Tracking gun violence in Philadelphia: December 23, 2020

Latest Philadelphia data:

• Philadelphia’s weekly shooting victim total climbed back up to 38 for the week ending Sunday. The latest police update counts 2,173 shooting victims over the past 51 weeks; up 53.6 percent vs. the same period during 2019. [Philadelphia Police]

• Police reported 478 homicides this year-to-date in Philadelphia, as of midnight Monday, representing a 39 percent increase when compared with 2019 and running nearly double the pace recorded in 2013. [PhillyPolice.com]

Critical voices

• A mom whose son was murdered discusses preparing for the holidays. [PhillyObitProject]

• Dr. Ruth Abaya uses every possible avenue to address gun violence and now she’s a finalist for Integrity Icon Philadelphia. [The Philadelphia Citizen]

• U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, whose district includes sections of Philadelphia, discussed gun violence prevention with Moms Demand Action founder Shannon Watts online last week. [Facebook]

Patient transports

• A Philadelphia Police commander reported Monday night that officers in the 18th District rushed a shooting victim to the hospital for the 80th time this year. As of December 21, city data showed 104 shooting victims in that district this year; up 73 percent vs. 2019. [@PPDMGillespie/PGCVR]

Rest In Peace

• Raheem Ikeam Myers Was the City’s 203rd Homicide Victim This Year. This Is His Story. [PhillyMag]

Latest effort

• New Philly initiative seeks to increase convictions for gun-related crimes. [WHYY]

New research

• COVID-19 concerns are prompting people, including essential workers, to purchase firearms. [ Journal of Psychiatric Research]

Reporting gun violence

• Consider person-first language, human-centered journalism and beats that keep people safe and healthy. Kensington residents just want journalists to stop doing harm. [The Poynter Institute/Nieman Lab/Nieman Lab/@JimMacMillan]

National gun violence emergency

• In over a dozen cities, homicides rose by 50 percent or more this year. Now, US gun violence deaths have hit a record high at 41,000-plus. [The Trace/The Crime Report]

• More than 600 mass shootings have been reported in the US this year, including one early Friday in Kingsessing. [NJ Today/Gun Violence Archive/CBS Philly]

National perspectives

• Think twice about bringing a gun into your home, and if you do, learn how to store and handle it safely. [Times of San Diego]

• Getting control of the pandemic looms large on lists of proposed solutions [The Christian Science Monitor]

• The Washington Post editorial board says gun violence in the District is a public health emergency. [The Washington Post]

• Here’s what guns and COVID have in common. [Star Tribune]

Solution of the Week

• St. Louis critical care surgeon LJ Punch opened BRIC: the Bullet Related Injury Clinic to provide both physical and mental health care to those whose lives have been upended by gun violence. [TheBRIC/CIVIC RX]

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