Latest Philadelphia data
• Police reported 36 shooting victims in Philadelphia during the seven-day period ending Sunday, March 7; up from 26 people shot during the previous week. Twelve people were shot last Wednesday alone. [Philadelphia Police via Google Drive/Data.Phila.Gov via @PCGVR]
• Police reported 89 year-to-date homicide victims in Philadelphia as of late Monday night, running 33 percent ahead of last year’s pace and nearly double the pace recorded in 2015. [PhillyPolice.com]
Remembering
• The Philadelphia Inquirer profiled Embaba Mengesteabe, who died last week after being shot in the head in West Philadelphia on Feb. 23. More than 30 of this years’s Philadelphia gunshot victims have been under age 18 and at least three have died. [The Philadelphia Inquirer/PCGVR]
Help is on the way
• Our friends at The Trace have announced a critical new initiative in Philadelphia to share information for people recovering from shootings, keep young people safe, and hold local leaders accountable. [The Trace]
• Philadelphia City Council passed a bill creating The Anti-Violence Resource Network, which will refer callers to programs, services and resources. [Plan Philly]
• U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans and Sen. Bob Casey have reintroduced federal legislation to help gun violence survivors and are urging President Biden to create a new council. A mom from Philadelphia is helping them out. [@RepDwightEvans/Pennsylvania Capital-Star]
Obit Project News
• A Philadelphia City Council resolution recognized The Philadelphia Obituary Project while taking some potshots at other media coverage. The Philadelphia Citizen profiled the project this week. Meanwhile, the Obit Project published their monthly list with the names of people killed in Philadelphia during February. [Philly Obit Project/The Philadelphia Citizen/Philly Obit Project]
Ghost guns
• Four men are accused of buying “ghost guns” from a gun show in Berks County with the intent of illegally selling them in Philadelphia. One official says: “It’s for terrorists and it’s for crime.” [NBC10/CBS3]
Free gun locks
• We have shared Temple Safety Net before. Meet the person who makes it happen. [Temple Safety Net/6ABC]
Collecting signatures
• The PA Safety Alliance wants you to sign their petition calling on state legislators to support commonsense firearm laws. [@safety_pa/The Action Network]
Promoting racial justice
• The newly-renamed Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Prevention and Policy announced their commitment to racial equity and diversity in its mission and practices. [Johns Hopkins University]
Research
• A new study will examine how community gun violence exposure may place young people at risk for negative social and health trajectories. [The Spokesman-Review]
Solution of the Week
• Our partners at the Missouri Gun Violence Project reported on a 24/7 hotline for teenagers dealing with a suicidal ideation or struggling with their mental health. It’s staffed by other teens. [The Kansas City Star]
That was embarrassing
• Last week we invited you to analyze open city data using our Philadelphia Shooting Victims Dashboard — and then the data went offline for a couple of days. You can try again now or go to the source, which has also been improved. [PCGVR/Data.Phila.Gov/@PCGVR]
What are we missing?
• Use the “Contact” button on our home page menu to send us information on Philadelphia gun violence, prevention and related media coverage. [PCGVR]