Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson (Second District) recently convened a Peace Not Guns Roundtable on Monday, April 28, 2025, at City Hall to bring together elected officials, frontline advocates, grassroots leaders, and criminal justice partners to coordinate urgent strategies to protect children and teens from gun violence.
Although overall shootings in Philadelphia have declined, the city is seeing a troubling surge in gun violence involving youth—both as victims and perpetrators. With summer fast approaching, Johnson emphasized the importance of proactive, community-based interventions to keep young people safe.
“We’ve made progress in reducing gun violence across the city, but far too many of our children are still at risk,” said Council President Kenyatta Johnson. “This roundtable was about mobilizing our city’s boots-on-the-ground organizations to develop a united strategy that ensures our youth are protected, mentored, and given real alternatives to violence.”
Recent media reports have spotlighted the growing access to firearms among teens, despite broader gains in public safety. The roundtable focused on summer prevention planning, neighborhood accountability, and expanding partnerships between community organizations and city agencies.
Roundtable participants included Zachery Frazier of the Trust Factor Organization, Stanley Crawford of the Black Male Community Council of Philadelphia, Mazzie Casher of the Philly Truce Foundation, Zarinah Lomax of The Apologues, Ryan Harris of As I Plant This Seed, Dr. Dorothy Johnson-Speight of Mothers in Charge, Harold “Mackey” Boswell of Eddie’s House, Dr. Wilson of the Fathership Foundation, LaTrista Webb of The Elevation Project, P. Michael Boone of the Junior Barber Academy, Mel Wells of One Day at a Time (ODAAT), Dr. Movita Johnson-Harrell of the CHARLES Foundation, members of the Philadelphia Anti-Drug/Anti-Violence Network (PAAN), and representatives from the Philadelphia Adult Probation and Parole Department.
The roundtable was held in the Philadelphia City Council Caucus Room at City Hall.
Even when schools let out for the summer, Philadelphia young people still need safe, structured, supervised, engaging activities to fill their days. The City of Philadelphia has released a line-up of free or low-cost programs and activities called “#ItsASummerthing which are available to children, youth, teens, and families all summer long.
