Friend, 

“16, he’s a baby. He’s a baby,” said Philadelphia Committeemember Angela Smith at a vigil for Ahjaon Jackson, fatally shot by ten bullets in front of his twin sister last week. “But how do we not know that it wasn’t still babies that did it?”[1]

Among the greatest tragedies in Pennsylvania’s gun violence epidemic is the number of children who die or whose lives are permanently scarred by trauma and vengeance. A third of homicide victims in Pittsburgh were teens. In Philadelphia, the number of shooting victims under 18 has increased by almost 60% since 2019.[2] 

Cities and towns throughout the state have begun promising efforts to intervene against youth violence—yet so far they have been too underfunded to reach many young people who need them.[3] Tell PA lawmakers: we need sustained anti-violence funding to heal our young people.

Hundreds of children and youths across Pennsylvania commit or fall victim to gun violence every year. Like the Central PA teenager charged this Monday with shooting and killing a 16-year-old in Lebanon City after an altercation.[4] Or another 16-year-old in Reading, fatally shot while walking down the street.[5] 

We know that anti-violence funding can work for Pennsylvania communities. Chester, for example, reported a 63% reduction in homicides this summer, partly because of innovative programs that target vulnerable individuals and communities with the support they need to avert violence.[6] Community funding provides alternatives to violence for young people, with measures like after school youth programs, street interventions to de-escalate fights before they turn fatal, and trauma counseling to stop the cycle. 

In 2021, lawmakers allocated $30 million toward anti-violence initiatives. This was a vital step, yet that money is only a one-time sum and won’t go far enough. To make a real difference, Pennsylvania has to commit to fight youth gun violence all the time. Show your support for bills in the house (HB 696) and Senate (SB 670) that will create a multi-year, $30 million anti-violence grant program.

Thank you for supporting a future free from violence for Pennsylvania’s young people.

Adam Garber
Executive Director, CeaseFirePA 

[1] "'Just doesn't make sense': 16-year-old shot, killed in front of twin sister in East Oak Lane." KYW Newsradio, October 27, 2021.
[2] "PG SPECIAL REPORT: Pittsburgh confronts rising wave of gun violence." Pittsburgh Gazette, August 22, 2021 ; "Mapping Philadelphia's Gun Violence Crisis." Philadelphia Office of the Controller, data as of November 1, 2021.
[3] "As Philly surpasses 400 murders, grassroots prevention groups still looking for help." WHYY, September 26, 2021.
[4] "Central Pa. teen arrested in killing of 16-year-old: police." PennLive, November 1, 2021.
[5] "Teen dies after being shot in Reading, RPD chief says." WFMZ 69 News, September 16, 2021.
[6] "Shootings and murders are down in Chester as new community-driven program takes root." The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 30, 2021.