If These Two Could Become Friends…

What does America need on Thanksgiving 2025? Civility, kindness and open-mindedness, of the kind demonstrated by political enemies-turned-best friends Fred Guttenberg and Joe Walsh

By Courtney DuChene

“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
Video and Recap

“What it Means to Carry the Weight of Death”

MSNBC contributor and award-winning journalist Trymaine Lee shared insights from his new book, A Thousand Ways To Die, at a Citizen / Free Library Author event last week

By Malcolm Burnley

I Know What You Did Last Summer. And it Helped

A Germantown nonprofit offers Philadelphia students who’ve experienced gun violence the chance to tell their stories on the big screen. The result: healing

By Charissa Howard

Hallee Adelman’s “Horrible Day”

The Main Line author, filmmaker and educator's latest book is an allegory about the impact of gun violence on kids

By Malcolm Burnley

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
Book Excerpt

A Thousand Ways to Die

MSNBC contributor Trymaine Lee’s new book chronicles the cost of violence on the Black experience in America. See him at the Free Library on September 11

By Trymaine Lee
Guest Commentary

Can Data Prevent Youth Crime?

Two city programs are already reducing crime among teenagers. A Temple criminal justice professor says it’s time to scale them.

By Caterina G. Roman