PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Community members came together for a town hall meeting in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia following a series of shootings, including one just over a week ago that left a teenage girl dead.
Carissa Bright was sitting in a car near the corner of Ross and Sharpnack streets on January 14 when she was shot three times and killed. Police said she wasn't the target of the shooters, but tragically in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Her family called her a smart, beautiful, loving and outspoken 17-year-old, and said she dreamed of becoming a nurse before her life was cut short. No arrests have been made yet.
Bright was one of at least a dozen kids that have been shot in Philadelphia this year, as well as one of more than 120 people shot in total over the past couple of weeks.
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"We wanted to speak up [on behalf of] Carissa, to get her some justice," said Jason Campbell of 17 With Life, an organization devoted to positive change through mentorship.
"People want answers. That's really what it comes down to, people want answers ... because it could be your family member next. It's going to be your neighbors, going to be your friend."
Campbell grew up in Mount Airy. His organization helped organize a vigil and the town hall meeting, which took place at the Pleasant Playground Community Center. He said nearly 100 people came from all over the city including North, South, and West Philly.
"Disgust, I might say, that the citizens here of Philadelphia have," he said. "Just this murder rate, this crime, you know, the carjackings — again, the senseless murders of the women, like, they're not safe."
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17 With Life aspires to be a part of the solution to the violence by trying to deter youth from the street life. But as the crisis continues, Campbell said communities including his have been desperate for fast solutions.
"Ex-drug dealers or people who used to rob that I personally know of, you know, guys who have really changed their life," he said. "They're serious, they want to help, they want to give back."