This month, Philadelphia crossed the threshold of 300 homicides. It’s a grim indicator that 2022 is on pace to be one of the city’s deadliest years, even if it doesn’t exceed 2021, which ended with a record-breaking 562 homicides.
Echoing throughout neighborhoods and the halls of power are solutions to this crisis. They range from youth curfews and stop-and-frisk, to increased money for surveillance and a tougher stance from prosecutors.
But maybe the most controversial idea put forth is the deployment of the national guard.
WHYY youth interns Noel Chacko and Zora Ball teamed up with Revive Radio’s P.O.C, a partner in WHYY’s News and Information Community Exchange, to survey the public about their attitudes and opinions towards calling in the troops.