Jan 26, 2022

Weekly Brief on Gun Violence Prevention in Philadelphia

By The Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting • Issue #29 • View online

Each Wednesday morning we share news, research, data, opinions and community responses related to gun violence and prevention in Philadelphia.

Campout for Peace

• Operation Save Our City’s 10th annual Campout for Peace begins Friday. [Facebook/Google News]

Marching on

• Philadelphia violence prevention activist Jamal Johnson has been chronicling his march to see Governor Wolf. [@JAMAL_SKU/CBS3]

Repeat

“This is your annual reminder that announcing that someone has died before the family does isn’t good journalism. It’s the ultimate show of disrespect.” – Philadelphia journalist Denise Clay-Murray

Transformed

No longer a victim: How one survivor dealt with Philadelphia’s gun violence

• Oronde McClain understands the pain of surviving gun violence. He was shot in the head at age 10 in Philadelphia, and it took him 12 years to recover.

whyy.org • Share

Responding

• Trauma surgeon and interim dean Amy Goldberg says they’re going to try to develop a violence prevention center at Temple’s Lewis Katz School of Medicine. [The Philadelphia Inquirer]

Amy Goldberg

@AJGTempleSurg

Last night was an abomination in our city. Our community is dying. Where is the outrage…from everyone? https://t.co/DwxTFhbDd6

9:55 AM - 1 Jan 2022

Step up

• The Souls Shot Portrait Project shared a list of organizations you can contact to find out how to help end gun violence. [soulsshotportraitproject.org]

Opinion

I worry that when training videos on surviving a workplace shooting become as routine as videos about hand-washing and billing, each year the unspeakably abnormal becomes, little by little, just a bit more normal. – Philadelphia intensive care physician David Oxman

Behind the scenes

• The Credible Messenger Reporting Project team behind “The Path Forward” discussed the experience of sharing their stories. [PCGVR]

Perspective

• A recently-retired Philadelphia Municipal Court judge has a violence reduction plan that includes social media restrictions and mandatory curfews as a condition of bail for those accused of gun crimes. [The Philadelphia Tribune]

Online this afternoon

• Learn more about our Center during “Gun Violence: Reporting What Matters” at 12:30 p.m. today, one of the panels on the agenda for the 2022 Neighbors and Newsrooms Summit, starting at noon and presented for free by WHYY’s News and Information Community Exchange. [WHYY via e-activist.com]

Online next month

• Learn about gun violence through a public health lens and the role community organizations, faith-based institutions and individuals can play in violence prevention. [Congregation Beth Am Israel via ShulCloud]

Editorial

As a society, there is often an attempt to make sense of tragedies by blaming the victims. People try to fool themselves into feeling safe by imagining a scenario where the person harmed is so very different that what happened might make sense. But it’s a flawed game people play. – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Gun violence prevention journalism

• Among new violence prevention recommendations: “Promote media reporting guidelines designed to stop sensationalizing coverage of shootings.” [Population Reference Bureau]

By the numbers

Chart: PCGVR.org

39: Shooting victims last week in Philadelphia, down from 49 people shot during the previous week.

60.8: percent increase in gunpoint robberies this year in Philadelphia, in comparison with 2021.

[Philadelphia Police via Google Drive]

152: Shooting victims reported during the first 23 days of this year in Philadelphia.

[data.phila.gov]

38: Total 2022 homicides in Philadelphia through yesterday, representing a three percent increase vs. 2021.

[PhillyPolice.com]

On the recoed

“People have a sense of lawlessness in Philadelphia because of the number of shootings they’re seeing day in and day out.” – Philadelphia City Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson

DA's briefing

• Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner wants his office laser-focused on fighting the city’s gun violence epidemic as homicides spike to a rate unseen for at least six decades. [WHYY]

Targeting investment

• An effort is underway to evaluate the anti-violence initiatives in Philadelphia, to make sure the funding is getting to those most at risk. [WHYY]

More funding

• Gov. Tom Wolf announced an increase of more than $15 million in state funding to support gun violence prevention efforts. [WHYY]

Restrictive measure

• The state Senate passed a bill that would have Pennsylvania cities and counties pay the legal fees for anyone who gets a court to overturn local gun laws. Gov. Wolf responded with a vow to veto any legislation “that ignores the need for commonsense gun violence solutions.” [WITF/governor.pa.gov]

Personalized

• A start-up in Radnor is hoping smart guns can prevent tragedies by using technology to authenticate each owner’s identity. [6ABC]

On the media

“White and affluent Americans have been less directly affected by the murder spike, but they’re also more likely to influence what news outlets cover and what politicians talk about.” – New York Times Morning Newsletter

Rankings

• In states where elected officials have taken action to pass gun safety laws, fewer people die by gun violence. [Everytown Research]

In memoriam

Angel L. Torres III, 22, Philly sports fan who had a remarkable memory for stats

• In recent months, Angel’s ambition was to purchase his own home, and he was in the process of evaluating different areas and neighborhoods.

www.phillyobitproject.com • Share

Open source

Did you know?

You are invited to embed our Philadelphia Shooting Victims Dashboard on your site. Scroll down the page for more info and a link to the code.

www.pcgvr.org • Share

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By 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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