by The Editorial Board
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Another day, another victim of gun violence in Philadelphia.
As of Tuesday, there have been 465 homicides in our city. All but 30 have been fatal shootings. The tally of the nonfatal kind, the kind that can leave physical and emotional scars that last a lifetime, stands at 1,688.
That includes four Overbrook High School students who were shot Wednesday morning after the West Philadelphia school let out early for Thanksgiving.
If we stay under last year’s record of 506 shooting deaths, it may be a victory of luck — an inch to the left, an inch to the right — or of the talented professionals at our overworked trauma centers. Either way, Philadelphians will be left holding their breath, wondering what next year will bring.
The Civic Coalition to Save Lives wants to end this morass and stop the bloodshed. The group’s proposal of action by civic, business, philanthropic, and faith-based communities — in coordination with the city — is the kind of all-in effort this crisis demands. It’s about time.
Read the full article at The Philadelphia Inquirer
(Archive: Internet Archive – Archive Today – PDF)
