PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — As violence in cities like Philadelphia surges, Democrats are fighting for an infrastructure bill that would include trillions of dollars in spending on anti-violence measures.
Fatimah Lorén, the executive director of the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention, is advising the Biden administration on how to support community-based strategies to reduce violence in cities like Philadelphia. The key, she says, is to look at gun violence as a public health crisis.
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"Philadelphia is home of some of the most innovative violence prevention strategies in the country," said Lorén. "We need to bring these strategies to scale, but it requires investment. We really wanted to educate the administration about a public health approach."
Lorén proposes a paradigm shift in the way public officials look at community violence that disproportionately impacts Black and brown communities.
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"There’s incredible street outreach work that is happening in Philadelphia, and the federal government is poised to support in this effort," said Lorén.
She said President Joe Biden is making history, and innovations like Philadelphia’s community strategies should be his focus.
"The president shared with the nation their commitment to addressing gun violence and included a redirection of federal funding from 26 programs to focus on community violence prevention," said Lorén. "That’s historic."