado lawmaker whose son was murdered in the Aurora theater shooting in 2012 is proposing a new state law raising the minimum age to purchase assault-style weapons to 21. [The Denver Post]
• An Illinois-based gun manufacturer is marketing AR-15 assault rifles designed specifically for children. [The Associated Press]
Stepping up
• The father of a reporter who was shot to death on live TV in 2015 says he couldn’t get tech companies to take down the videos and now he is running for Congress in Virginia. [@AndyParkerVA]
Research
• The sharp rise in unemployment during the first months of the pandemic was associated with an increase in firearm violence and homicide in 16 American cities, including Philadelphia. [UC Davis Health]
Solution of the Week
• San Jose City Council approved a measure taking a new direction in this country’s long-running effort to deal with gun violence, requiring liability insurance to cover losses or damages resulting from any accidental use of a firearm. [NPR/AP]
In memoriam
Kyron Howerton, 24, doting father who "fixed everything"
Kyron Howerton, 24, doting father who "fixed everything"
“Kyron excelled at math, particularly measurements, and graduated from YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School. He became certified in home remodeling and renovation.”
www.phillyobitproject.com  •  Share
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The Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting

Reporting on gun violence comes with exceptional challenges, responsibilities and opportunities. The Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting wants to help.

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