Philadelphia surpasses 500 homicides this year, making 2021 the deadliest year in city's history

Last month, on the day before Thanksgiving a 55-year-old woman was shot several times on a street in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The woman eventually died from the wounds that she sustained. Her death marked a tragic milestone for the city since it was the 500th homicide of the year. The last time that the city of Philadelphia reached 500 homicides was in 1990. 

At 499, the 2020 total for homicides was the second-highest on record. City leaders expect for 2021 to be the deadliest year in Philadelphia's history. As of December 24, 2021 there were 547 homicides this year in Philadelphia. In 2019 there were 356 homicides and in 2018 there were 353 homicides.

City law enforcement data shows that the total amount of violent crimes have decreased; however, the number of homicides in Philadelphia have been on the rise. Civic and community leaders are examining methods for how to reduce the number of homicides in Philadelphia. The state of Pennsylvania has a preemption law - which prevents cities & towns from enforcing local gun ordinances. The city of Philadelphia has filed a lawsuit against the state with the goal of allowing municipalities to enforce their own local firearm regulations.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw addressed the challenges of reducing the increase in homicides in the city when she said: "Each and every homicide carries with it a profound sense of loss. However, for our City to have reached such a tragic milestone - 500 lives cut short - it carries a weight that is almost impossible to truly comprehend."

Sources:

'Sense of Lawlessness': With 500 Killings, 2021 Is Deadliest in Philly History. By Brian X. McCrone and Rudy Chinchilla. November 24, 2021. 2021. https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/sense-of-lawlessness-with-500-killings-2021-is-deadliest-in-philly-history/3057586/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Recovery Month supports addiction treatment programs and services

F or twenty-three years Americans have celebrated the month of September as National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month.   The purpose of Recovery month is to educate Americans about mental health services and addiction treatment programs that can help people struggling with substance abuse.   Recovery month also raises awareness about specific challenges that people in recovery face.   Although drug and alcohol addictions are complex problems with the correct treatment and support people who struggle with these addictions can recover. In a Presidential Proclamation On August 31, 2012, President Barack Obama declared September 2012 as National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month.   In his proclamation Obama said: “Over the past 3 years, we have worked to strengthen substance abuse prevention and treatment programs, and to support Americans in recovery… Drug and alcohol abuse continue to take a tragic toll on millions of lives across our country.   Yet, while more remai
Read more

The Life and Art of Allan Rohan Crite

Image
The Boston Public Library was one of three locations in the city of Boston to display the art work of longtime Bostonian and artist Allan Rohan Crite. Beginning in the fall of 2007 until February 3, 2008, the BPL, the Boston Athenaeum, and the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists exhibited collected works of art from Crite’s storied career in The Life and Art of Allan Rohan Crite: 1910-2007 . Funded in part by the Boston Public Library Foundation, the exhibit offered onlookers a view into Crite’s lengthy artistic career. When I visited the exhibit on January 19, 2008, over fifty collages, drawings, paintings, and sketches adorned the Wiggins Gallery in the McKim Building of The Boston Public Library. Crite was born on March 20, 1910, in Plainfield, New Jersey. In that same year, his family moved to Boston, Massachusetts. Crite would later make Boston his home as an adult. Over the course of his distinguished career he promoted visual art as a lecturer, p
Read more

Political legislation brings attention to US Dental Care Crisis

A ccording to a report created by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and U.S. Representative Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) there is a national crisis in American dental care.   On June 7, 2012 Cummings and Sanders – the chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging, introduced legislation to address the inefficiencies in the American dental care system.   Approximately 130 million Americans do not have dental insurance.   ¼ of American adults 65 and older have lost all of their teeth.   More than 75% of American adults over 30 have gum disease.   Additionally, about 17 million low-income children do not go to the dentist every year. On June 26, 2012, PBS aired a documentary about the U.S. dental care system on the investigative news program FRONTLINE .   The 50 minute documentary, Dollars and Dentists , analyzes current economic trends and patient access in the dental care industry.   The documentary is a joint investigative piece by FRONTLINE and the Center fo
Read more