Tracking gun violence in Philadelphia: December 16, 2020

Latest Philadelphia data

Sharp increase this year: Nearly 2,200 people had been shot in Philadelphia during the previous 365 days, based on the latest city data update on December 10. (PCGVR)

• Police reported 31 shooting victims in Philadelphia during the week ending Sunday, representing the lowest weekly total since mid-June. The year-to-date total of 2,135 shooting victims is running 53 percent ahead of the pace recorded during 2019. [Philadelphia Police]

• Police reported 471 homicides this year-to-date in Philadelphia, as of midnight Monday, representing a 39 percent increase when compared with 2019 and running 99 percent ahead of the pace recorded in 2013. [PhillyPolice.com]

Brutal weekend

• Three people were killed and six more were wounded in Philadelphia shootings from Saturday night into Sunday. Two people were killed in a triple shooting Sunday night. [The Philadelphia Inquirer/CBS Philly]

Solution of the Week

• Learn about peace building from an organization credited with slashing the number of Philadelphia homicides in the 1970s. Jump into the video at 13:00 to hear the architects discuss their process in 2011. [BillyPenn/Vimeo]

Opinion

• Philadelphia has a roadmap. Its leaders just need to use it. [The Philadelphia Inquirer]

Hearing

• The Philadelphia City Council Special Committee on Gun Violence reconvened Monday. Councilmember Derek Green says we now “have an emergency situation.” [@CouncilmemberKJ/YouTube/KYW Newsradio]

In the news

• In 8,500 Philadelphia shootings since 2015, suspects have been charged in 1 out of 5 cases and convicted in just 9%. [The Philadelphia Inquirer]

• Read their names: The Philadelphia Inquirer published a list of this year’s fatal shooting victims. [The Philadelphia Inquirer]

Research

• The four largest homicide waves in Chicago history have been followed with increased police funding and deflections of responsibility. [UChicago News]

Strategies

• NYC mayoral candidate Maya Wiley says a participatory justice fund would allocate money to communities identified by high gun violence rates and support existing and new programs that have proven track records or promising evaluations. [AMNY]

• March for Our Lives is asking Joe Biden to create a cabinet-level director of gun violence prevention. [Fast Company]

• A new federal grant program supporting evidence-based interventions could demonstrate that urban violence is simultaneously one of the most serious and solvable social challenges facing the nation today. [Council on Criminal Justice]

Media

• Black students experience school shootings at twice the rate of their white peers but public perception is often the opposite because of media coverage. [The Hechinger Report]

Anniversaries

• Last week Yoko Ono marked the 40th anniversary of the shooting death of John Lennon. Monday marked the eighth anniversary of the massacre at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. [@YokoOno/@TeamTrace]

Giving everyday

• You can support the Center for Gun Violence Reporting any time by making a contribution to The Initiative for Better Gun Violence Reporting. [ibgvr.wedid.it]

Finding help in Philadelphia

• The Philly Gun Violence Resource List was compiled by WHYY’s Billy Penn and has been released for public use by other media organizations or anyone else. [Google Docs]

• Safe gun storage prevents unintentional shootings and people in Philadelphia are invited to get a free gun lock. [Temple Safety Net]

Report for us!

• We are now seeking applicants to join the Credible Messenger Reporting Project and tell the story of gun violence and prevention in Philadelphia from the community perspective.

Community reporters will be paired with professional journalists to learn from each other, craft stories and get the news out where it can make a difference.

We hope to see some of the resulting reports shared by local news organizations, while other might be more effective on social media platforms and we hope to find professional journalists learning more about engaging new audiences. The possibilities are endless.

The Center will provide equal funding to both partners and cover related expenses, including stipends for story subjects from the community in some cases.

Visit our home page for more info and link to apply: PCGVR.org