by Anthony Hennen
Philadelphia has again failed to stop murders in the city, as it repeats a homicide toll that surpasses 500 deaths. While murders are down compared to a year ago, the level of violence dwarfs recent years, when as few as 277 murders happened in 2016.
As of December 28, 514 people have been victims of homicide in Philadelphia. That number is down 7% from 2021, when a record 562 people died, but higher than the 499 deaths in 2020 and 356 in 2019.
Philadelphia isn’t the only city in Pennsylvania to see a higher homicide rate, as Pittsburgh has had similar problems. But state Republicans have started impeachment proceedings against Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, as The Center Square previously reported, partially due to the rise in violent crime under his watch.
Public hearings hosted by the House Select Committee were critical of Krasner, but also of Philadelphia police, city council, and the mayor’s office.
Since Krasner took office as district attorney in 2018, murders have gone up 46%, if 2022’s figure doesn’t change. Krasner has traced the homicide increases to the effects of the pandemic, as well as a lack of access to jobs and education.
The death toll, and violent crime in general, is already a point of contention for the city’s mayoral race. Declared candidates have taken to Twitter and pledged to do more than outgoing Mayor Jim Kenney, who is term-limited.
“As of Tuesday, there have been 512 homicides this year. That is beyond unacceptable — it’s outrageous,” mayoral candidate and former City Councilman Allan Domb tweeted. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: we haven’t ‘turn[ed] “the curve”’ on gun violence as Jim Kenney has said, and we won’t without new leadership in City Hall.”
“More than 500 homicides for the second year in a row,” mayoral candidate and former City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart tweeted. “My heart breaks for our city and the countless people and communities impacted. We can’t get back what was lost, but if elected mayor, I promise to turn this around and put an end to the violence devastating our city.”
“Like last year, Philly recorded 500 homicides,” mayoral candidate and former City Councilman Derek Green tweeted. “As the only former prosecutor running for Mayor, we need a leader who has fought crime to make our City safe. #ExpectMoreDeserveBetter.”
Many of the shootings in Philadelphia are relegated to a relatively few hot-spot neighborhoods, mostly in north and west Philadelphia. The concentrated nature of the violence means that the risk to youths is incredibly high.
“The firearm-related death rate for young adult males living in the top 10% most violent zip codes in Philadelphia is higher than the risk of combat death was for U.S. troops in both Afghanistan and Iraq,” according to a recent study.
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Anthony Hennen is a reporter for The Center Square. Previously, he worked for Philadelphia Weekly and the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal. He is managing editor of Expatalachians, a journalism project focused on the Appalachian region.
Photo “Crime Scene” by Tony Webster. CC BY-SA 2.0.
