Meeting held in Germantown to address gun violence

A meeting was held in Germantown addressing the crime rate in Philadelphia. The meeting was part of what State Representative Stephen Kinsey calls his “Listening Tour."

"Every day that a child is killed in Germantown. We are all victims whether y'all know it or not," said one woman.

It’s a concern all over the city and on Tuesday night, 14th District officials gave residents a chance to speak their minds.

"It may not be directly where you live at but it's still our city," Kinsey said. He’s asking for input from residents across Northwest Philadelphia about public safety.

"If it happens in North Philadelphia, if it happens in South Philadelphia, if it happens in West Philadelphia what makes us think that we're immune?" Kinsey asked.

Captain Nicholas Smith from the 14th District was also there and says homicides and shootings are up but there is some encouraging news. They saw a six percent increase in firearms seized in 2019 just in the 14th District.

"We're actually recovering more guns. What does that tell you? There's just a lot more guns on the street and we have a lot more work to do," said Captain Smith

A woman who lives in Germantown spoke about the need for a better program to protect people who witness homicides.

 "You're not going to get the block to speak up if you're not going to protect me. Does that make sense? Or protect my 99-year-old grandmother," she said.

Police say they need more neighbors to talk to help them do their jobs. State Rep. Kinsey says it's everyone's job to help curb crime.

 "Bullets don't have no name. They just go in the direction and kill somebody or harm somebody," he said.


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For resources for victims of violence in Philadelphia, see here.