A police officer patrols the block near a house as they investigate an active shooting situation, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019, in the Nicetown neighborhood of Philadelphia.
Matt Rourke / AP Photo
A police officer patrols the block near a house as they investigate an active shooting situation, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019, in the Nicetown neighborhood of Philadelphia.
Matt Rourke / AP Photo
I imagine many readers — white readers like myself — will struggle with the underlying 1619 Project’s thesis that chattel slavery – technically eliminated more than 150 years ago – lies at the heart of 20th and 21st century transportation policy, the criminal justice system and the very structure of our democratic institutions. Interestingly, the current New Yorker has a powerful piece about racism and what it requires to be antiracist. Reading it helped me process the 1619 pieces.
If you take the time to read these works, I’d love to hear your thoughts. For me, it underscores the importance of knowing history to understand the present. —Russ Walker, PA Post editor
Gov. Tom Wolf gathered a large group of state agency leaders and legislators on Friday to tout an executive order on gun violence. WITF’s Brett Sholtis and PA Post‘s Ed Mahon filed this report. Here’s a video of the Wolf signing. The “stain” quote above was in remarks by state Sen. Anthony Williams, a Philadelphia Democrat.
The shooting in Philly that left six police officers wounded was cited by Wolf and others as an example for the need to ban military-style firearms. WHYY took a look at whether any of the gun control measures being discussed would have actually stopped the 36-year-old man who fired at police from obtaining his arsenal of weapons. Meanwhile, the Inky obtained a surveillance camera’s video of the police raid and subsequent stand-off, helping the paper craft a minute-by-minute account.
WURD radio’s Charles D. Ellison took to the pages of the Philadelphia Citizen to remind readers that gun control means more than banning certain weapons or pumping more money into the police budget. The neighborhood where the shooting happened – Nicetown – has high rates of poverty, food insecurity and public health problems. City leaders, Ellison writes, need to recognize that gun violence can’t be eliminated without addressing the totality of Nicetown’s problems.
The days of journalism’s one-way street of simply producing stories for the public have long been over. Now, it’s time to find better ways to interact with you and ensure we meet your high standards of what a credible media organization should be.