Mayor Jim Kenney and City Councilwoman Katherine Gilmore Richardson will host “Summer Palooza Take Two” on Friday as they look to address how the city plans to keep kids safe during summer break.
Officials will take the podium around 11:30 a.m. Friday, at they city’s Juvenile Justice Center on West Coulter Street. They’re expected to tout the city’s free and low cost recreation programs and announce the locations of two new Community Evening Resource Centers.
Kenney will highlight the city’s summer camps and enrichment programs, before taking questions. A “Cooking with Cops” activity is scheduled to follow the event.
The news briefing comes as the Parks and Recreation department confirms 300 incidents involving gun violence at or near their facilities since 2019.
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City Council approved a measure in April to install more security cameras amid the wave of violence. They announced the installation of 100 cameras throughout 14 so-called “Safe Play Zones” in an effort to deter crime, and capture evidence when crime inevitably happens.
Meanwhile, council passed a measure to put a permanent curfew in place this past December. As it stands, children under the age of 18 need to be home or accompanied by an adult after 10 p.m. We expect to learn whether that curfew is helping reduce crime and any changes council intends to make.
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