There is no hiding from Philly’s gun violence | Editorial

It was yet another violent weekend in Philadelphia, met largely with silence and indifference.

Five people were killed — including a 14-year-old — in seven shootings over an eight-hour span. That should be enough to jolt leaders into action.

But the only thing worse than the rampant violence is the ho-hum response from the Kenney administration. Mayor Jim Kenney tweeted about the passing of a retired Comcast Spectacor executive but had nothing to say on social media about the murders. Ditto Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw.

All of the mayoral candidates have said gun violence is their top issue. Yet, among the gaggle of hopefuls vying to replace Kenney, only Democrat Allan Domb and Republican David Oh noted the murders over the weekend.

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At least 79 people have been killed in the city in a little over two months this year. Scores more have been shot. Last month, a Temple police officer was shot and killed in North Philadelphia.

Days later and just two blocks away, a 13-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy were shot as they walked home from school. Two days after that, seven more people — including five teens and a 2-year-old girl — were shot in Strawberry Mansion.

That shooting was captured by a security camera in horrifying detail. It should be required viewing to better understand the fear and trauma that too many residents endure in Philadelphia, especially in poorer and largely Black and brown neighborhoods where many, but not all, the shootings occur.

It was a quiet Thursday night just before 6 p.m. near the corner of 31st and Norris Streets. An elderly man ambled up the street and entered a beer distributorship. Across the street, a woman pushed a stroller as her child walked in front.

A young woman in a dark skirt walked down the street by herself, not far behind the man who went into the beer store. As she approached the intersection, four teenage boys came around the corner.

As soon as the boys turned to walk down the street, three people dressed in black jumped out of a silver Hyundai Elantra with handguns and started firing.

The four boys turned and scattered. One of the boys fell in the street as he scrambled to get away. The young woman ran and hid behind a parked car.

The child walking with her mother on the other side of the street had crossed the adjacent intersection and was approaching the sidewalk as the first gunshots rang out.

The youngster did not look back and instinctively darted down the street at the sound of the gunshots. Her mother hurried to push the stroller while using her body to shield the toddler in the buggy.

As the mom pulled on the stroller, it tipped over. The child moved back to help, but her mother waved her arm, motioning for the youngster to keep going. But the child returned anyway.

The mom quickly yanked the stroller upright and resumed pushing it down the street as the gunmen ducked back in the car and sped away.

The shooting lasted less than 10 seconds. In that time, roughly 30 shots were fired.

Fortunately, no one died. But the physical pain remains. And the trauma will likely haunt those involved for years to come.

There should be no looking away from this video. This is what occurs in Philadelphia nearly every day. Often several times a day. Ignoring it is not an option. More must be done to reduce the gun violence.

This is Philadelphia’s reality. This is us.