WHEREAS; Philadelphia is experiencing an epidemic of gun violence and other forms of violence. Since 2015, Philadelphia has seen at least 250 homicides annually, including 410 in 2023. In 2023, there were 1,293 nonfatal and 373 fatal shooting victims in Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS; The Philadelphia Inquirer identified 57 blocks in Philadelphia where 10 or more people have been shot since 2015. Fifty-three of these blocks have seen decades of disinvestment and redlining, including an inequitable access to mortgages, resulting in a cycle of poverty in predominantly Black and Brown communities; and
WHEREAS; Research shows that place-based interventions such as vacant lot cleaning and greening, home repairs, investments in youth and family services, and other approaches improve health and safety for predominately Black and low-income residents; and
WHEREAS; People-centered technological systems and solutions, data transparency and analytics, and emerging technologies can assist in improving quality of life and reducing inequities in health, safety and wellbeing; and
WHEREAS; The 57+ Blocks Coalition is a collective of 70+ community-based organizations from across Philadelphia who are invested in reducing violence and its traumatic impacts on the Black and Brown communities most heavily impacted by it. The Coalition has been on the forefront of raising awareness and proposing solutions to these community issues; and
WHEREAS; The 57+ Blocks Coalition recommends 5 pillars to reducing violence through community investment, including: Building a community led coalition; Place-based resources, interventions and investments; non-law enforcement strategies to thwart gun violence; viewing gun violence as a public health emergency and seeking a multidisciplinary and collaborative response and addressing the racial justice crisis which impacts Black and Brown people and neighborhoods; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby authorizes the City Council Committee on Technology and Information Services to hold hearings examining data to most effectively implement place-based strategies and appropriate technologies to reduce violence through the targeted investment of resources, services, and environmental improvements.
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