PYSP’s Phlash Mob for Peace!
May 22
The Wall
Write on the Wall »Looks like most comments say the same thing, "Someone else needs to fix this". The only ones who can change these communities are the people who live in them. Yes. We as a nation and government can help. Yes. Children learn to survive and thrive in the environment that they grow up. Good or bad. It is still the responsibility of the parents to raise their children. Teachers, churches, police, community activists all influence the children, but it is the lessons they learn best and earliest they shape who they become. The man on the corner with a gun who gets respect and has power, is the new role model. BTW he's there 24/7. I will lend you my strength, but I can't raise your kids. So, for every parent who can't believe their child would beat them and take what they want I have a question; Where do you think they learned it?Bo-bo the copIt seems like organizations and universities are taking notice to the violence but why isn't the school system, why isn't city government taking notice, why isn't anyone changing the problems that plague philadelphia teens and youth.Arguably we are the worst off group in the city. We can't vote for change, we can't escape the violence within the school system, we are too young to get out of the system, we are too old to be considered a priority, we are old enough to be supporting our families, we are too young to make any real change or be taken seriously. We are stuck! Between the ages of 12 and 18 we are stuck as teens who can have the most influence but are not given anything to work with. Some one needs to take notice! This generation will be in charge of our country one day and right now too many of us are subject to deadly violence on a day to day basis. I am afraid that we may lose this generation if things don't change. CITY HALL - TAKE NOTICEkateI'm still being introduced to this work but this is one of the first, proactive efforts to stop violence that I've seen and been so grateful to be a small part of. It's encouraging to see trusted, informed and powerful adults seeking help from the youth; those really affected by the violence. I think the city of Philadelphia, legislators, educators and law enforcers alike should take a hint and invest in this generation. Allow them to claim responsibility for their futures rather than blaming them for what has potential to be a decaying city. We can't afford to ignore it while allowing the violence to continue. This project is a great reminder that we belong to one another and it's about time!Kataneyif the government start from the schools with more activitie , and progams maybe kid/teens wouldt have time to be outside on corner all night and would have a chance to understand the impotrtantance of getting an educationDevI enjoyed participating in the summit today. Hopefully we can take what we learned today and take action. Make the changes today...don't wait for tomorrow, it can be too late! Tomorrow is never promised.Glen
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Fast Facts
The War in Philadelphia.
It is more dangerous to be a young, black man in Philadelphia than a US soldier fighting in Iraq.Gun Control Could Save the Taxpayers Some Money?
Did you know the state of Pennsylvania spends $125 million a year treating shooting victims? Reduce the number of shootings and we will save lives and dollars.Stop and Frisk... Does it Make our Neighborhoods Safer?
Philadelphia police officers made 200,000 ped stops last year. Crime is down in the city, but homicide rate may be starting to creep back up.Prisons or Libraries?
In Pennsylvania, we spend twice as much - $289 million - on prisons as we do on recreation, libraries and Fairmount Park combined.Educate or Incarcerate?
It costs $32,000 per year to incarcerate a prisoner in Pennsylvania, a year of tuition to Penn State is $13,604.Is Anyone Paying Attention?
1 out of 5 American children live in poverty. Philadelphia ranks among the TOP TEN hungriest, poorest and most deadly cities in the nation.Killadelphia
Back in 2007, when Philadelphia's murder rate soared to more than a homicide a day, the city of brotherly love earned a new nickname: Killadelphia.Racial Profiling
In November 2010, the ACLU filed a lawsuit against the Philadelphia Police for their controversial "stop and frisk" policy. The lawsuit alleges the policy has led to racial profiling of African Americans and Latinos in Philadelphia's poorest neighborhoods.Too Many Guns
Gun violence associated with the city's drug economy is the primary reason for the high homicide rate in Philadelphia. In 2006, the number of homicides reached 406, the highest level in over a decade. Fights quickly escalate with deadly consequences because of the number of guns out in our neighborhoods.A Never-Ending Battle
"Narcotics selling in West Kensington is very meticulous, organized, and deliberate...The corners aren't owned by gangs, but they are organizations of guys who know what they're doing.We attack, they reform and reorganize. We hit a corner at 8 p.m., by 10 they're selling again." Sgt. Greg Kovacs, 25th District, Philadelphia Police Department.Importance of Education
Research on men born between 1965 and 1969 shows that one out of three black men without a college education and nearly 60 percent of high school dropouts were in prison by their 30th birthdays. Most were convicted for non-violent drug offenses.Incarceration as a New Stage of Life?
Young, black men with little education are more likely to go to jail than serve in the military, set foot on a college campus or marry. Going to prison, for black men, has become a "normal" part of coming of age in the United States.Safe Schools?
As reported in the Inquirer, there are 4500 violent incidents annually in Philadelphia Schools. On a typical day, 25 students, teachers or other staff members “are beaten, robbed, sexually assaulted or victims of other violent crimes.” That number does not include the incidents that are not reported to officials.Segregation Remains in Philadelphia
Philadelphia is the ninth most racially segregated city in the United States according to 2010 Census.Philly Dropout Rate Among Highest in the Country
Every school day, about 7,000 students drop out of school in the United States. That's a total of 1.2 million students each year and only about 70 percent of entering high school freshman graduate each year. In Philadelphia, nearly half of the student population drops out of high school.Incarceration the Solution?
Since 1980 to 2009, the number of incarcerated individuals in Philadelphia rose from 8,582 persons to 51,487, a fivefold increase.Philadelphia Leads in Incarceration
According to a report published by the Justice Policy Institute in 2005, Philadelphia had the highest incarceration rate of any major city in the United States with 527 per 100,000 residents behind bars.PA Homicide Rate
The Commonwealth’s black homicide victimization rate is nearly six times the national overall homicide rate at 28.30 deaths per 100,000 persons. That’s according to a new analysis of unpublished FBI Supplementary Homicide Report data. Anti-gun violence group CeaseFirePA said nearly half of all gun deaths in the state are murders, and nearly all are committed by someone with an illegal gun.Juvenile Lifers Unconstitutional
A June 2012 US Supreme Court ruling declared that mandatory sentences of life without parole are unconstitutional for juvenile defendants. There are more than 2,500 juvenile lifers nationwide. Before this ruling, the US was the only country in the world that sentenced juveniles to life without parole.Pennsylvania has More Juvenile Lifers than Anyplace in the World
PA has 480 inmates serving life sentences - without parole- for crimes they committed as juveniles. This is more than any other state in the US. Pennsylvania is perhaps one of the strictest places on earth for punishing violent juvenile crime.Guns a Priority?
In 2010 there were 6,570 gun-related deaths of children, 18 a day. This is 15 times the death rate from infections and twice the death rate from cancer. Children of color constitute 63 percent of these gun death victims. As a nation, we have invested billions in research and developed weapons to target specific cells based on a child's individual genes to prevent and treat infections and cancer.Gun Exposure to Children
In a 2001 study of 7-year-olds, done in the area around St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, 75 percent had heard gunshots, 61 percent worried they might get killed, 10 percent had seen a shooting or stabbing inside the home, and an unbelievable 18 percent had seen a dead body outside.Man vs. Firearm
There are 300 million guns in the United States, in a third of all households. In Philadelphia, the city of Brotherly Love, there are more guns than people. The city has a population of 1.5 million.Guns in the Home
In homes with a child, 32 percent of guns are stored unlocked and 22 percent of stored guns are loaded. The estimated cost of firearms-related death, disability, and loss of wages is estimated at $47 billion.Feel Safe?
In a 2009 study looking at 395 gun-related fatalities inside a home, 333 were by suicide, 41 were domestic violence homicides, and 12 were unintentional. This is a 98 percent death rate. Nine intruders were killed in this study, a 2 percent protection rate. Feel safe?Preventing Gun-related injuries to Children
The American Academy of Pediatrics has stated simply that "the absence of guns from children's homes and communities is the most reliable and effective measure to prevent firearm-related injuries (and death) in children and adolescents."Who's the Enemy?
Harlem Children Zone's Geoffrey Canada has said. "If we were fighting an outside enemy that was killing our children at a rate of more than five thousand a year, we would spare no expense in mounting the effort to subdue that enemy," he said. "What happens when the enemy is us? What happens when those American children are mostly black and brown? Do we still have the will to invest the time and resources in saving their lives?" -
2012 Total number of homicides: 331
2013 Number of homicides to date: 89
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