PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A coalition of women made up of leaders, community stakeholders and those who have lost loved ones to gun violence in Philadelphia took to City Hall Wednesday.
They urged Mayor Jim Kenney to declare a stage of emergency.
One-by-one, the women dressed in red were handed a red rose, with each one representing a life lost to gun violence.
"We’ve had enough," said organizer Paula Peebles, chair of the Philadelphia Action Network. "Enough of our children have died."
Peebles said the group hopes their outcry of a “state of urgency” will in turn lead Mayor Kenney to declare a state of emergency.
"We are in a state of urgency in our zip codes, and we want him to announce a state of emergency in Philadelphia County so that the money can be released trickled down now to our community organizations, which is not happening right now...so that we can make visible change in our communities."
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Asia Coney says the pain is personal for her. Her son Roland was murdered at 23 years old.
"The loss of someone, I don’t care how long it’s been, it doesn’t dissipate," Coney said.
"When you hear about another loss, another mother, another sister or brother feeling that pain, it’s unbearable. So you’ve got to do something. You’ve got to say, 'Enough is enough.'"
Kenney has defended his position to not declare a gun violence emergency, and highlighted his other efforts to curb the crisis.
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Many City Council members were in attendance including Councilmembers Helen Gym, Kendra Brooks, Jamie Gauthier and Sheriff Rochelle Bilal.