Philadelphia school students demand action against rampant gun violence

Philadelphia students gathered outside City Hall on Tuesday to demand action against gun violence by presenting the finding out a survey that highlight how shootings have impacted the city's youth. 

The 13-question survey called ‘Enough Is Enough: Students Against Gun Violence’ was organized by Councilman at large Isaiah Thomas and distributed to nearly a dozen Philadelphia schools. 

While some of the findings showed just how many lives gun violence has touched, other figures revealed shortcomings in the city's efforts to quell the rampant shootings. 

Over 58% of students surveyed at Strawberry Mansion High School have seen shootings in their neighborhood. More than 60% of students have a family member who died from gun violence. 

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"It's one thing for us to feel like we know what to do, it's another thing for the young people to tell us what we need to do," one of the few adults who spoke on Tuesday said. "They have a perspective and an experience none of us have."

Many believe that one way to tame gun violence is through community leaders and outreach programs. The student-based survey found that 95% of students couldn't name a neighborhood resource and 85% couldn't name a community leader. 

The survey also comes with common sense recommendations, like collaborating with block captains and focus groups to help young people from different neighborhoods come together. 

At this writing there have been over 200 homicides in Philadelphia so far this year. That benchmark follows a historically deadly 2021 in Philadelphia where over 560 people were murdered.