Crime
Cop Watcher
Philadelphia’s three-year-old Citizens Police Oversight Commission has yet to conduct an investigation. Executive Director Tonya McClary says the Fraternal Order of Police is to blame
By Mensah M. Dean
The Year Of Shopping Behind Plexiglass
In 2024, retailers like CVS and Walmart locked up toiletries and other essentials to deter shoplifting and employ less staff. Turns out, regular shoppers are paying the price. Let’s change this in 2025
By Diana Lind
Life in Poverty, Punctuated by Gun Violence
Philadelphia’s status as the nation’s poorest big city is a major cause of its gunfire.
By Mensah M. Dean
What Is Corruption, Anyway?
The fallout from last week’s musings about the sheriff and a litany of ex-con officials who are back on the public payroll raises a lot of questions: What is illegal, and what’s just … kinda gross?
By Larry Platt
The Intergenerational Fallout of Gun Violence
Gunfire in Philadelphia has taken grandfathers, brothers, cousins, and children. The losses reflect what’s at the root of America’s shooting epidemic
By Mensah M. Dean
Breaking the Curse of Gun Violence
Homicides are down more than 45 percent this year, while all shootings have dropped more than 35 percent. How did that happen — and who is most affected?
By Mensah M. Dean
The Common Sense Gun Laws Stuck in Pennsylvania’s Senate
For the first time in a decade, three gun violence prevention bills passed the state house this year. Here’s why they still might not become law
By Mensah M. Dean
Things at K&A Are Worse, Not Better
A Harrowgate resident has spent years advocating for the people who actually live in the neighborhood. Here’s what she wants to see from the City
By Sonja Bingham
Let’s Stop the Gun Violence That Took My Dad and Nana
A Conestoga high schooler who lost close family members one year ago desperately wants this uniquely American crisis to stop — and shares ways you can make it happen
By Olivia DeShong
Right Up Our Alley
Philly’s downtown has 2.5 miles of alleys. Here’s why the President/CEO of Center City District sees the potential for beauty and community instead
By Prema Katari Gupta