Topic: The Trace
Gun Safety or Retaliation?
Police revoked the licenses of a Black Panther-inspired group because of their “character and reputation.” The Black Lions argue it’s payback for policing the police
By Mensah M. Dean
“The Only Problem was the Job”
When police die by suicide, their loved ones often lose benefits. Pennsylvania, and Philadelphia, may now change that
By Mensah M. Dean
“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
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
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