Public information
• Philadelphia’s next biweekly “Virtual Update on the City’s Response to Gun Violence” is scheduled for today at 1 p.m. You can listen live on 900 AM / 96.1 WURD Radio or watch online. [Facebook]
• Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner is planning a series of community forums seeking input from residents on gun violence and criminal justice reform. [WHYY]
Budget countdown
• A majority of Philadelphia City Councilmembers have urged Mayor Kenney to spend an additional $100 million on anti-violence efforts during the next fiscal year. A Council hearing last week addressed the “inextricable link” between poverty, gun violence and systemic racism. [WHYY/The Philadelphia Tribune]
Voices from the community
• Next Tuesday you can attend a virtual gathering of fathers who have lost loved ones to violence in our area. [FDRC via @BilalQayyumq]
News from Harrisburg
• Republican lawmakers are pushing to make it easier for Pennsylvanians to carry a handgun. This could get complicated in Philadelphia. Meanwhile, a bill advancing extreme risk protection orders has been stalled. [Billy Penn/Courier Times]
By the numbers
• The latest Philadelphia Police weekly citywide major crimes report shows 40 people shot in Philadelphia during the seven-day period ending Sunday, with a year-to-date total of 889 shooting victims in the city, now running 27.5% ahead of last year’s pace. Five people were killed and 12 more were wounded over the weekend alone. [Philadelphia Police via Google Drive/Open Data Philly via PCGVR]
• Police reported 229 total homicides in Philadelphia as of late Monday night, a 32 percent increase over last year’s pace. In 2014, 97 people had been killed in the city by the same date. [PhillyPolice.com]
Crime trend quiz
• Context can be lost amid the headlines and partisan claims. How well can you separate fact from fiction on this topic? [New York Times]
A message from the media
• We joined 13 other Philadelphia journalism organizations demanding a retraction and apology from a small local news outlet for their “blatant disregard for the pain and suffering too many Philadelphia families are enduring.” [Google Docs/@Resolve Philly]
Reimagining gun violence reporting
• Sheila Hodges of the Daily Pennsylvanian is spending her summer reporting on our Credible Messenger Reporting Project and more, thanks to support from The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. [PCGVR/The Lenfest Institute/@sheilaahodges]
How To Sound Smart About Guns
• This richly-detailed report on the gun debate in California has a glossary you can use anywhere. [LAist]
In memoriam
• Shaquille Barbour, 18, was shot and killed Sunday. His mother said “older people always bragged how respectful he was, how he helped anybody.” [CBS3]
• Bahair Walker was an event director filled with creativity. [Philadelphia Obituary Project]
Stay connected
• We are getting close to introducing some of our Credible Messenger Reporting Project teams and the incredible work they have been producing. [PCGVR]