Authorizing City Council's Committee on Public Safety to conduct a sociological study to determine what factors and/or circumstances are leading to the ever increasing rise of violence by young elementary school age girls and their tendency to be members of gangs; and to make the findings from this study available to the appropriate City Council Committee in an attempt to identify factors that would lead to the prevention of gang formation and the reduction of violence among this young group of girls in the Philadelphia Public School System.

WHEREAS, Recent incidents of violence by elementary school age girls upon other elementary school children resulting in serious bodily injury is of urgent concern to this Body; and

WHEREAS, Violence appears to be endemic throughout our City, and in our middle and high schools; and

WHEREAS, “Clearly, kids are getting much more physical and they’re becoming much more violent,” according to Philadelphia school administrators; and

WHEREAS, The incidents of violence in the elementary schools by girls appears to occur as part of gang activity; and

WHEREAS, Identifying early, those factors leading to this apparent rise in elementary school girl gang activities may aid in the prevention of continued violent gang activity; and

WHEREAS, Prevention programs typically attempt to prevent youth from joining gangs, but might also seek to interrupt gang formation; and

WHEREAS, A variety of strategies have been employed to prevent youth involvement in gangs, including community organization, improving conditions for youth, early childhood programs, school-based programs, and local clubs and after school programs; now therefore

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That Council hereby authorizes City Council's Committee on Public Safety to conduct a sociological study to determine what factors and/or circumstances are leading to the ever increasing rise of violence by young elementary school age girls and their tendency to be members of gangs; and to make the findings from this study available to the appropriate City Council Committee in an attempt to identify factors that would lead to the prevention of gang formation and the reduction of violence among this young group of girls in the Philadelphia Public School System.

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