FOR RELEASE THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2024 Contact: Thera Martin 267-402-6313
Below is a statement from the President of the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity, Bishop J. Louis Felton On Mass Shooting That Took Place In Philadelphia March 6, 2024
“The Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity organization stands with all Philadelphians in our outrage of yet another mass shooting of young people in our city. We pray that all eight victims fully recover from their injuries, especially the one victim that is in critical condition. We pray for their families and all the students, faculty and staff of Northeast High School. May God give them peace and comfort. We have faith those that were involved in this horrific incident will be brought to justice. We are thankful for Mayor Cherelle Parker, Police Commissioner, Kevin Bethel, District Attorney Larry Krasner, and all law enforcement officers, for their continued efforts to bring safety and justice to every corner of this city.”
Bishop Felton added, “Black Clergy believes, while we need multiple approaches to stop these violent acts, one of the best and underutilized ways is deep community investments in the hardest hit neighborhoods of our city. Our young people coming out of the pandemic are deeply traumatized. We are in the middle of mental health crisis and it’s effecting our young people in ways we don’t fully understand Community investments like recreation centers, libraries, credible messengers, trauma services, workforce development, restorative justice and greening and cleaning are proven methods to saves lives. We need to make larger and more creative investments in our young people. We all have to do more both through private and public institutions. We believe there is a growing consensus around this going forward, which gives great hope that today’s horrific events will eventually be reduced and eradicated. We can. We must. We will save our young people.”
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