City leaders and "Philly Truce" app work to stop gun violence across the city
PHILADELPHIA - A group of city leaders, clergy members, and entrepreneurs came together on Thursday to find solutions to the increase in gun violence happening around Philadelphia.
"Once you make a decision to hurt somebody else, you’ve already basically made a decision to hurt yourself first."
Local activists say the city is at war with itself. Hundreds of people have been shot and killed this year, including a bloody Fourth of July weekend.
"The city of Philadelphia has been in a constant state of emergency when it comes to the senseless issue of gun violence we’ve been seeing all throughout this city,"
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Nearly 600 homicides and more than 5,000 shootings have taken place this year in Philadelphia. Even during a press conference, a shooting happened three miles away.
To combat the violence, Philly Truce, a violence prevention app, is already working according to its creators.
"Dedicated $155 million around violence prevention initiatives, $50 to support community-based organizations."
"On Saturday, July 3rd, we signed a truce at city hall. Two 16-year-olds in a social media beef, hurled threats at one another, images of guns and the whole nine. We talked to them, a mother came to us, we mediated, they signed a truce."
The app is free to download and is one of several tools that may prevent gun violence before it becomes a tragedy.
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