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,"
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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