Philadelphia, PA – City Council President Darrell L. Clarke (5th District) today issued the following statement on Philadelphia’s gun violence crisis:
“A 16-year-old teenager shot and killed in a triple shooting at a recreation center in West Philadelphia. A quadruple shooting earlier in Overbrook Park, leaving one man dead and three others — two of them teens — critically wounded. This senseless, chronic gun violence — the other epidemic in our city — must be brought under control, and to do that we need every hand on deck right now.
That means every elected official — local, state and federal — working together with law enforcement, reexamining every tactic and strategy we’re employing, because clearly they’re not working. We need every community, grass-roots group working on gun violence prevention — who know their neighborhoods where violence is happening better than anyone — at the table. We need young people — who understand this terrible cycle of hopelessness, magnified slights turned deadly, and easy access to guns all too well — at the table as well.
Last year was the worst year for gun violence in Philadelphia in 25 years. This year is trending worse. The number of shooting victims under the age of 18 reached 33 this week — 65 percent higher than last year. We’re losing an entire generation of young people. This rising tide of gun violence must recede, and that can only happen if every stakeholder in our city works together on constructive solutions.”
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