Philadelphia, PA − August 12, 2019 − State Senator Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) issued the following statement Monday following a rash of weekend shootings in Philadelphia that left 12 injured and one person dead:
I am deeply saddened by the continued gun violence in the city of Philadelphia. This past weekend alone, a dozen people in our community were shot and one person lost their life because of the senselessness happening in our communities. While all of the shootings are tragic and should not be tolerated, the most troubling of the shootings reported happened near McCreesh Playground and Skatepark, which is part of a larger trend of shootings at our recreation centers. This is why I will soon introduce legislation that would ban firearms at public parks and recreation areas. Reps. Donna Bullock and Movita Johnson-Harrell plan to introduce the same legislation in the House and we remain unified in our goal to protect our people. Please know we are continuing to work with law enforcement on the local and state level to fight this epidemic in various ways. The gun violence in our communities must end and it is our task to work together to help bring safety to our citizens.