Legend has it that when William Penn gave Philadelphia its famous nickname, he envisioned “The City of Brotherly Love” as a place where people would live together in peace. West Philly native Ma’isah Young believes that it would take a Philadelphia without gun violence to truly earn that moniker. A recent spike in juvenile shooters has some Philadelphians feeling somber. They, like Young, say that gun violence is overshadowing all of the great things about their city.

Young, 21, is a facilitator at Imani Star Development. She also works as an administrative assistant at a funeral home. “I see the impact of gun violence; I see the kids that are coming in at 14 that have been shot,” Young says. Most people she sees being embalmed are fairly young. “We don’t really get older people, and the older people we get mostly die of natural causes … Everyone else is typically younger than 35.”

As The Trace’s Mensah M. Dean recently reported, while Philadelphia’s gun violence has declined to pre pandemic levels, more young people are now wielding firearms. In 2024, there were 26 juveniles charged with homicide, a nearly nine-fold increase from 2016. That troubling fact has both parents and city leaders on high alert, with City Council President Kenyatta Johnson organizing a roundtable on the issue in late April. It also means that Philadelphia fits into a broader national trend of young people becoming increasingly swept up in gun violence: According to a Trace analysis of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s WONDER database, in 2023, gun violence was the leading cause of death for Generation Z.

[Editor’s note: This story was also published by The Trace, a nonprofit newsroom covering gun violence in America. Sign up for its newsletters here.]

In an effort to better understand the uptick in the number of Philly children and teens picking up guns, The Trace spoke to several young Philadelphians who participate in Imani Star Development programs, an organization that provides a safe place in West Philadelphia for youth to express themselves through music, dance, art and film.

“A major concern that we have … is that they’ve been lacking the opportunities to be actively engaged by adults, more specifically mentors,” says Maleka Jackson, Imani’s program director and volunteer coordinator, referring to children and teens. “Many of the educational programming activities that were once part of the school curriculums no longer exist.”

Young, along with Qua’ran Jackson-Young, 19; Madison Jackson-Roane, 14; and Reece Jackson-Roane, 16; share their thoughts on what’s causing the spike in youth-driven violence. They believe young people turn to violence for a variety of reasons, including a need to feel accepted and part of a community, paired with peer pressure to join neighborhood gangs. They said they’re disappointed in their leaders and people in a position to influence teens because they’re not doing enough to help. They love their neighborhoods, they said, but remain disheartened by gun violence.

These interviews have been edited for length and clarity.

The victimization of young people decreased as gun violence declined, but more shooters are under age 21. How does that make you feel?

Qua’ran: It’s a bad trend. In Philly, there’s so much upside that our youth have, like dancing, and we’re taking over TikTok in a good way. We have all this good, but so much violence dominates the good. Now a lot of what we’re known for is violence.

Madison: I don’t like it because it makes it seem as though us younger kids are more of a threat to the community than older people. We are the next generation of people. We want to be around and working.

Reece: It makes me feel sad because I’ve lost a couple people to gun violence, like friends. So knowing that it’s our age group, fighting at this point, but using weapons now, it’s troubling, but it has become reality.

What are some of the reasons you think Philly youth are picking up guns?

Qua’ran: A lot is related to what’s happening on social media. It’s the music too; we got a lot of rappers in Philly that rap about beefing and violence, and they influence young people. Then there’s peer pressure. A person can become involved in gun violence simply because of who they hang with or by association. For example, you hang with one person, but he might hang with somebody that’s involved in gang activity, or is violent, and then you all get together and something happens. There’s also people around my age that carry guns but they’re not out here starting trouble. They have it for protection.

Ma’isah: Some of them are mimicking what they see adults doing. There are several factors: the environment, schools, social media and a lack of role models. Younger people want to seem cool, and they’re trying to fit in. Social media definitely does play a big role, and also music. The destructive music that they’re pushing to be in our environment — basically the goal is for us to deteriorate.

Madison: Popularity. I also think that people want to be tough so they show that through aggression.

Reece: It’s all about wanting to fit in. I’m not sure where they are getting guns from, but I know it’s a big deal to have one. They also want to be a part of a community, or are trying to find a space where they feel safe, and it ends up being in a bad environment.

What are some of your biggest concerns with regard to our youth and gun violence?

Madison: My little brother is really young, and he goes to an elementary school that is in those areas that has been shot up before. I don’t like that he’s over there and that he can’t feel safe where he is. I go to school in another district, but if I decide to transfer, I want us to feel safe.

Reece: Not wanting people that I love or care about getting caught up at the wrong time, or in the wrong situations, and being affected by gun violence.

How would you describe your neighborhood?

Qua’ran: To me, it’s normal. West Philly is considered one of the most dangerous parts of Philly, I guess, because of the gangs, but my parents kept me out of the loop, so I actually got to live my life and just be a kid. When I look at things now, kids younger than me, ages 13, and 14, know more about guns.

What kind of solutions do you think would help us address this problem?

Qua’ran: There are a lot of smart people out there and positive influencers in Philadelphia, and I feel like they are the ones that can keep our youth together.

Reece: I’m not too sure if there’s a way to stop it, but there are resources that we all have, like hotlines and programs to get kids into more interactive activities.

Ma’isah: For one, they are so easily influenced, all it would take is for the right rapper to come out with the right message. And then having adults that resonate with them to show them right from wrong. They need redirection. They can’t redirect themselves.

Madison: It’s really hard to find one solution. Kids or younger people are usually talked down to and are told I’m older than you, so you listen, or like you get a TED Talk or stern talking to that doesn’t really change anything. People need to be shown how things actually happen, and then maybe they’ll change.

Reece: A lot of kids are kind of scared of other people, if they aren’t already scared of their parents. I suggest that other adults try to become a helping hand, like another aunt or an uncle. Just be there for children, and then try to get them to understand the importance of gun violence and why they shouldn’t be a part of it.

What does a Philly without gun violence look like to you?

Madison: I think we’ll be better. A lot cleaner and safer for kids.

Reece: A lovely community where everyone comes together.

Afea Tucker oversees Up the Block, a resource and information hub for Philadelphians who have been affected by gun violence. Before joining The Trace, she was a veteran media professional and freelance journalist whose work had been published by The Philadelphia Tribune, WHYY, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and other news organizations. Afea is a Temple University alumna, graduating cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications.

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