Philadelphia on Track for Fewest Homicides Since 1966
And yet, Governor Shapiro is preparing for an invasion of Trump's troops.
City Hall in Philadelphia, a city where homicides have plummeted (photo via City of Philadelphia)
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Philadelphia On Track for Fewest Homicides Since 1966
Even as his deployment of troops in Los Angeles has been deemed illegal, Donald Trump says he’s preparing to go into Chicago and Baltimore under the auspices of combatting crime in those cities – oh, and now it looks like you can add New Orleans to that list as well. He previously mentioned Philadelphia as a potential target, which would make complete sense, since all of the cities mentioned are run by Democrats who are Black.
I feel like Trump is maybe getting his news from 2021 or 2022, when Philadelphia saw a downright scary spike in homicides – or maybe he just follows Fox 29 doom-and-gloomer Steve Keeley too much. Who’s to say?
The truth that people like Trump don’t seem to want to accept is that crime is down in Philadelphia. And not just a little bit. Oh, there’s still crime. Don’t get me wrong. This is a huge American city. Crime is, unfortunately, a part of life. And one homicide is too many homicides. But can we all agree that 220 homicides are a lot different than 562 homicides? Philadelphia saw 562 homicides in 2021. Last year, that number was down to 269, a drop of more than half from that 2021 high. And the way we are trending right now, with 18 percent fewer homicides year-to-date when compared to the same time period last year, that puts us on track to land at 220 homicides for this year. And if that happens, 2026 will see fewer homicides than the city has seen since 1966.
Meanwhile, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is preparing for an invasion of Trump’s troops.
About That Semiquin…
Whether you call it the semiquincentennial or the 250th birthday of America, 2026 is going to be a big year for Philadelphia. There are all sorts of major events (like a World Cup match at the Linc on July 4th) and other plans in the works. Mayor Parker just unveiled some of those plans, part of what she’s calling “Ring It On! One Philly, A United Celebration.” Meh on the name but sounds like fun and couldn’t possibly be any worse than the Bicentennial, right?
I Wholeheartedly Agree
From the Inquirer: “The Rocky statue at the top of the Art Museum has overstayed its welcome…” (Don’t worry: We don’t have a problem with the regular Rocky statue that has been at the bottom of the steps for years.)
By the Numbers
3: Liver surgeries that former Philly Mag scribe and peerless chronicler of trashy Wildwood Boardwalk t-shirts Dan McQuade has been through over the last year. McQuade just revealed in a post on Defector that he’s been dealing with a rare form of cancer. Read more from him here.
1:30 p.m.: Time the parking lots will open at the Linc for Thursday night’s Eagles season opener against the Cowboys. Officials are opening the lots early due to expected congestion and confusion caused by SEPTA service cuts.
$500 to $2,000: Mini-grants available from Feet First Philly for its Public Space Enhancement program. So if you have an idea for a way to make your neighborhood safer and more walkable, you have until October 1st to get your application in.
Local Talent
Quakertown native turned hugely successful pop star Sabrina Carpenter just teamed up with Overbrook High School graduate turned Hollywood man of the hour Colman Domingo in a video for the former’s song “Tears.” Domingo does a bit of drag in the video. And some folks aren’t too happy about that. Just more proof that people really need to get a life.
