GUN VIOLENCE IN PHILADELPHIA

number of shootings and murders in Philadelphia. Reducing gun violence in Philadelphia must be the number one priority for all city leaders in 2023 and beyond. Gun violence is widespread and relentless. In recent years, our city has seen an increase of murder victims who were women and children. In recent years, I have led the effort in City Council to get hundreds of millions of dollars spent on overall anti-violence efforts throughout Philadelphia, the most money ever spent on this issue. I will continue to push for this level of investment in the Fiscal Year 2024 operating budget. Our city must do a better job investing in prevention services that will provide opportunities for young people to not get involved in gun violence in the first place. We must be laser focused on tracking the flow of illegal guns and arresting and prosecuting the shooters to the fullest extent of the law. I am confident that if everyone in Philadelphia works together and does everything within our power to stop the devastation of lives on our streets, our homicide rate will go down. Enough is enough.

In January 2022, Council confirmed Philadelphia lawyer  Adara L. Combs as Philadelphia’s first Victims Advocate. The Office of the Philadelphia Victim Advocate offers a hub for crime victims and co-victims, a term referring to family, neighbors, colleagues, and others indirectly affected by crime. The office’s functions include coordination, planning, and policy advocacy. The creation of the Office of the Philadelphia Victims Advocate was the result of hearings and roundtable discussions convened by the Victims and Co-Victims subcommittee of Council’s Special Committee on Gun Violence Prevention.

Based upon these responses, I introduced legislation to amend the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter to create a permanent, independent Office of the Victim Advocate. Voters overwhelmingly approved the measure in November 2020. The new Office of the Victim Advocate is long overdue in Philadelphia. Advocates have told me that the fragmented nature of victim services leads to a lack of consistency and timing of outreach and services provided. I believe that we owe it to victims and co-victims to give them a voice within City government.