The Chief Public Safety Director of Philadelphia does not relish warm weather.
“I check my app to see the weather for Friday. bright and warm. “I detest it,” Adam Geer declared Monday afternoon at City Hall. “Because I know that the reality of it is some young folks are going to come out and might get into some stuff.”
This weekend, something happened all over the city. Police say that between Friday and Sunday, their officers responded to seven shooting occurrences. Thirteen people, including seven minors, were shot and two persons were died in those instances.
“This should not be the case in our city,” stated Mayor Cherelle Parker. “People should not have to live this way.”
A gunshot at the Liacouras Center, which is close to Temple University’s campus, during an Eid al-Fitr celebration was one of the occurrences. According to police, 13 people were arrested, including two for offenses involving firearms, and one person was shot.
“It’s, it’s, ready for war,” Parker declared, displaying a picture of a weapon that had been taken from a person at the scene.
In addition, there was a triple shooting outside the Finley Recreation Center in the Mount Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia and a shooting near 70th Street and Elmwood Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia that claimed the life of a 17-year-old. After the incident at the recreation facility was cleared by the police, Geer thought back to his time there.
“Just a few feet from the scene of the shooting, kids were playing again. “There were roughly seventeen chalk markers on the gravel there,” Geer added. “We cannot normalize that.”
Parker recognized the accomplishments in the fight against gun violence, as did other municipal officials. Homicides in Philadelphia reached their lowest level since 2014 in 2024. Compared to this time last year, homicides have decreased by over 28% this year. Additionally, the overall number of shooting events has decreased by almost 22% so far this year.
According to Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel, the advancements with youth have been much more significant.
“We’ve reduced the number of young people under 18 who were killed by 38% and we’re on a 50% trajectory this year,” Bethel stated.
According to city officials, they will keep putting public safety first and trying to reduce shootings. They invited family members and community organizations to talk to youth on Monday. In order to provide people with more opportunities, they also encouraged adults to phone the city’s 211 hotline to learn about the programs offered.
Parker added that the city needs to keep moving forward in spite of the advancements they have witnessed.
“You can have stats and data but it doesn’t mean a thing if you don’t feel good walking to the supermarket,” Parker stated.
According to Bethel, the police force is prepared for summertime and potential increases in shootings. There were no precise plans described by the department.
