There have been 77 Aggravated Assaults with a Firearm so far this year in the 15th District, PSA1 according to Philly Blotter. Aggravated assault is police talk for “somebody got shot”. In addition, there have been 10 homicides. But this is only half the story. There probably have been as many instances of gunshots being heard in Frankford, sometimes fired randomly and others missing their targets. It is not a pretty picture.
With that in mind, Nashid Edwards, Frankford resident, and activist in the anti-violence movement called a community meeting on November 13th at Gambrel Recreation Center. The room was filled with residents who have clearly had enough of the status quo. The big question was what to do.
The consensus was that this violence is all drug related and all agreed that drugs are not going to go away. Drugs are not new but the violence is.
So after lengthy discussions from all participants, it was agreed that the group would work on the guys on the corner who have decided to go into the drug trade. There are different situations that put them on those corners. Some can be turned around with the right help and the group will work on that project beginning next year.
The next meeting is scheduled for January 3rd at 7 PM at Gambrel Recreation Center, Ditman and Wakeling Streets. To read more about the meeting, follow this link to the story by Jack Tomczuk of the Northeast Times.
