Residents demand change at packed town hall on youth and gun violence held by city officials
PHILADELPHIA - Community leaders say the recent gun violence targeting young people is an emergency and they are working to find solutions to keep kids and teens safe. Additionally, part of finding solutions is having conversations.
"Right now, it seems like the crime is totally out of control," said Deborah Johnson. She and Carmella Crawford say they attended a town hall Thursday night for solutions to the gun violence in the city.
"It gives you anxiety because even when you’re sitting in the house, you can get shot," said Crawford. They live in Brewerytown and say it’s a major concern anywhere in the city.
"My brother won’t even come sit on the porch. Fear. It’s fear out here for us as seasoned people," said Crawford. They were joined by dozens of others.
"Why don’t y’all incarcerate more people?" said a young person.
Organizers called it an emergency youth gun violence town hall.
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"We’re going to talk about the things we can do because kids are dying today," said Senator Sharif Street.
Councilmember Jeffery Young partnered with Councilmember-At-Large and Majority Whip Isaiah Thomas and Senator Sharif Street to organize the event at the Liacouras Center.
"I want to show the youth of our city that we are examples. There are examples of how you can live your life with positivity and I also want to show them that we care and that we love them," said 5th District Councilmember Young.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel says he wanted to focus on the voices of young people.
"The community has a pulse and they have a voice. I think the only way you can have an effective strategy is by listening to it," he said.
Youth organizations also spoke about how they want to help.
"We have a lot of youth that are getting incarcerated and going into our juvenile justice system. They don’t have the resources or guidance," said Alexis Carter Steward. She’s the president of YCNB which stands for Youth Creating New Beginnings.
One woman in tears spoke of her son who was a victim of gun violence and she says an innocent bystander when he was on the 15th Street platform.
"I hear these programs y’all speaking about but I want to hear y’all speak about the main thing y’all put out on the headline - guns. The youth and guns. Because my son he was only 16," she said.