PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday outlined a plan to address the rise of gun violence across the country. As part of the effort, Philadelphia will work with more than a dozen other cities to beef up their community-based efforts to stop violent crime at the root.
The president and Attorney General Merrick Garland met with a bipartisan group of elected officials, law enforcement and community leaders at the White House. They spoke about combatting gun violence and violent crime, which has spiked since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, and which they fear will get even worse.
"As we emerge from this pandemic with the country opening back up again, the traditional summer spike may even be more pronounced than it usually would be," Biden said.
Part of the White House’s plan has 15 cities, including Philadelphia, collaborating to strengthen their community violence intervention programs.
"These are local programs that utilize trusted messengers and community members and leaders to work directly with people who are most likely to commit gun crimes or become victims of gun crimes," Biden said.
"These interrupters turn down the temperature, halt the cycle of retaliation, connect people to social services. And it works. Community violence intervention programs have shown a reduction in violence of up to 60% in many places."
The White House said the administration will meet with officials from the 15 cities during the next year and a half to learn from each other and provide technical assistance. Cities that have experienced a surge of gun violence also have more options, because of new Treasury Department guidance on how they can spend COVID-19 relief money from the American Rescue Plan.
"It means more police officers, more nurses, more counselors, more social workers, more community violence interrupters to help resolve issues before they escalate into crimes," Biden said.
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At their regular gun violence news conference, Philadelphia officials expressed optimism that the federal assistance would help bolster organizations that are already trying to make a difference.
"We know that those who are closest to the problem are closest to the solution," said Erica Atwood, senior director of Philadelphia's Office of Policy and Strategic Initiatives for Criminal Justice and Public Safety.
The federal response also includes an increased focus on curbing illegal gun sales.
"We will hold gun dealers that break the rules accountable for their actions," said Attorney General Merrick Garland. "Most federally licensed firearms dealers operate legally in selling guns to individuals who have passed background checks. But those dealers that willfully violate the law increase the risk that guns will fall into the wrong hands."
Mayor Jim Kenney and Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw, during the city’s gun violence briefing, welcomed help from federal law enforcement to get guns off the streets and keep them away from criminals.
"Everything that’s going on in this country, in every city in this country, is abhorrent," Kenney said. "It’s abhorrent, because you can get a gun faster than you can get a driver’s license. There’s something wrong with that scenario."
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