Under fire
• Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney doubled down on his refusal to declare a gun violence emergency during the city’s bi-weekly gun violence prevention briefing last Wednesday. [Billy Penn]
• Shortly before the briefing, a triple shooting in West Philadelphia left an 18-year-old and 15-year-old dead, and another 15-year-old wounded. [The Philadelphia Tribune]
• A City Councilmember and the City Controller say “Philadelphia is being held hostage by gun violence” and they want a response from the mayor. [@CouncilmemberJG and @PhilaController via Google Drive]
• U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans joined the growing chorus of officials calling on Kenney to take immediate action to reduce gun violence. [The Philadelphia Tribune]
• Two professors of emergency medicine at the University of Pennsylvania say “Gun violence is an emergency. We need those in power to say this out loud and act.” [The Philadelphia Inquirer]
• A notable activist is says the mayor lied and is giving up. [Philly Voice]
• The president of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists and editor-at-large at Philadelphia Magazine wrote a piece headlined: “Mayor Jim Kenney Doesn’t Care About Black People.” [Philly Mag]
• As of last week, community groups hadn’t heard a word about the gun violence prevention money promised in Philly’s new budget. [The Philadelphia Inquirer]
By the numbers
• This week’s Philadelphia Police citywide major crimes report shows 52 people shot in the city during the seven-day period ending Sunday. The previous week’s total was revised up from 44 to 73, the highest weekly total since last August. [Philadelphia Police via Google Drive]
• A little relief: Sixteen people were shot in Philadelphia between noon Friday and midnight Sunday night, down from 42 during the same period last week. [data.phila.gov]
• Local media organizations have reported shootings with three or more victims on 18 occasions so far this month in Philadelphia. [Gun Violence Archive]
• Philadelphia Police had recorded 315 homicides this year-to-date as of late Monday night, a 30 percent increase over last year’s pace and 182 more people than had been killed by the same date in 2014. [PhillyPolice.com]
• This month marks 13 of the last 14 months in Philadelphia in which there have been at least 40 homicides. [@PhillyHomicides]
• Philadelphia has had about 19 homicides for every 100,000 residents so far during 2021, compared with about 15 in Chicago and just one in New York City. [6ABC]
Not just numbers
• The Associated Press reported five stories about shooting victims from across the nation, including a 15-year-old wounded here in Philadelphia. [AP]
• Here are the names of 58 people murdered in Philadelphia during June. [Philly Obit Project]
Healing from trauma
• The Philadelphia Obituary Project is partnering with Storiez Trauma Narratives for three free virtual summer storytelling workshops for people impacted by gun violence. [phillyobitproject.com]
Screening
• “Never Ending Emotions,” the third documentary produced to address gun violence with support from our Credible Messenger Reporting Project, will premiere at the Philadelphia Ethical Society on August 20. [Eventbrite]
Research
• A new University of Pennsylvania study shows that funding home improvements can cut homicides by nearly 22 percent. [The Philadelphia Citizen]
• The same root causes lead to both gun violence and food insecurity and they need to be addressed upstream. [The Philadelphia Tribune]
• Over a quarter of youth with nonfatal firearm injury were diagnosed with a new mental health condition in the 12 months after their injury. [Academic Pediatrics]
• Childhood exposure to gun violence increases the risk of violent behavior as adults. [University of Michigan
• Enhanced investigative resources, improved management structures and oversight processes can increase homicide clearance rates even in the most difficult cases. [The Crime Report]
Media response
• There’s a new page full of news coverage titled “The Toll,” addressing the hidden costs of gun violence in Philadelphia and how to navigate the complex web of resources available to victims. [Broke in Philly]
• Read a review of the recent “teach-in” on gun violence, public health and the media that we collaborated to produce with Community College of Philadelphia. [AL DÍA NEWS]
Solution of the week
• The Akron, Ohio City Council held a session to discuss no less than 20 ways to curb gun violence. [Akron Beacon Journal]
In memoriam
• Kahlief Myrick found joy in drawing people in the neighborhood and sketching pictures of sneakers. The 16-year-old was shot and killed in February in Southwest Philadelphia. [Philadelphia Obituary Project]
• Sixteen-year-old Kaylin Jahad Johnson, who went by K.J., was one of two teens shot and killed in broad daylight at 56th and Vine in West Philadelphia last week. [6ABC]