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Members of the Philadelphia Police Department’s Crime Scene Unit. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
Philadelphia’s gun violence crisis is leaving families and communities broken, grieving, and searching for solutions. With more than 200 homicide victims documented so far this year, the city is on track to exceed the 499 deaths recorded in 2020.
And with warmer months ahead, residents’ anxieties are being exacerbated. More and more, you hear individuals asking: Where is it safe to live and play in Philadelphia?
Despite the severity of this issue and the magnitude of loss some of our neighbors are grappling with, a local alternative newspaper recently launched a gun violence contest, offering swag to the reader who can guess what the homicide total will be on Nov. 2, the day of the general election. At the top of the ticket will be the Republican candidate for district attorney, Charles Peruto, and incumbent Larry Krasner, who has been perceived by some as being too soft on crime.
Tamara Russell, aka P.O.C., hit the streets to see how residents feel about Philly Weekly making light of a public health crisis.