PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Community members and elected officials are joining forces to increase the peace and stop the city's rising tide of gun violence. The groups came together for a rally on Saturday at South Philadelphia's Thomas B. Smith Playground, on 24th Street and Snyder Avenue.
Wearing a "Peace Not Guns" t-shirt, Philadelphia City Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson called for community members and city leaders to band together and come up with solutions to stop gun violence in the city.
"I'm always telling people when we are sick and tired of being sick and tired, that's the only way we'll see change," he said.
"From the leaders out here today, it warms my heart and empowers me, because these are the individuals who are doing the work. They're not here for a photo op, they're not here for a hashtag, they're not here for social media posts."
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Sister Taleah Taylor, with City of Dreams Coalition, called for men in the community to become leaders.
"We definitely need more of our men to stand up, our men to take lead in our communities," she said.
"There are plenty of men doing great work but where are the men telling the little knuckleheads to put the guns down? We really need people with heart to stand up for our city."
"We're trying to promote more male role models," said resident Daniel Smith. "I think that's the number one thing."
Johnson called on the entire community to step up to the plate, not just elected officials. "Everybody has to have a strategy and a plan to address this issue," he urged.
"But I will also say this: hold yourselves accountable. At the end of the day, the most frustrating part about gun violence is that, I’m talking about us now, we usually know what’s going on before it happens."
Information about services, resources and organizations were also being distributed.
This is the second "Peace Not Guns" call to action gathering that Johnson has hosted, with more planned between now and the end of the summer.
So far this year, almost 120 people have been killed in Philadelphia, a 31% increase from this time in 2020. There have been at least 777 shootings, according to police crime statistics.