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Two men start Philly Truce app to intervene in gun violence
Two childhood friends from Philly came up with an app they hope people use to help mediate a problem before they resort to guns.
PHILADELPHIA - Two childhood friends from Philly came up with an app they hope people use to help mediate a problem before they resort to guns.
"We are trying to stop the hemorrhaging," said Mazzie Casher about a new effort to try and get ahead of what has become an everyday occurrence in Philly. Gun violence.
"Any information is private. We're not affiliated with the police," said Casher. He and Steven Pickens have come up with an app called Philly Truce. It has two features. One you can select "get help."
"The person who has knowledge of a situation that is going left. Like you know the players, you know what's at stake and gun violence may occur. That's parents, aunts, uncles, cousins and neighbors. None of this stuff is happening in a vacuum," said Casher.
And the other you can hit "become a mediator".
"We're recruiting every day citizens who want to be part of the solution and we're giving them mediator training," he explained.
The app is launching at a time when violence in the city continues to grow at an alarming rate and involving young people. Just today a moment of silence for a 16-year old killed when shots rang out at a West Philadelphia Rec Center.
"We cannot sit idly as our children, our young adults and our citizens continue to fall prey to these senseless acts of violence. Whether they’re victims because they’re victims of shootings or they’re victims because they are now shooters. These are our children," said Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw.
Casher and Pickens hope their Philly App will get the community more involved.
"Hearing these things are heartwrenching and it's horrific and it's something that should never happen and any family should not have to experience that type of a loss," said Pickens.
"These kids are caught up in something. Now we may not be able to immediately tap into the vein of what that is but if we can just get to somebody and say look man just for the day don't pull that trigger. You're going to feel different in 10 minutes," said Casher.
Sign up to be a mediator ends at midnight.
Training that will be provided by a team of certified professionals. They are staffing the app now to launch May first.
Mediator sign-up runs through midnight. You can register via Instagram @phillytruce just click the link in bio (training.phillytruce.com), or call or text call or text 267-45-TRUCE, and phillytruce.com (donate button)
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