“It Felt Like God Gave Me Another Chance”

A new Philadelphia program — modeled on an already-successful version for adults — helps young people put down the guns

By Mensah M. Dean

Solving Gun Violence with Group Therapy — and $50

Is this City-funded program — which also helps participants build job skills and rethink decisions — responsible for Philadelphia’s declining homicide rate?

By Mensah M. Dean

“It Hasn’t Slowed Down For Us”

How community organizers in Philly plan to keep gun violence down in 2026

By Mensah M. Dean

Could Philly’s $2 Billion Bet on Housing Help Cut Gun Violence?

Research has found that fixing up abandoned homes can make a city safer. The H.O.M.E Plan calls for building and rehabbing 30,000 homes in four years

By Mensah M. Dean

“This Has to be a Bottom-Up Strategy”

As officials create a new public safety plan, Philadelphians offer City officials their ideas on how to continue fighting gun violence

By Mensah M. Dean

The Small PA City Looking to Philly on Gun Laws

A series of shootings prompted York officials to ban ghost guns and machine gun converters like their colleagues in the eastern part of the state. But the laws may not stick

By Mensah M. Dean

War Zone or Reprieve?

A Trace analysis of 10 years of neighborhood-level shooting data found that gun violence is lower almost everywhere than it was in 2015 — but Philadelphians are still reeling from more than 16,000 shootings.

By Mensah M. Dean

Can Store Signs Help Bring Down Shootings?

A new City law — believed to be the first in the nation — requires gun shops to post signs discouraging Philadelphians from buying guns for those not allowed to own them

By Mensah M. Dean

Can Philly’s Youth Curfew Policy Really Prevent Violence?

Research shows curfews do little to reduce crime, but the city's curfew centers have become a vital hub for young people

By Mensah M. Dean

How to Stop Women from Buying Guns Illegally

Women in Philadelphia commit less than 10 percent of the city’s shootings — but make up nearly a quarter of people arrested for straw purchasing

By Mensah M. Dean