PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Operation Hug the Block, an area anti-gun violence initiative, is temporarily pausing its peace patrols on some of the city’s most dangerous streets.
For the last 77 nights, hundreds of volunteers — including the founders of Philly Truce and area activist Jamal Johnson — walked 77 of the most dangerous blocks in the city from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. to help deter crime.
Some nights they heard gunshots, saw a few fights, and even endured death threats, but they remained undeterred.
“The more we went on, the more you saw that, hey, this thing could actually work,” said Philly Truce co-founder Mazzie Casher, “this could be an actual solution in terms of driving down opportunity for violence in public spaces.”
Casher said the initiative was mostly well-received.
“People want it. People are willing to do it,” he said. “The biggest corner we have to turn is people don’t want to be the one on their block doing it. They have fear of retribution; they have fear of sticking out.”
He said they spent a lot of time in the 24th police district, which includes Kensington and Fairhill. Combined, the neighborhoods made up about 36 of the 77 blocks.
Casher said he looks forward to working with mayor-elect Cherelle Parker, who pledges to be tough on crime. The goal is to get even more support and a better-funded, more frequent operation.
“This is the future of community policing as we see it from the ground. It’s community-led, police-supported, and it has a restorative element,” he added. “We definitely want to highlight that there is hope for engagement between marginalized communities and the police in a way that could kind of set a new precedent of relationship between those two.”
The peace patrols will return next year.