“There’s no limit to what we, as women can accomplish.” – Michelle Obama
On Wednesday, August 4th Black Women Leaders and residents of the City of Philadelphia gathered to demand action from the Kenney administration to address the crisis of gun violence in the city. With gun violence reaching epidemic proportions; the City is in a State of Urgency. The march and rally took place at 6 pm on the Northside of Dilworth Park (City Hall).
Gun violence incidents in Philadelphia have surged in 2021, with teens and young children seemingly targeted more often, as of late. “Statistics show that there is a 29% rise in the number of gun violence incidents from 2020. The number of people shot in 2021 in the City of Philadelphia is at 300, with 123 of those being children (under the age of 18). Twenty-one of these children succumbed to their injuries.
The reluctance of Mayor Jim Kenney to declare gun violence a state of emergency in the city has caused many to surmise that he isn’t in touch, or doesn’t care, or that he’s outright abdicated his responsibility to the City and the residents he was elected to serve. Philadelphia’s recently passed budget allocated $155 million for gun violence prevention, which includes $400,000 for grassroots organizations; allowing opportunities to create neighborhood-level programs focused on protecting those at highest risk. Kenney joined state and local officials in calling for Legislative and executive action to stop gun violence; but, stopped short of declaring the epidemic of gun violence a state of emergency, saying, “Such a move could have unintended consequences and cause more fear in our communities, especially communities of color.” www.Phillyvoice.com
The peaceful protest of State of Urgency, inspired by the alarming rise in African American homicides, coupled with the continuing elevation in gun violence and gun-related deaths, spurred the group forward. These women, dressed in red to symbolize the blood running through the streets of Philadelphia, are the mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, friends relatives, and neighbors of communities who’ve grown weary of waiting for the Mayor and City Council to do something to stop this violence. With the scourge of gun violence plaguing the citizens of the city and with the African-American and Latino communities being the most affected by this mayhem, these women saw it as their moral and civic responsibility to take a stand. As many were sitting down to dinner, these ladies made it a priority to come together in Dilworth Plaza in an effort to direct attention to the lawlessness wreaking havoc in Philadelphia communities. Many of the rally’s participants having suffered the loss of loved ones to gun violence, demanded that city, state, and federal officials take immediate action to mitigate the city’s gun violence crisis. This can be achieved through the integration of direct community involvement and input in ending the bloodletting of gun violence.
State of Urgency is the brainchild of Joanne Bell, Vanessa Lowery-Bell, Paula Peeples, Alicia Burbage, Melissa Robbins, and Rochelle Bilal. These women reached out to other women in their communities to deal with the issue of gun violence, and the fact that funds allocated to tackle this plague are going to the same organizations. According to Bilal, “A Modified State of Emergency would relax certain city policies and procedures— parks recreation, so things can happen.”
Representatives of various community organizations, activists groups, and political leaders were present to demand that Philadelphia leadership devote more resources, time, and effort to ensuring that the city is peaceful and safe for all residents.
“We need to reshape our own perception of how we view ourselves. We have to step up as women and take the lead.” – Beyonce
The organizers for the event were busy making plans for the next steps in the days following the August 4th March and Rally. It’s for certain Philadelphia will be hearing more from the women of State of Urgency and their supporters in the near future. The group is asking citizens to call their State Representatives and Congresspersons to assist them in their efforts to stop gun violence and bring peace back to the streets of Philadelphia.
“A woman with a voice by definition is a strong woman.” – Melinda Gates
Living in a war zone isn’t anyone’s idealistic quality of life,a and gun violence on Philadelphia streets has turned communities into war zones all day every day. The time has come to end the violence of this war!
