Gun Violence Awareness Month begins with burial of Philly teen

On the eve of Gun Violence Awareness Month friends and family of Sandrea Williams, remembered her in West Philadelphia.

Darryl C. Murphy

June 1, 2018

Sakinah Crew comforts her 7-year-old son, Swyhir, during a rally to bring justice for the killing of Sandrea Williams. She was killed in a random act of gun violence outside of her mother’s home in West Philadelphia. Their teenage cousin was also injured by gunfire that night. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)

On the eve of Gun Violence Awareness Month, friends and family of Sandrea Williams, the 17-year-old who was shot and killed in her West Philadelphia neighborhood, remembered her with a somber memorial and a plea for information leading to the arrest of her killer. Her funeral service is today.

“We want justice,” said Darin Toliver, of the Mayor’s Commission for African-American Males, who organized the event. “We want to put the Philadelphia police, we want to put the community at-large on notice to let them know we will find the killer or killers of a bright future that has been taken away from us too soon.”

Sakinah Crew, 43, one of Sandrea’s neighbors, said the issue of gun violence makes her feel hopeless and scared. She’s sick of it and worries about its effect on children such as her seven-year-old.

“It’s a shame that you pay so much money trying to live peaceful and no matter where you go in Philadelphia at this point it’s not safe,” said Crew, while standing near the spot Sandrea lay wounded before being taken to the hospital. Crew said she was the first to see her after the initial chaos of the gunfire.

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“Her whole life is just gone,” she said. She could’ve been anything. She could’ve been the first black woman president and we don’t know now.”

Sakinah Crew came running out of her home when she heard gunfire at the top of her street on May 11, only to find her 17-year-old neighbor, Sandrea Williams, shot in the neck and her own teenage cousin and their friend also injured. She held Sandrea as others called for help and ultimately held her as she succumbed to her wounds. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
Nadia Syblis the mother of Sandrea Williams, stands solemnly as other speak at a rally to bring justice to her and her family for the death of her 17 year old daughter three weeks after she was gunned down in a random act of violence outside of her West Philadelphia home on May 11th 2018. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
Family members of Sandrea Williams find comfort in each other at a memorial for the 17 year old who was shot in front of her mother’s home on May 11th 2018, along with two other boys. Her family, friends, and community rallied together on May 31st, 2018 in an effort to bring justice for Sandrea. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
Marlando Powell finds comfort in a community member at a vigil for his 17 year old niece Sandrea Williams three weeks after she was shot and killed in a random act of gun violence in front of her mother’s home. The vigil doubled as a rally to bring justice to her family. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
A friend displays a shirt she made in memoriam of her friend Sandrea Williams at a rally to bring justice for her death three weeks after she fell victim to gun violence in her neighborhood in West Philadelphia. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
Swyhir Crew is the 7 year old cousin of a boy who was shot in the random act of gun violence that took the life of Sandrea Williams in their West Philadelphia neighborhood in May 2018. His home is just a few house down from where the shooting took place. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
Sakinah Crew comforts her 7 year old son, Swyhir, during a rally to bring justice for the death of Sandrea Williams. She was killed in a random act of gun violence outside of her mother’s home in West Philadelphia. Their teenage cousin was also injured by gunfire that night. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
Neighbors gather from their porches to support the rally the bring justice for the death of Sandrea WIlliams who was shot to death outside of her mother’s home in West Philadelphia on May 11th, 2018. You can see the corner where she and two other boys were shot at from the porches that line the neighborhood. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
Naisha Rhoden, Sandrea’s aunt, gives a hug to Movita Johnson-Harrell, after she gave a speech to the gathered crowd about how she became an activist after her son was murdered in a drive-by act of mistaken identity. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
Movita Johnson-Harrell gives an impassioned speech about the need for change in the foundations of the African-American communities of Philadelphia citing the murder of her son, a victim of random gun violence. By her side stands her grandson who was born just weeks after his father, her son, had been killed. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
Community members gather to rally to bring justice for the death of Sandrea WIlliams three weeks after she was shot to death and two other teenage boys were shot outside of her mother’s home in West Philadelphia on May 11th, 2018. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
Community members gather to rally to bring justice for the death of Sandrea WIlliams three weeks after she was shot to death and two other teenage boys were shot outside of her mother’s home in West Philadelphia on May 11th, 2018. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
Community members gather to rally to bring justice for the death of Sandrea WIlliams three weeks after she was shot to death and two other teenage boys were shot outside of her mother’s home in West Philadelphia on May 11th, 2018. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
Naisha Rhoden, Sandrea’s aunt, attends the rally to bring justice for the death of her 17 year old niece three weeks after she was gunned down in a random act of violence outside of her mother’s West Philadelphia home on May 11th 2018. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
Amir hosendorf, who works at St Christopher's Hospital and lives in neighborhood, greets a friend at the rally bring justice for the death of 17 year old Sandrea Williams three weeks after she was gunned down in a random act of violence outside of her mother’s in their West Philadelphia home on May 11th 2018. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
Tanya Parnell, or Miss Tee as the neighborhood kids call her, stands on her porch which is next to Sandrea Williams’ mother’s home and overlooks the corner in which the 17 year old girl was murdered in a random act of violence three weeks earlier. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
Sandrea Williams, 17, was shot and killed in a random act of violence outside of her mother’s West Philadelphia home. Two others were injured. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
Sergeant Frank Kelly, of the 19th district, plays with Swyhir Crew, 7, who was inside his home down the street from where his teenage cousin and another boy were shot and his neighbor, 17-year-old Sandrea Williams, was killed on May 11, 2018. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
A memorial for 17-year-old Sandrea Williams sits at the corner where whe was shot and killed in outside of her mother’s West Philadelphia home. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
Tanya Parnell, or Miss Tee as the neighborhood kids call her, sells buttons with a photograph of Sandrea Williams and “#JusticeforSandrea” written on it. The proceeds will go directly to the 17-year-old’s family. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
Malika Lovelace, who works for the Philadelphia Anti-Drug/Anti-Violence Networ,k looks at a makeshift memorial at the site where 17-year-old Sandrea Williams was shot to death in her mother’s West Philadelphia neighborhood. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)

The February 14 shooting that killed 17 students at a high school in Parkland, Florida set off another iteration of a very long debate about gun control, but this time it was centered around youth. In March students around the country walked marched during for both National Walkout Day and March For Our Lives, mostly calling for more political action around gun control and safer schools.

In Philadelphia hundreds of students took to the streets not only calling for more safety in schools, but also in their neighborhoods, since many have been affected by gun violence at home. But things remain the same in Philadelphia. So far this year, it is estimated that there are 493 shooting victims, 85 of which were fatal.

“All the protesting against gun violence isn’t going to change anything until you start listening to black people,” said Gifty Droh, 18 at the vigil.

Aaliyah Griffin, 19, said between criminals in the neighborhood and the police “nothing is ever going to change” and relying on law enforcement isn’t going to make a difference.

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“This has been going on for years and not once has anyone tried to put a stop to this,” she said. “The cops are killing us themselves and I feel like the cops feel like they can do that to us because look how we treat each other. Why should they care?”

Toliver said there needs to be an “honest and frank dialogue with young men” asking what it will take to make neighborhoods safer, where “to have our mothers go to the store freely to be able to live without having to worry about ducking from bullets. That’s where the conversation needs to be. And be accountable to ourselves more than the police.”

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