GUNNING FOR THE GUNS
Pols visit shooting site to announce state funding for gun violence task force
Officials announce funding for a Delaware County Gun Violence Task Force on basketball court at the Bennett Homes in Chester, scene of a multiple shooting last weekend. Shots were fired down onto the crowded court from the overpass in the background.
CHESTER » Standing on the basketball court where four people were shot Saturday by a gunman perched a distance away, two Republican state senators announced Thursday that $500,000 has been earmarked to combat gun violence in Delaware County — and particularly in the city.
Sens. Tom Killion, R-9 of Middletown, and Tom McGarrigle, R-26 of Springfield, announced the funding for the Delaware County Gun Violence Task Force as part of the state’s $32 billion 2017-2018 budget now on Gov. Wolf’s desk. As of late Thursday, Wolf has not indicated whether he will sign the package.
The senators spoke at a hastily called press conference in the 1200 block of West Carla’s Lane – a street named for city resident Carla Carrington who was 17 when she was fatally shot in 1988, and where Tevin Armstrong and Tyree Wilson, both 24, and Aliyah Rodriguez, 18 and Monire Green, 20, were shot Saturday and listed in good condition as the police investigation continues.
Killion and McGarrigle were joined by Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan; Delaware County Councilman Dave White; former Democratic city mayor John Linder representing Delaware County United for Sensible Gun Violence; task force members, county Detective David Tyler and Deputy District Attorney George Dawson; Pennsylvania State Police; and others in law enforcement. Both Whelan and White are on the GOP ticket on Nov. 7; Whelan is running for Common Pleas Court judge, and White is running to retain his seat on the all-Republican county council.
Pleased to have secured what they described as critical funding, Killion and McGarrigle said the action stemmed from meetings held in Chester back in February where Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro, city Democratic Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland, Whelan, and others including community members discussed ways to assist the city, which has been long plagued by crime involving guns.
While the new funding is for all of Delaware County and will be administered through the District Attorney’s office, Chester will be focal point, both senators and Whelan said. Killion and McGarrigle also credited state Sen. Anthony H. Williams, D-8 of Philadelphia, for help in gaining the funding. among others.
“Not a day goes by when an individual doesn’t risk being shot here in the city. That is intolerable,” said Whelan, who indicated the money would be used to either expand the four-person gun violence task force, or subsidize salaries for existing law enforcement officers assigned to task force work.
Since January, there have been 155 shooting incidents in the city; 27 were fatal, according to Chester Police Chief James Nolan IV. Police investigations also resulted in removing an estimated 150 firearms off the streets, he noted.
According to Whelan, the Delaware County Gun Violence Task Force is responsible for seven arrests to date. Six offenders have been convicted and sentenced from 5 to 10 years in prison.
“This money will allow us to expand our efforts,” Whelan said.
“Gun violence has been plaguing the city for a long time,” said White, adding that he’s heard from people held hostage in their own homes, residents who stay in their basements, away from the windows, in order to get a good night’s sleep.
“No one should have to live that way in their own home, their own community,” White said.
Linder, echoing Whelan and White, expressed appreciation for the efforts expended by both Killion and McGarrigle.
“I’m no stranger to gun violence here,” Linder said, vowing to continue to work with the city’s current administration to try to stem the violence.
Mayor Kirkland attended the press conference but stayed in the background. He said he was grateful for the efforts of Killion and McGarrigle, as well as others including his nephew, state Rep. Brian Kirkland, D-159 of Chester, who helped bring the funding to near fruition.
“Is this a great thing for the city of Chester? Yes,” the mayor said. “Now, I am going to engage the governor. This has to happen so that we can begin the process of removing these weapons of mass destruction from our community and bring to justice those who have them in their possession.”
Speaking from Harrisburg, state Rep. Kirkland called the funding “a step in the right direction.” He said he had attended meetings and was part of the process in securing the funding.
“It’s much needed,” Brian Kirkland said. “Now, it’s on the governor’s desk. We’ll see where it goes from here.”
At the press conference, Whelan also announced that his office will be allocating an additional $50,000 from drug forfeiture money to supplement state police assistance in the city through the end of the year. State police patrols that began in May were paid for by Delaware County casino and forfeiture revenues combined.
The Democratic candidates for Delaware County Council are Kevin Madden of Haverford and Brian Zidek of Media, while Ed Clifford of Marple is running as a Libertarian. Kelly Eckel is running on the Democratic ticket for the Common Pleas Court Judge position.
Joel Coon, spokesman for the Democratic ticket, offered this statement Thurs-
day night: “Dave White and the GOP power structure had four years to address this, but it wasn’t until the Democrats opposing him declared stopping violence was a priority of theirs that this happened. People should be judged on actions, not press conferences — and Dave White has failed to make Delco safer. It’s extremely troubling that Dave White and these legislators would not consult with or involve the elected officials in Chester before this announcement. The city of Chester has been working with Attorney General Josh Shapiro to secure these funds to combat gun violence yet neither party was involved in this announcement today. Any effective effort to curb gun violence will take a coordinated effort and, in a political stunt, Dave White and his cronies are trying to take credit for a lot of hard work that has been put into this by the elected officials in Chester and the Attorney General.”
Paris Grant, 37, and Loretta Rankin, 66, are neighbors on Carla’s Lane, just within yards of the basketball court on West Carla’s Lane.
During the press conference, they were standing outside their homes, taking a survey being conducted by a pair of nursing students from Widener University, 38-year-old Angelique Brooks of Clifton Heights, and 23-year-old Ambo Briggs of Sharon Hill, on ways to assist the community.
Grant, Rankin, Brooks and Briggs were in agreement that any funding to combat gun violence was a positive undertaking. “It’s a start,” said Briggs. “We need something,” said Grant, who resides with his wife and four boys aged 4, 7, 9 and 14.
Grant grew up in the city. He was only 8 and doesn’t remember when Carla Carrington was killed, struck by a stray bullet fired in a shootout between feuding teens. Rankin remembers the tragedy all too well, as well as when the name was changed from Norris Street to Carla Lane.
Rankin was happy to hear about the funding. She just wants to know how they are going to utilize the money to fix a problem that dates back generations. She blames drugs for a lot of the existing gun problems, as well as the way “parents are raising” their children nowadays.
Grant wasn’t home Saturday when the shooting on the basketball court occurred, but he’s been around other times when gunshots erupted in the area.
Unless his pet pit bull is on the front porch for protection, Grant said, “I don’t let my kids out of the house.”