PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Parents and students gathered at Temple University on Monday to rally against gun violence. Following the shooting death of student Samuel Collington and amid a record number of homicides in the city, parents say they just want their kids to be safe.
Some held up signs calling for peace and an end to the violence. Rainbow Giauquinto was a carrying a sign in memory of Collington. Her daughter is a student at Temple, and she said they are close to the Collington family.
"Tragedy for anyone is difficult. This one just hit a little closer to home," Giauquinto said. "I just wanted to be here in support of the parents that started this rally. Hopefully the college understands how important student safety is."
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Ireland, a sophomore who did not give her full name, said she recognizes that Philadelphia's gun violence problem must be understood as a broader problem beyond Temple's campus and surroundings.
"Now that it's reaching communities that can actually do something about it, hopefully something will be done, and it can be addressed as the bigger issue that it really is," she said. "It's not just affecting Temple students."
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Micha, a Temple senior who did not give his full name, said parents and students knew what they were getting into by enrolling at university in an urban setting, but he says no one thought about a shooting threat — until now.
"Definitely rattled. A little bit of fear," he said. "People are scared to walk to and from their cars and dorms and things like that, so there's definitely a bit of fear."
Parents met with the student government before the rally to talk about some of the changes they would like to see, including more cameras around campus, increased lighting, an expanded patrol zone, faster shuttle pick ups, and in-person training for students to better protect themselves.
Shortly after the shooting, Temple agreed to increase the size of the campus safety force by 50%, put more Philadelphia police patrols in off-campus areas, upgrade lighting, cameras and emergency phones on campus, and make improvements to the student shuttle service and the university's Walking Escort Program.
"We're going to request a meeting as soon as possible with campus safety and get some dates and answers to timelines for at least the short-term initiatives," said parent Virginia Jorgensen, who organized the event.
Meanwhile students say they have been walking in groups and are alert and aware of their surroundings.