PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — As a summer filled with gun violence continues to surge, a Marine veteran and member of the group Stop Killing Us is making his annual walk from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C.
Jamal Johnson and his supporters gathered near the corner of Hunting Park and Whitaker avenues near the North Philadelphia location where David Jones, a Black man, was shot and killed by a Philadelphia police officer in 2017.
Johnson is making the 140-mile walk to the nation’s capital. He is calling for the passage of the George Floyd Bill.
The Senate has not yet passed the bill which addresses a wide range of policies and issues regarding policing practices and law enforcement accountability. The House of Representatives passed it in March 2021.
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Johnson is also asking for more congressional and local attention to be drawn to the gun violence crisis plaguing the city, where the homicide total has been either above or near the pace of 2021, the year with the most homicides in the city’s history.
“I think there’s apathy, there’s a lack of urgency, and most of all I think there is a lack of outcry from the community,” said Johnson.
“Sooner or later, you’re going to know someone in Philadelphia that has been shot, or knows someone who has been shot.”
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Johnson believes Philadelphia’s mayor is not doing enough to solve the problem.
“I’ve had conversations with Mayor [Jim] Kenney. I’ve taken action against Mayor Kenney to try to get him to address the problem more aggressively, and he just wants to stay where he is,” said Johnson. “As a result, we are staying where we are.”
To kick off the first few blocks of his walk, Johnson had a bit of help with children from Faulk's Kidz Kum 1st day care center.
“We need to teach them that this is what it takes to fight for things that are right,” said Rowena Faulk. “We have to move forward, so it starts young. They need to learn young not to pick up a gun. It’s too late at 13.”
This is his sixth walk to D.C., and he says it’s all worth it.
“I think people are starting to realize … we have got to get on this,” said Johnson. “Because of that, I know that this has not only been purposeful, but I think that it’s motivating.”
Johnson plans to take the issues to the Congressional Black Caucus, and will stop in several cities along the way to engage and march with communities.