John,
Earlier this month, I hosted a town hall at the Francis J. Myers Recreation Center in Philadelphia to talk about an issue that has affected far too many people in PA-05 and across the country: gun violence.
In Philadelphia alone, we’ve had 7 mass shootings this year. And across our nation, we lose 100 people every single day to an epidemic that some would rather politicize than solve. This is a public health crisis, and it is time we treat it as such. We cannot wait any longer for common sense, community-focused solutions. Our country, our communities, and our children depend on it.
At our town hall, people from around Philly and the district came to share their gut-wrenching stories and to plead for action. We heard from so many people whose families have been changed forever by guns: parents who have buried children, survivors scarred by near-death experiences, children and neighbors terrified by what they have witnessed.
Rochelle Whittington bravely shared her story: “31 years ago, my babies were shot. I lost my son Marcus and my other son Malcolm survived. How many more mothers need to bury babies? We march, we pray, we shout, we protest, we demand action, but how much more do we need to do before we get action?”
[Image of Mary Gay and Rochelle hugging in front of the panel.]
We need to act but ending gun violence is not an easy task. There is no single solution to this complicated problem. That’s why I brought together some of the leaders who are working on the issue in our region -- so folks can hear what we are doing, and so we could hear directly from our communities about what they need -- because their voices matter.
A local teen told us “It’s hard to grow up right now. Just taking the time to listen to us, to give kids opportunities, can change our life.”
[Image of a teen standing and speaking into a microphone at the forum as other attendees sit and listen around her.]
I am so grateful to Senator Anthony Hardy Williams, State Representative Movita Johnson, Theron Pride from the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Department of the City of Philadelphia, Patrick Mangold from the Philadelphia Gun Violence Task Force of the Office of the Pennsylvania Attorney General, Shira Goodman from Cease Fire PA, community advocates Anton Moore and Rochelle Whittington, Issa Shahid from Muslims 4 Humanity, and the community officers from the 12th District for joining us and sharing their insights.
And thank you to community members who showed up and contributed to our discussion. We wouldn’t be able to propose or enact the solutions you need and deserve without your help.
[Image of Mary Gay sitting with a panel of local officials and activists while addressing constituents at the town hall.]
-Mary Gay
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