PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — This weekend on Flashpoint, host Cherri Gregg asks the burning questions about Philadelphia's recent response to rising gun violence.
On Friday nine people were shot, including seven at a restaurant in Fishtown. This comes after 10 people were shot by a lone gunman in Boulder, Colorado.
2021 is on track to be the deadliest in city history. In response, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw has increased patrols in high crime areas. Mayor Jim Kenney has also promised more transparency, launching the city's first biweekly public briefing on gun violence.
Anti-violence activist Anton Moore, founder of Unity in the Community, responds to the increase police presence. Then, Jim MacMillan of the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting provides a critique of the city's first gun violence briefing.
The newsmaker of the week is Diana Cortes, Esq., solicitor for the City of Philadelphia. Cortes is the first Latina to fill the role. A lifelong litigator, she started her career in private law practice, then spent some time at the Philadelphia District Attorney's office before joining the city's law department.
She was the first Latina to lead the city's litigation department under former City Solicitor Marcel Pratt. Now the millennial is pushing an ambitious agenda, which includes taking on the Pennsylvania General Assembly in order to help the city stop the flow of guns to the streets.
The Patriot Home Care Changemaker of the week is Philadelphia OIC. The historic organization, founded by Rev. Leon Sullivan more than 50 years ago, has been revamped and is working to train Philadelphians for jobs of the future. President and CEO Renee Cardwell Hughes joins us. More here: https://www.philaoic.org/
Flashpoint airs every Saturday at 9:30 p.m. and Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on KYW Newsradio 103.9FM and 1060AM. It also airs at 5 a.m. Sundays on B101FM and WPHT 1210AM, at 6 a.m. on WOGL 98.1 and TDY 96.5 and 6:30a.m. on 94.1 WIP.
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