Hi John, now that we’ve entered the final two months of the Philadelphia City Council’s spring session, I want to give you an update on some of the issues I’ll be working on in the weeks ahead. I hope you will read my important update below.

But first, I have to ask for your help. This summer and fall, I’ll be traveling across Philadelphia to build support for transformational action to stop gun violence, boost our local economy, and reform our election process. I’ll also be preparing for what’s ahead in 2023.

Too many Philadelphians have lost faith in their city government’s ability to solve the challenges we face today, but I’m determined to renew that faith by advancing a bold, transformational agenda that solves problems and moves our city forward.

I need your help reaching folks in every community in our city to build support for that agenda. Can you donate today to help me expand my community outreach efforts in the weeks and months ahead?

As you know, Philadelphia continues to face a public safety and gun violence crisis. I’m working tirelessly right now to advance solutions to this crisis, and I’m proud that the Mayor recently adopted my plan to address our city’s policing shortage by waiving the residency requirement.

I will continue fighting to stop violence in our city and advancing measures to improve our police force, like my legislation to boost police recruitment through hiring bonuses, and I will continue demanding that we approach this crisis with the urgency it deserves.

You may also know that April is National Autism Awareness Month. As a father with a son on the Autism spectrum, I worry every day that what happened to Walter Wallace Jr. in 2020 could happen to my son. I’m fighting for crisis intervention training funding and investments in mental health resources so that parents in Philadelphia don’t have to live with this fear.

Today I introduced part two of my civics agenda legislation, focused on strengthening voter participation in Philadelphia. Next month, I’ll be advancing my legislation to help fix our public schools' crumbling infrastructure by establishing new asbestos inspection requirements.

That’s all in addition to my ongoing work to bring public banking to our city, which will expand access to credit for business owners of color and help build generational wealth for Black Philadelphians.

John, I'm working every day to build a Philadelphia that works for all of us. I have so much more planned for the rest of this year and next year, and I’m counting on you to help me build support for this bold policy agenda.

If you’re able to, can you donate before April ends to help me transform Philadelphia into the city we all know it can be?

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Thanks for your support,

Derek