PHILADELPHIA – January 20, 2022 – Today, State Senator Art Haywood (D-Montgomery/Philadelphia) called on Mayor Jim Kenney (D-Philadelphia) to take six immediate actions to stop gun violence in Philadelphia and save lives.
In an email sent to Mayor Kenney, Senator Haywood stated that while other big cities, such as Boston, St. Louis, and Miami, saw a drop in gun violence in 2021, the number of homicides in Philadelphia increased.
“We can’t wait to end poverty, racism, and change in Harrisburg to do what other cities are doing successfully to save lives,” Haywood said in the email. “Neither can we only rely on law enforcement to arrest and prosecute shooters.”
Haywood demanded that Kenney convene a decision-making gun violence committee that meets weekly. Next, Haywood advised that the mayor implement the following in neighborhoods with the highest level of gun violence:
- Create a “See Something, Say Something” media campaign.
- Hire people in neighborhoods to clean up blocks.
- Offer counseling, behavioral health, and social services to families and youth.
- Provide jobs in cooperation with employers and offer job training for youth.
- Hire and provide grants to gun violence interrupters to engage likely shooters.
In 2021, Haywood wrote two letters to Kenney with solutions to address the city’s gun violence problem, which he received no response. Haywood sent this email today as a third attempt to reach the mayor and save countless lives across the Commonwealth.
“My hope is that these actions can be taken immediately,” Haywood said. “Lives are at stake; the time is now.”
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