Saving Lives Through Partnership:
CIVIC COALITION AND CHIEF PUBLIC SAFETY DIRECTOR SHARE PHILADELPHIA’S SUCCESS ON 6ABC’S INSIDE STORY
On 6abc’s Inside Story, host Tamala Edwards sat down with David Brown, executive director of the Civic Coalition to Save Lives, and Adam Geer, Philadelphia’s chief public safety director, to discuss the city’s remarkable progress in reducing homicides and violent crime.
Broadcast on Sunday, October 26, the segment highlighted Philadelphia’s steepest decline in gun violence in decades, a shift driven by intentional partnerships, targeted resources, and deep investment in community-based organizations and initiatives. As Brown noted, the results show what’s possible when the city, philanthropy, and neighborhoods work together to address the root causes of violence rather than its symptoms.
Brown emphasized that the success isn’t just about money, but about unprecedented coordination and collaboration across sectors. “What we’ve demonstrated through the Civic Coalition is the power of collaboration — because no one organization can tackle an issue like this alone. The metrics that matter are how many lives are being saved.”
“The mayor doubled down with Council to get us that $30 million we distribute to 162 community organizations,” Geer said of how the City’s strategic investments and strong leadership have empowered both community partners and law enforcement. “We’re intentional about providing technical assistance, compliance support, and mentorship, and our grantees love that we’re working with them so closely.”
Both Brown and Geer acknowledged the ongoing disconnect between historic declines in violence and how safe residents feel day to day.
“We have to acknowledge the gap between the numbers and people’s lived experience,” Geer noted. “Different neighborhoods have different senses of what public safety means to them — and we’re committed to making every community feel that progress.”
Brown added that change takes time. “When you’re in crisis, it feels like the world is on fire,” he said. “But if we keep doing the major things that drive violence down, people will believe it when they see it.”
Earlier this month, 6abc’s Action News Special: “A Safer City — From Crisis to Comeback” also examined how the City’s Group Violence Intervention program is saving lives. Together, Philadelphia’s public, private, and community partners are building a model for coordinated, data-informed intervention — one that is restoring safety, rebuilding trust, and redefining what a comeback looks like.
Philadelphia in the National Spotlight:
THE TRACE LIVE EVENT ON REDUCING GUN VIOLENCE
The Trace — the nation’s only newsroom dedicated exclusively to reporting on gun violence — is bringing its first national conference to Philadelphia on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, from 2:00 to 7:30 p.m. at WHYY studios, with David W. Brown, executive director of the Civic Coalition to Save Lives, among the featured speakers.
The event will bring together national and local leaders to explore what’s working to reduce gun violence in Philadelphia and beyond, shining a spotlight on the city’s remarkable progress and the collaborative efforts driving that success. Ben Struhl, executive director of the Crime and Justice Lab at the University of Pennsylvania, joins David as another speaker and Coalition partner deeply engaged in Philadelphia’s collective work to reduce violence.
Philadelphia exemplifies what’s possible when public, private, and community partners unite around evidence-based strategies that save lives, and the Civic Coalition to Save Lives is emerging as a national model for this sustained, data-driven collaboration.
Thanks to a generous donation from the Comcast Foundation, the Civic Coalition to Save Lives is a proud sponsor of the event. Other sponsors making this conversation possible include Civic Coalition members the Neubauer Family Foundation and the Green Family Foundation — all helping bring national attention to Philadelphia’s progress. Register Here.
PHILADELPHIA POLICE SEEK INPUT ON NEW STRATEGIC PLAN
The Civic Coalition to Save Lives is partnering with Philadelphia Police to engage residents in shaping the city’s five-year public safety plan.
The Philadelphia Police Department is inviting residents to help shape its new five- year strategic plan — an effort that Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel says must start with community voices, not end with them.
“For a long time, we’ve created these plans and brought them out to the public,” Bethel said. “It doesn’t work. It has to be a bottom-up strategy.”
Since the summer, the department has been working with city officials — and with support from the Civic Coalition to Save Lives — to develop a long-term roadmap for policing in Philadelphia. The new plan aligns with Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s comprehensive public safety framework centered on Prevention, Intervention, and Enforcement (PIE).
Pedro Ramos, Civic Coalition Steering Committee Co-Chair and President & CEO of the Philadelphia Foundation, called this “the most transformative time in the city’s history.”
“Prevention, Intervention and Enforcement is a very rigorous framework,” Ramos said of the Mayor’s signature public safety acronym, P.I.E. “The Mayor has turned the idea into policy — and the Police Department has turned it into action.” Ramos emphasized that what truly sets this administration apart is a mindset that mirrors the same acronym, saying “You’ve got the passion, the intellect, and the execution.”
Ramos also praised the planning process itself: “This is one of the most impressive strategy processes — public or private sector — that I have experienced, and most of us as funders have experienced. We’re proud to be a part of it.”
Mayor Parker thanked Ramos and the Coalition for their partnership and expertise. “What you just affirmed is that in government, we can’t do this alone,” she said. “We can’t move without the support of our philanthropic community. Your financial support is important — but it’s the technical support, the data-driven, research-based perspective you are able to help us bring to the table.”
Residents are being asked to help shape the plan through an online survey and a series of community meetings and town halls across the city. Bethel emphasized that community input is essential before final decisions are made.
“How can you invest in this work if you don’t see yourself as a part of that work?” he said. “I know how important community policing is to this city, but as the mayor says, it’s not what you say — it’s what you do.”
Parker underscored that message. “We must be smart in how we address public safety in Philadelphia,” she said. “The holistic community focus has to be designed to make sure that Philadelphians feel safe in their homes, on the street, and in the business corridors.”
Residents can visit the department’s strategic plan website to learn more and take the online survey.
The Civic Coalition to Save Lives is proud to partner with the Philadelphia Police Department on this effort to ensure that the city’s public safety strategy reflects both evidence-based best practices and the lived experiences of residents. By strengthening collaboration between law enforcement, community leaders, and civic partners, the Coalition continues its mission to reduce gun violence and build safer, healthier neighborhoods across Philadelphia.
CENTER CITY DISTRICT’S PREMA GUPTA SHOWCASES PHILADELPHIA’S MODEL FOR SAFER COMMUNITIES AT BROOKINGS
A provocative conversation at the Brookings Institution challenged conventional thinking about gun violence, exploring how community vitality and collective action can drive safer outcomes. The October 1, 2025, event — “Is Everything We Think We Know About Gun Violence Wrong?” — was moderated by Brookings Metro’s Hanna Love and featured a keynote by behavioral economist Jens Ludwig, along with panelists Karen Freeman-Wilson, president and CEO of the Chicago Urban League, and Prema Katari Gupta, president and CEO of Philadelphia’s Center City District.
Gupta, whose organization is a member of the Civic Coalition to Save Lives, drew national attention to Philadelphia’s collaborative model for reducing violence. She described how the city’s public and private sectors have worked together to make 2025 the safest year since 1966, noting that “public safety is the absolute foundation of economic vitality.”
Gupta explained that Center City District’s approach — 50 unarmed community service representatives who patrol the downtown area, connect residents and businesses to services, and serve as “eyes on the street” — helps foster safety through visibility, hospitality, and trust.
Building on a concept raised by Jens Ludwig in his keynote remarks, Gupta discussed the idea of the “mental bandwidth tax” — the cognitive burden that living amid insecurity imposes, draining attention and opportunity. She noted that local institutions such as business improvement districts, nonprofits, and city agencies can play a critical role in reducing that strain through interventions that make neighborhoods safer, more predictable, and more supportive. She credited the Civic Coalition to Save Lives as a key partner in this work.
“The Civic Coalition has been really trying to identify individuals who are at risk and connect them with the services and comfort that can lower the mental tax on their lives and produce better outcomes,” Gupta said. “They’ve been quite successful.”
Gupta also referenced the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s greening initiative, reframing urban beautification as violence prevention—a strategy supported by empirical research. By improving physical environments, cities also improve mental health and reduce the likelihood of crime.
Throughout the panel, Gupta and the other speakers emphasized that reducing gun violence requires not only policing but also place-based investment, environmental design, and collective action.
ICYMI
News Roundup: Spotlight on Intervention
Each month, we feature news stories from Philadelphia and beyond that highlight the power of intervention—showcasing programs, research, and community efforts working to prevent violence, support those at highest risk, and build safer neighborhoods through proven, people- centered strategies
A Trace Analysis of 150 U.S. Cities Shows One of the Greatest Drops in Gun Violence — Ever
By Olga Pierce | October 23, 2025
Gun violence is falling sharply across the country, marking one of the largest nationwide declines on record, according to The Trace’s analysis of 150 U.S. cities. More than three-quarters of major cities have seen shootings decrease since 2023, with places like Philadelphia, Detroit, and New Orleans reaching their lowest levels in decades. Experts attribute the turnaround to the return of local government and community-based jobs lost during the pandemic, along with federal investments such as the American Rescue Plan and the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which funded violence prevention, mental health programs, and youth services. Researchers warn, however, that as this funding expires, cities must find new ways to sustain progress.
By Courtney DuChene | October 23, 2025
Glitter, a subscription-based street-cleaning venture, began as a City pilot program to employ individuals with barriers to work, including returning citizens. Expanded through a major grant from the Pennsylvania
Commission on Crime and Delinquency’s Violence Intervention & Prevention program, Glitter combines neighborhood subscriptions and grant funding to clean streets and create living-wage jobs. The initiative has already covered more than 1,200 blocks citywide, offering stable employment and a pathway to reintegration. Its Safe Steps pilot has shown up to a 25 percent drop in crime on participating blocks—evidence that cleaner, more connected neighborhoods can also be safer ones.
Philadelphia is solving homicides at the fastest rate in 40 years. Here’s how
By Ailsa Chang | October 21, 2025
Philadelphia’s homicide rate has fallen to its lowest point in decades — and police are solving more murders than at any time since the 1980s. As NPR’s Ailsa Chang and Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Ellie Rushing explain, the city’s homicide clearance rate has surged to 86–91%, up from a historic low of 42% during the pandemic. Fewer killings have given detectives more time to investigate, while advances in technology, including thousands of surveillance cameras and license-plate readers, have helped police make quicker arrests. But despite these gains, hundreds of unsolved cases from recent years still leave many families without closure. The progress, Rushing says, reflects improved accountability and tools, but lasting safety will depend on rebuilding community trust alongside better policing.
Philly detectives are solving homicides at the highest rate in 40 years as violence plummets and tech improves
By Ellie Rushing | October 16, 2025
A recent Philadelphia Inquirer article by Ellie Rushing highlights Philadelphia’s dramatic progress in solving homicides. Once grappling with record-high killings and historically low clearance rates, the city is now on pace for the fewest homicides in 50 years — and detectives are solving them at the highest rate since the 1980s, driven by fewer cases, better technology, stronger digital evidence tools, and improved morale. The story was also reprinted by Police1, a leading national news and resource site for law enforcement professionals, with the headline: How did Philadelphia PD boost its homicide clearance rate by 40% since 2021? Fewer cases, improved morale and expanded video evidence helped boost Philadelphia PD’s homicide clearance rate from a record-low 41.8% in 2021 to nearly 90% in 2025.
Press Release | October 6, 2025
David W. Brown, executive director of the Civic Coalition to Save Lives, will deliver the keynote address, “Strengthening Connections and Navigating Change,” at the Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley’s second annual Nonprofit Impact Conference on November 6, 2025 in Allentown. The daylong event brings together nonprofit leaders, funders, and community advocates for 18 breakout sessions across three tracks: People Powered Impact, Systems & Strategy, and Mission Amplified.
By Raymond Strickland | October 4, 2025
Southwest Philadelphia residents gathered on Kingsessing Avenue for the annual Peace Not Guns Festival, a community event founded by City Council President Kenyatta Johnson to promote healing and hope in the wake of gun violence. The festival offered free food, baby supplies, and trauma support services while emphasizing that safety is a shared responsibility. “It’s going to take a village,” said resident Irma Moore, reflecting the day’s theme of neighbors coming together to make their streets safer.