Philadelphia gun violence and prevention report: July 14, 2021

Tomorrow: PCGVR Director of Research Director Dr. Jessica Beard will moderate an esteemed panel of Philadelphia thought leaders addressing gun violence, public health and the role of the media. [PCGVR]

Credible Messenger Reporting Project

• Register now to attend the first public screening of “The Lasting Impact” and join the community conversation Sunday in Germantown. You can watch it online too. [Eventbrite/PCGVR]

Hitting home

• State Senator Sharif Street accused the Republican-controlled state Legislature of failing to reduce the surging gun violence that killed his 21-year-old cousin-in-law last week in Philadelphia. [Pennsylvania Capital-Star]

By the numbers

• Police data resources show 60 people shot last week in Philadelphia and 122 shooting victims during the first 12 days of July. [Philadelphia Police via Google Drive/Open Data Philly via @PCGVR]

• More than twice as many people were shot in Philadelphia during the first six months of 2021 than during the same period in 2015. [Open Data Philly via PCGVR]

• More than 10,000 people have been shot in Philadelphia since January 1, 2015. [The Philadelphia Inquirer]

• A shooting in Hunting Park Saturday night was the seventh incident in which at least five people wounded or killed so far this year in Philadelphia. [NBC10/Gun Violence Archive]

Do the math

• Grief counselors are in short supply in Philadelphia now. [The Associated Press]

Still no

• A day after New York became the first state to declare a disaster emergency over rising gun violence, Mayor Jim Kenney said he is not ready to declare one for Philadelphia. [Billy Penn]

Meanwhile

• Shooting incidents in New York City were down 19.5 percent last month when compared with June, 2020. [NYPD]

Economic harm

• Gun violence costs Pennsylvania $12.1 billion each year, of which $567.4 million is paid by taxpayers. This translates to an average cost of $942 per resident each year. [Pennsylvania Capital-Star]

Research

• New research shows correlation between chronic unemployment and gun violence in Philadelphia neighborhoods. [WHYY]

Peacemaking

• The people behind the Philly Truce app report brokering a deal between two 16-year-olds at city hall. [FOX29]

Opinion

• “A potential answer is to go big, and push for a blockade on the production and import of firearms for at least the next 20 years.” [Pennsylvania Capital-Star]

First-person

• Register for free to get a reality check on what’s it’s like to try to save gunshot patients in Philadelphia. [New England Journal of Medicine]

Great White North

• Canadian law requires citizens to undergo robust background checks and mandatory training before obtaining a gun license. Another difference between the US and Canada: waiting periods before one can obtain a gun. [CNN]

Solution of the Week

Imagine: putting funds and resources back into the community, rather than into state-run institutions. [Fast Company]

In memoriam

• Jasayde Holder recently finished fourth grade and enjoyed riding her bike and sitting on the swing her grandfather built. [Press of Atlantic City]

• Dominic Billa, 21: A quiet person with a big spirit. [Philadelphia Obituary Project]

Join our Slack team

• Are you interested in improving the practice of reporting on gun violence and prevention? Do you think it might even prevent shootings and save lives? Then, please join us on Slack! [PCGVR]