PHILADELPHIA, PA – Violence in the community is a threat to peace and a healthy quality of life for all. In Philadelphia, violence in the streets is ravaging our city.
Philadelphia is still the showpiece city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a prominently ranked U.S. and international city. According to DiscoverPhl.com, Philadelphia…
· Is the sixth-largest city in America;
· 2nd largest city on the East Coast;
· Has 18 Fortune 500 companies within an hour’s drive;
· Is the 16th largest city in the nation for international visitors from overseas;
· Is No. 2 among “Best Places to Visit in the U.S.” as ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
The violence occurring in the city is tarnishing Philadelphia’s luster. Citizens and politicians bemoan the deadly violence that seems to occur and grab news headlines every other day. As of August 13, 2021, the Philadelphia Police reported that there were 329 homicides in the city, up 26% on the same date last year.
The violence in Philadelphia is a problem, and the clarion call for innovative interventions, community investment, and effective ways to quell the violence has never been a more important priority for the city. For Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, he’s taking this matter very seriously, he’s addressing the violence issue head-on.
On August 12, 2021, Scoop USA Newspaper covered a roundtable community meeting in North Philadelphia between Krasner and his team with young adults with a criminal history. Also participating in the discussion was Nikil Saval, Pennsylvania State Senator (1st District). These young adults are unique. They all denounced the violence they once embraced and were very eager to share their testimonials and insights about quelling the violence in the city. This epic meeting was hosted by NOMO Foundation, 925 North Broad Street. NOMO stands for New Options, More Opportunities, it’s a grassroots non-profit organization that provides a variety of services and activities for at-risk youth.
“I think it’s very important to the community, in particular the youth, to bridge the gap between them and law enforcement. I love the restorative approach that they’re (District Attorney’s Office) taking towards crime, these days… It’s very important that the youth know that they do have people that have their back,” said Rickey Duncan, CEO of NOMO Foundation.
Each month on a rotational basis, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office travels to high crime sections of Philadelphia neighborhoods to present its signature One-Stop Job Fair & Resource Hub. This monthly initiative brings employers and community resource agencies to high crime communities in the city. This is just one bold and innovative tool the DA’s Office is using to help fight crime.
“I understand there’s a need to build a bridge between the community and the justice system. When I arrived at the DA’s Office over two years ago, I sat down with DA Krasner to talk about his vision around engaging with the community,” said Gregory Lamar Stewart, Chief of DA’s Engagement Unit and former Philadelphia Police Officer. Stewart is the producer and organizer of the monthly One-Stop Job Fair & Resource Hub. On the day of the roundtable discussion at NOMO Foundation, Stewart brought 40 hiring employers and community resource agencies to connect with youth and adults in North Philadelphia, including Aramark, Temple University Lenfest North Philadelphia Workforce Initiative, OIC of Philadelphia, and the Urban League of Philadelphia to name a few.
“Reviews of longitudinal research on the work–crime relationship suggest that employment is indeed related to a significant reduction in criminal behavior,” reports the U.S. National Library of Medicine-National Institutes of Health. The great philosopher Aristotle once said, “Poverty is the parent of crime.” A by-product of poverty is criminal activity. “Although there are other factors to committing a crime, poverty is a big one,” reports ESRI, a global tech leader in Geographic Information Systems.
Through grant funding derived from the lawful and appropriate use of civil asset forfeitures, Krasner is reinvesting that money in the community to provide financial support to existing organizations that provide impactful programs and services in high crime/low-income areas. This grant money is distributed and audited by the Philadelphia Foundation for appropriate compliance and authorization. As of July 19, 2021, the DA’s Office announced the awarding of $35,000 in grant money to three community organizations in support of their neighborhood violence prevention efforts: Power of Paint Art Academy and Management ($15,000); Succor Inc. ($10,000); and Camp Jamison Corporation ($10,000). The DA’s Office anticipates announcing the next round of awards next month, around Labor Day.
“The community said, ‘If you want to hear what’s going on with gun violence, you have to talk to young people.’ We heard that over and over in town halls, and they were right. We’re not the only people talking to young people, but I wanted to talk to young people myself,” said District Attorney Krasner.
Even at points in the discussion when the youth became a bit testy and confrontational, Krasner and his team calmly and respectfully LISTENED.
“I heard a lot of things that I thought were very thoughtful…There’s no way that we’re going to know what to do if we’re not talking to the people most affected by gun violence. That’s why we were here, and I thought we had a wonderful discussion,” Krasner shared.
“This was the first opportunity that I’ve had to personally hear from the young people themselves, (regarding) what they thought they need and what they thought was wrong. And you know what? They were absolutely on the mark. Everything they said made sense, none of them were trying to grandstand,” shared Former Common Pleas Court Judge Carolyn Engel Temin, now First Assistant District Attorney within the DA’s Office. “I will be going to more of these events.”
Krasner, a staunch justice reformer, has his critics, in particular Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) union President John McNesby. McNesby is a colorful character who has many critics, too. He is considered by some to be a racist, an anti-justice reformer, and a staunch defender of crooked cops.
Very recently, on August 13, 2021, the DA’s Office filed Perjury and False Swearing charges against former Philadelphia Police Homicide Detectives Manuel Santiago, Martin Devlin, and Frank Jastrzembski -all three members of the local FOP. McNesby offered no public comment on the matter. According to the DA’s Office, the three aforementioned former Homicide Detectives lied, “in 2016 both in and out of court about their on-duty roles in the investigation, interrogation, and wrongful conviction of an innocent man, Anthony Wright.” Thankfully, Wright (a Black man) was recently exonerated as a result of DNA testing and deeper investigation of the re-examined evidence.
Commenting on the FOP union leadership, Krasner said, instead of worrying “about covering for police officers who do the wrong things -some of them do criminal things” they need to be focusing their efforts on supporting and promoting good cops.
“I think we’re coming out of a very longstanding culture in Philly, but also in other places around the country, where whatever the police did was not questioned. If they wanted to beat you down, it was not questioned. If they wanted to steal stuff off of someone who died in the streets, it was not questioned. If they wanted to steal drugs and sell them on the side, it was not questioned. You have to have accountability,” Krasner said.
During the roundtable discussion, I pulled aside a young man named D.B. (name withheld). D.B. was caught up in the violence of the streets, but now he’s diligently pursuing a more positive path in life, “I’m currently on house arrest. I caught two cases. One was a gat case (street slang for a gun charge), and one was a dope case. I work two jobs. I’ve changed my life around.” D.B. credits his sister for being a great positive influence in his life, “She was my mentor.”
Innovative interventions, positive/engaged influencers, concerned community, political leaders, and needed resources and jobs are key pieces needed to solve the puzzle of violence in the city. Arrests, convictions, and mass incarceration are necessary for part, but this will not completely resolve the violence. “If you look at places around the world where they figured out how to be safe, it’s not by having more jails than anybody else, it’s by investing in people rather than investing in prisons,” said Krasner.
I can appreciate civic leaders like Rickey Duncan, Judge Carolyn Temin, Senator Nikil Saval, Gregory Lamar Stewart, and District Attorney Krasner who are laboring fervently to reduce violence in the city. But they should not be left alone to do the heavy lifting of violence reduction. More civic leaders, politicians, concerned youth and adults, employers, and community service providers are needed to collaborate to help reduce the violence in the community. I’m reminded of a quote by Henry Ford, the legendary founder of Ford Motor Company, “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is a success.”
