Mayor: Community must
help stop violence

By Jeannie O’Sullivan
Times Staff Writer

"I say there’s too many guns and not enough love," Mayor John Street bellowed to the crowd that showed up at the Faith Assembly of God in Bridesburg. "Can I have an Amen to that?"
Flanked by Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson, politicians, anti-violence activists and clergy, Street went from mayor to minister during a six-stop tour of congregations on Feb. 4, unveiling the city’s comprehensive plan to quell violence. The crew also visited churches in the 17th, 19th, 22nd, 24th and 39th police districts, identified as crime "hot spots."
About 80 percent of the homicides in Philadelphia are committed with guns, and 10 percent of the victims of gun violence are juveniles, according to police figures. To top it off, many of last year’s 380 homicides revealed a disturbing trend.
"People start out the evening socializing and end up shooting each other," Street said.
According to Street, Operation Safer Streets — an evolution of Operation Safe Streets — hinges on four initiatives: removal of guns from the street, blight elimination, increased Town Watch participation and an overall attitude adjustment to "raise the level of civility."
The starting point will be increased police presence, for which Street said he’d set aside an additional $10 million of the city’s budget. The city will "spend any amount necessary," he said, to intervene in verbal disputes likely to become shooting matches, as was the case in 215 homicides in 2005.
And in the quest for "decent, clean and commendable neighborhoods," the city will continue to do its part to furnish services like demolition, vacant-lot cleanups and pothole repair.
Additionally, he said, Philadelphia’s Division of Social Services operates a Youth Violence Reduction Partnership and a new Adolescent Violence Reduction Partnership.
But public participation and "engaged communities," particularly faith-based ones, are the driving force behind the plan’s success, he emphasized.
Neighborhoods overseen by Town Watch groups and block captains are usually more organized and thus safer, he said, and he referred to the old adage that child-rearing is a community’s responsibility.
"It takes a village to raise a child. How many of you remember back in the old days, when you worried about every adult in the block?" he asked.
Along with prevention comes accountability, the other critical factor in stopping violence. In a discussion of what he called the "sin of the innocent bystander," Street urged witnesses to come forth.
"There’s some of us who have information and we know what’s going on and we do nothing. We have people who think it’s all right to stand on the sidelines," he said.
He reminded everyone that the city has a gun hotline (215-683-GUNS) for anonymous tips.
Law enforcement can’t do it all, agreed Johnson, who talked about the Police Department’s increasingly "proactive" approach.
Though it resulted in 63,000 arrests, 5,000 gun confiscations and $100 million in drug busts last year, police take a "holistic effort" to solve the problem of violence, Johnson said.
"It doesn’t make any difference what the statistics are if you can’t sit on your steps," he told the crowd. "We have to stand up and be strong. For a long time we’ve been weak. Business people, politicians — we need your help."
Yet, despite hearing plans for gun removal and neighborhood cleanups, some were left wondering exactly how the mass attitude overhaul would work.
The impassioned words were a start, but the problem needs "more than a meeting," said Oxford Circle resident Ephraim Kelly, who attended the assembly with his two young daughters, ages 2 and 5.
"There are a lot of issues that have to be resolved," said Kelly. "We’ll see what happens." ••
To report rumors and tips, call 215-685-9521. For more information about Operation Safer Streets, visit www.phila.gov
Reporter Jeannie O’Sullivan can be reached at 215-354-3038 or osullivanj@phillynews.com