Philadelphia Homicides on Pace for Historic Low. No, Really!
The news Steve Keeley won't tell you.
The scene on South Street in Philadelphia after a mass shooting in 2022, back when the Philadelphia homicide rate was soaring (Getty Images)
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Philadelphia Homicides on Pace for Historic Low
If you’re addicted to local television news or Fox News or if you live your life based on 15-second blips on TikTok or whatever the awful Citizen crime app has to say, you are probably still convinced that Philadelphia is a desolate hellhole, the Wild Wild West of urban living, where anything goes and where crime is rampant and without consequence. The “car meetup” events from Saturday night into Sunday morning, which featured a ring of fire outside City Hall and at least one flamethrower, are probably all you can talk about. You’re living your best Steve Keeley life.
But here’s some news that Steve Keeley and his ilk can’t find the time to tell you: Philadelphia’s homicide count is on pace for a historic low. You read that right, and I’ll say it once again for those in the back: Philadelphia’s homicide count is on pace for a historic low.
Now, this isn’t fake news. This isn’t my opinion. This is real news based on, you know, facts. Data. Statistics.
According to the latest data provided by the Philadelphia Police Department, homicides in Philadelphia are down 40 percent in Philadelphia as of Tuesday morning compared to the same time period last year. If you think I’ve told you similar things in the not-too-distant past, you’re not wrong. Back in April, I cautiously reported that our homicide count was down 34 percent. I say cautiously because, well, anything can happen at any time, sending those numbers in the wrong direction. Also because we hadn’t yet hit summer, and generally speaking, summers are associated with more violent crime.
Well, friends, guess what? Summer is officially over. And we went from a 34 percent decrease in homicides as of April to a 40 percent decrease in homicides as of today. If we stay on that track, that would mean that we’d end the year with 246 homicides. And if we do that, 2024 would tie 2013 for the lowest number of homicides in Philadelphia for the last 56 years. To do better than that, we’d need to end the year with fewer than 234 homicides. That’s how many homicides the city saw in 1967. One can hope!
So why is crime down in Philadelphia? This guy says he has the answers.
The Doctor Will C-Sharp You Now
Normally, the CT scanners on the third floor of HUP have, you know, humans inside of them. But thanks to a research project at Penn, you might now find violins or cellos worth much more than your car inside of them. Who knew? WHYY with a most unexpected story.
A Red October, Indeed
It wasn’t always pretty. It took longer than it should have. But the Phillies have finally clinched their first National League East title since 2011. World Series here we come? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. But here’s the brand new Phillies hype video to get you excited.
By the Numbers
10 percent: Increase in Philadelphia homelessness from 2023 to 2024, according to a new report. The number of homeless people in Philadelphia is now the highest it’s been since 2020.
10th: Ranking of the University of Pennsylvania on the latest college list from U.S. News & World Report. Penn is the only Philadelphia school to make the top ten, though nearby Princeton landed in first place.
$35,000: What Philly dive bar Bob & Barbara’s says it spent to construct a streetery on South Street, a streetery that the city approved. The problem? Just months after Bob & Barbara’s finished the structure, the city is now demanding that the bar remove it. Click here to read more about Bob & Barbara’s streetery nightmare.
Local Talent
OK, I think the Oscars slap thing was long enough ago that from this point out, I can mention Pride of Overbrook High School Will Smith without referencing the aforementioned slap. Right? Anyway, I just learned that one of Smith’s upcoming movies is a Queen Latifah biopic that he’s producing, which seems like one of those movies that could be amazing or really awful and probably not anywhere in between. He’s also producing the Planes, Trains & Automobiles remake, thusly proving that there really aren’t any original ideas left in Hollywood.
