Philadelphia Eagles host ‘Safer America’ gun violence prevention summit with local and White House officials

At Lincoln Financial Field Monday morning, an assemblage of Philadelphia residents and politicians posed an unusual question: How can we be more like Boston?

The query had nothing to do with football but instead with homicide prevention: The Eagles hosted the Safer America Summit, which featured elected officials and White House appointees alongside violence prevention leaders, speaking on the city’s recent violent crime reduction and what’s needed to improve public safety. 

“Whether you live in the City of Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, or any community in between, every Pennsylvanian deserves the right to be safe and feel safe in their community,” Lt. Gov. Austin Davis said during opening remarks Monday. “Addressing the epidemic of gun violence requires a comprehensive approach, from investing in communities and community-based organizations…to working with our hospitals and health care providers to address issues like the public health crisis, to supporting law enforcement, to addressing the root causes of poverty, to supporting victims and survivors to help them heal from the trauma and repair our communities.”

Davis, who noted that Philadelphia has experienced a year-to-date 40% drop in homicides compared to 2023, said public investment from the commonwealth will go a long way in developing that comprehensive, strategic approach. He added that this year’s state budget includes $100 million for school safety and mental health grants and a $5 million increase for nonprofit security grants for places of worship and other community centers. 

“Let’s be clear, there are still far too many incidents involving guns, but the trends show that the commonwealth’s comprehensive approach and investments in community-based programs are working,” Davis said. “To use a football metaphor, we’re in the red zone. Now is not the time to slow down.”

Pointing toward Boston’s significant drop in homicides – an 82% year-to-date decline in the first quarter of 2024 and a 78% decline through the first half of the year – Rob Wilcox, deputy director of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, said collaboration between local and federal partners can impact violence prevention immensely. 

“That’s the world we’re fighting for,” Wilcox said. “I can tell you, the president and vice president are committed to doubling down and not abandoning” the issue.

Wilcox and Gun Violence Prevention Office Co-Director Greg Jackson spoke on federal efforts to look at gun violence through the lens of investment and accountability, and about tackling both public health and public safety concerns. 

“We’re going to have zero tolerance for gun dealers that will break the law,” Wilcox said, referring to efforts to thwart the proliferation of gun trafficking and ghost-gun sales. “That’s what we’re talking about – investing in people and in places where the violence is happening, and getting at the access to guns.”

Along with advocates from EMIR Healing Center, Mothers In Charge and PowerCorpsPHL, the panel discussion featured Dr. Joel Fein from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and John Stanford, deputy police commissioner for the city. 

Highlighting the work of PowerCorpsPHL, a workforce development program operated by EducationWorks that teaches career and technical skills through environmental and community service, college student Jaleel Williford said during the panel discussion that giving youth a space to be themselves and talk about their issues can build a strong connection and sense of community that they need. 

“Trauma-informed care – that’s a big one,” Williford said. “You’re able to talk to someone, you’re able to express what you’re going through so you’re not thinking about retaliation or anything of that nature…It’s very important in giving the youth that open air: ‘We’re here. I understand what you’re going through. Let’s talk about it.’”

The event, executed in partnership with Everytown for Gun Safety, CeaseFirePA Education Fund, Moms Demand Action and NextGen America, showcased grassroots organizations combating violence in the city and featured remarks from U.S. Reps. Mary Gay Scanlon and Madeleine Dean, among other community leaders. 

The Eagles Social Justice Fund also announced their 2024 grantees, which will help fund each organization’s local efforts to end gun violence. The grant recipients this year include 100 Black Men of Philly, Students Run Philly Style, the Greenlight Fund, the After School Activities Partnership, the CHOP Center for Violence Prevention, Rock to the Future, Shoot Basketballs Not People, the Center for Families and Relationships and Horizons Greater Philadelphia. 

Dorothy Johnson-Speight, founder and executive director of Mothers In Charge, a violence prevention, education, and intervention-based organization, said the community work is evident in the declining numbers of shootings, but the work isn’t done yet – and for many on the ground, the difference has to be seen. 

“You see the numbers dropping, but it doesn’t feel like there’s a decrease in our office…because we’re still getting calls every single day from a mother who’s burying her children,” Johnson-Speight said during the panel discussion. “It’s not just a mother, it’s a grandmother, a brother, a community that’s impacted by violence. We need to continue to keep our foot on the  accelerator (and get) funding so we can continue to see the numbers go down.”