Violent crime surges in Northwest

Gun violence is rising in the 14th District. Police officials sought solutions during a monthly review, but found few clear motives

by MICHAEL J. MISHAK

Rocked by rising gun violence, political and civic leaders joined hands with East Mt. Airy residents last week during an anti violence vigil at Ross and Sharpnack streets, one block from a corner where three men and a 9-year-old girl were shot on Oct. 6.

State Rep. John Meyers and Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller, working with anti-violence outreach groups Men United for a Better Philadelphia and Mothers in Charge, were joined Friday night by local residents and a police contingent that included 14th District Capt. Winton Singletary and Inspector Jack Gaittens of the Northwest Division. Participants marched through the East Mt. Airy neighborhood, passing a recently boarded-up drug house, before joining hands to pray at the corner of Germantown Avenue and Montana Street. Speakers pleaded with neighbors to report the crime that has paralyzed their community.

According to statistics released by the Philadelphia Police Department on Thursday, Oct. 21, the 14th District, which encompasses Chestnut Hill, Mt. Airy, Germantown and parts of West Oak Lane, suffered 18 shooting incidents, 22 aggravated assaults involving guns, and four homicides from Sept. 17 to Oct. 14. The figures show shootings, armed assaults and murders have doubled since the district's last reporting period of Aug. 20 to Sept. 16. Much of that violence is concentrated in lower East Mt. Airy and Germantown. While Chestnut Hill remains largely untouched by violent crime, area civic leaders like West Mt. Airy Neighbors president Marc Stier are concerned that unchecked violence could bleed into stable communities.

"This neighborhood and this whole city is going to rise together or it's going to fall together," Stier said at last Friday's vigil. "Everything that happens is interconnected. We all need to be working together. People in this community need to step forward."

The dramatic spike alarmed police brass last week during the 14th District's monthly CompStat review, the department's system for mapping crime and analyzing trends.

Focused on violence hot spots, First Deputy Commissioner Patricia Giorgio-Fox pressed Singletary, commanding officer of the 14th District, for answers at last week's session held at the Police Academy in the Northeast. "What's going on here?" she asked.

Most gun-related crime seems to be unrelated and without a consistent motive, Singletary said.

While Narcotics and Parole units are assisting patrol officers in targeted areas, he said, collaring suspects has been difficult. Police believe most of the perpetrators, specifically for robberies, live in the immediate area of their respective crimes, and instead of running, retreat to their homes, he said.

Though overall arrests for violent crime are down both from the last reporting period and from last year, police have custody of one suspect they believe is responsible for at least three of the district's 35 recent armed robberies, Singletary said. Police also arrested four suspects last week for strong-arm robberies, he said. Authorities are still seeking suspects in recent shootings, including an incident on Oct. 12 when a man was shot in the chest and critically wounded on the 6300 block of Cherokee Street about 10:40 p.m.

Both Singletary and top police officials were at a loss for an explanation of the recent upsurge in shootings.

According to Capt. Richard Ross, of the Homicide Unit, patterns or trends often aren't immediately identifiable, but are revealed over time as cases are cleared. Though overall city homicides are down, from 277 at this time last year to 269 as of last Friday afternoon, the 14th District has already seen 23 murders this year, surpassing last year's total of 15. Last week, the 14th District was ranked 4th out of the department's 25 patrol districts for its homicide rate. It placed 2nd in the department's Northwest Division, behind the 35th District.

Still, the city is far from the 1990 high of 503 homicides. Many were unnerved by last year's 21 percent spike (348 murders) after a drop to 288 in 2002.

Ross said the district's last four homicides did not appear to be related. As for the district's overall total, detectives aren't committed to any single nexus theory, Ross said. Some murders appear to be motivated by domestic disputes while others stemmed from arguments, he said.

Community apathy and fear embolden criminals, Ross said. When witnesses or those with information refuse to cooperate with police, "these idiots get braver and bolder," he said.

Many times, residents fear those who are perceived as having gangster-status, a perception that often clashes with reality, Ross said. "A lot of these shooters aren't nearly on the level people believe," he said. "That's not to say that there aren't some cold killers out here. But I believe most of these people wouldn't have the capacity or heart to retaliate without a gun."

The Homicide Unit arrests its "fair share" of young people, Ross said. "Many have no concept of the ramifications of what they've done. That's made clear when they ask us, 'Am I going home now?' after an interrogation."

"Many teenagers and young adults believe falsely that their reputation is all they have," Ross continued.

State Rep. John Meyers spoke candidly at last week's vigil as neighbors opened their doors to join the gathering. "Our children are killing each other," Meyers said. "It's called self-genocide. We have decided to bring death, oppression and exclusion by us, to us."

Asking neighbors to be the community's "silent drug task force," Vernon Price, Democratic leader of the 22nd Ward and administrative aide to Councilwoman Miller, assured residents they could report crime anonymously to either police or to elected officials who would relay their concerns to authorities. "We all have a right to live in peace in our neighborhoods," Price said. "But we have to have courage, because without that you're not living, you're just existing from one moment of fear to another moment of fear. We've become barricaded in our homes and in our hearts."

Those who have lost loved ones to violence shared their stories and their support. Germantown resident Sophia Fleming's 17-year-old son Adam, who had gone out for a cigar, was gunned down outside a convenience store. Joyce Alexander, of Mothers in Charge, also lost her son to street violence. "There are too many mothers who've lost their kids. There's too much violence and too many guns in this area ... it's just getting out of hand," she said.

Neighbors agree.

Jonnie Grant and Marie Lyles, both Ross Street residents, said the violence had escalated in recent months. Pointing to what she called a drug house, Lyles said she routinely observed a group of young boys standing on the corner. "There's no control up here," she said. "They're young boys. They should be in school, but they're here."

Editor James Sturdivant contributed to this article.

Residents are encouraged to report crime to police by calling 911 or contacting the 14th District at 215-686-3140 or 3142. Those who wish to remain anonymous may call the Mt. Airy Safety Network at 215-438-6022 or Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller's office at 215-686-3425. Also, any citizen responsible for information leading to an arrest and prosecution involving a illegal gun may be eligible for a $1,000 reward under the police department's GRRIP (Gun Reward Recovery Information Program), which can be contacted at 215-683-GUNS.