A rally was held in North Philadelphia on Tuesday as local leaders with the Black Clergy of Philadelphia initiate a new program that focuses on the city's most crime-ridden areas.
The Black Clergy of Philadelphia hosted a citywide rally in North Philadelphia on Tuesday to support 57 blocks where gun violence is most predominant.
To kickstart the rally, family members of homicide victims spoke about how their lives were forever changed after they received the news that their loved one had been killed. "My life changed forever," said Stacey Wilkins, who spoke at the rally as she displayed an art portrait of her son. "They shot at my son on a bike nine times. One bullet hit his back and pierced his heart and that's how he died."
The initiative, called the "57 Blocks Project," is a joint effort by more than 50 grass root organizations, the Black Clergy, and the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office. It focuses on targeted investment of resources, services, and environmental improvements. It all began after a 2021 Philadelphia Inquirer article highlighted intersections in the city where ten or more people had been shot since 2015.
"To end gun violence we need a multi-layered approach. Police and courts simply cannot solve every problem in every neighborhood. Instead, we need multiple levels of public programs and services that transform not only neighborhoods, but the social inequalities that are at the root of the violence," said Reverend Robert Collier Sr. of the Black Clergy.
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