Funding prevention
• It was a big week for news about gun violence prevention funding at the local, state and national levels. [Billy Penn/CeaseFire PA/The White House]
• Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner is calling on some of the city’s largest businesses — Comcast, Aramark — and nonprofits — the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, the Eagles NFL franchise — to help fund the city’s anti-violence efforts. Krasner also announced a second round of violence prevention grant awards to community-based organizations this week. [The Philadelphia Tribune/The Justice Wire]
By the numbers
• Grim milestones: More than 200 people have been shot this month in Philadelphia, more than 1,000 shooting victims have been reported so far this year and city data now show more than 10,000 people wounded or killed by gunfire since January 1, 2015. [data.phila.gov via @pcgvr/KYW Newsradio/data.phila.gov via @pcgvr]
• The Philadelphia Police weekly major crimes report shows 49 people shot in the city during the seven-day period ending Sunday. The previous week’s total was revised up from 35 to 56, with 1,027 year-to-date shooting victims shown running 24.3% ahead of last year’s pace. Police reported 269 total homicides in the city as of late Monday night, a 36 percent increase ahead of last year’s pace. [Philadelphia Police via Google Drive/PhillyPolice.com]
• Data: 26 other cities have seen greater murder rate increases this year than the 31.12 percent jump observed in Philadelphia, including five cities with increases of 100 percent or more. [AH Datalytics]
Concentrated suffering
• Philadelphia’s gun violence has been clustering in several neighborhoods to the north this year. A 10-year-old boy accidentally killed himself after finding a gun last week in North Philadelphia. [6ABC/CBS3]
Sharing their stories
• Disability Pride Philadelphia asked people affected by gun violence to flood Instagram and Facebook with their personal stories yesterday by recording short videos and posting them using the hashtags #disabilitypridepa, #DPPgunviolence, #gunviolencephilly, #awheelfamily, #awfphilly, or #blessed4greatness. [WHYY]
Research
• Shooting victims who are rushed to the hospital by police are often more severely injured but just as likely to survive as other gunshot patients, according to a new study from Temple Trauma. [Trauma and Acute Care Surgery]
• Gun violence receives only a fraction of the research funding it should for its disease burden, according to our Center’s new director of research Dr. Jessica Beard. [Love Now Media]
• Narratives of violence in the U.S. have been distorted by racist stereotyping, portraying male individuals of color as more dangerous than white males. [News-Medical.Net]
Reporting gun violence
• A new style guide for trauma-informed journalism includes a thoughtful section on reporting gun violence. [Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma]
• A journalist wrote about leaving the beat after covering gun violence for eight years. [Los Angeles Times]
Opinion
• We need every state in the nation to enact stringent safe storage or “child access prevention” laws, according to a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. [The Washington Post]
• “All of us bear the responsibility to mitigate the harm done to their young minds, and to our city.” [The Philadelphia Inquirer]
Survey
• A significant majority of U.S. adults (55%) now describe “violent crime” as a “very big problem” far more than the coronavirus pandemic (36%), race relations (39%), the economy (41%) or political correctness (39%). [Yahoo News]
Across the nation
• Since Columbine at least 151 people have been killed with guns during school hours on 278 campuses, 37 shooters have died and another 323 people have been hurt. [The Washington Post]
• Background checks blocked 300,000 gun sales last year. [The Associated Press]
• Last weekend in Chicago: 74 shot, 6 fatally. [ABC7]
Seeking Solutions: Gun Violence in Missouri
• Researchers say a host of factors contribute to a city’s gun violence problem, such as income, housing, healthy living environments and quality education. And food insecurity. [St. Louis Public Radio]
Job descriptions
• Temple University is hiring a Director of Violence Prevention Programming, including their Cure Violence program. [Temple University]
• The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is hiring a Justice & Equity Issues Editor, charged with responsibilities that include elevating possible solutions and diverse voices. [Dayforce]
Last-minute reminders
• Today is the deadline for nonprofits and local governments to apply for a share of $5 million available to help fund programs aimed at reducing gun violence in Pennsylvania. [The Philadelphia Tribune]
• Attend the Peace Not Guns Call to Action event at Wharton Square Park in South Philadelphia at 4 p.m today. [@CouncilmemberKJ]
Solution of the Week
• New PA House bills would offer debt deferral and create a grant program for families affected by gun violence, which “exacts a measurable economic impact,” including slowed neighborhood home appreciation, lower home ownership rates and lower credit scores. [Pennsylvania Capital-Star]
News from the Center
• We marked our first year anniversary with a progress report last week, then launched a community Slack network and announced efforts to take our Credible Messenger Project to two more cities. It’s all on the home page. [PCGVR]
• Join us next month for a free screening of the first production from the Credible Messenger Reporting Project and a following community conversation. [Eventbrite]
• Please join us in congratulating our communications manager Sheila Hodges, who has been selected to participate in the virtual Student Multimedia Project at the 45th annual NABJ Convention in August. [@sheilaahodges]
In memoriam
• President Biden signed a law designating the Pulse Nightclub a national memorial. [@POTUS]