Gun Violence in Philadelphia is a Feminist Issue
When we think of feminism, often the issues that first come to mind are reproductive rights, the wage gap, voting rights, etc. An issue that may not be as obvious to many is gun violence. You may be wondering how gun violence is a feminist issue, or thinking that women have enough battles to fight without also taking on the NRA. But like it or not, gun violence needs to be at the forefront of intersectional feminism today- especially in Philadelphia.
According to different sources, gun violence in Philadelphia has increasingly targeted Black women over the past few years. As of May 2021, eighty-three women had been shot and killed in Philadelphia, with sixty-six of those being Black women. Since 2015, the number of shooting victims who are women have increased by over 50%. Gun violence on its own is a dangerous issue in the city, and young Black women have increasingly become targets. Black trans women are also common targets for violence, with 2020 being the deadliest year on record for murders within this community. Forty-four Black trans women were killed in Philadelphia last year, and thirty-seven so far this year.
This has been an issue for several years now. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, more women were shot and killed in 2019 in comparison to the twelve years prior, making 2019 the deadliest year on record for Philadelphia in the entire 2010 decade. So what is causing such a drastic increase in violence? Well, according to the Inquirer, poverty is a significant driver of gun violence, shootings, and murders. Evidence has shown that neighborhoods that were deemed ‘hazardous’ by the government in the 1940s have now gone on to have the highest records of crime and violence in the present day. These ‘hazardous’ neighborhoods had high populations of immigrants and people of color who were denied mortgages and loans from banks. This entire process describes redlining, which has played a significant role in identifying the neighborhoods that are considered the most dangerous today.
Of the 57 city blocks where 10 or more people have been shot since 2015, 53 were in communities the federal government deemed ‘undesirable’ on redlining maps created decades ago. Therefore poverty and gun violence in Philadelphia are directly connected. These ‘undesirable’ neighborhoods include some of the poorest streets in the country- for example, Kensington and Allegheny avenues. The intersection of poverty, crime, and violence here is extremely important.
For many years, arguably since the deadly mass shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school, gun control has been at the forefront of debates, political platforms, and news commentaries. Younger generations have become more involved in the movement as school shootings have unfortunately become more common. But it’s an issue that has less often been discussed through a feminist lens. To be truly intersectional as a feminist, one must confront the devastating impact that racism and classism have historically and its current day effects in modern day America. Learning how these two are correlated to gun violence confirms that this issue must also be part of our intersectional politics.
According to the Inquirer, there are in fact some Philadelphia neighborhoods that have experienced little to zero instances of gun violence. What do these neighborhoods have in common? More white residents in a higher socio-economic class. “The vast majority of the city’s developed blocks with housing — more than three-quarters of them — haven’t experienced a single shooting since 2015. Entire swaths of Center City, Northeast Philadelphia, Chestnut Hill and Roxborough, far whiter and wealthier than the rest of the city, have not seen a shooting for years,” the Inquirer reports.
We are fresh off the heels of Domestic Violence Awareness Month which is observed every October. According to national data, forty percent of female murder victims around the country are killed by an intimate partner. In Philly, these statistics are added to the number of women who are killed in crossfires, drug deals, and harassment cases. The rise of femicide in our city, and in the country as a whole, is something that must be addressed. Women increasingly feel unsafe whether they are at parties, walking home, or even in their own homes. Confronting just how many women, particularly Black women, have been killed in Philadelphia over the past few years means we must also confront the fact that poverty and redlining contribute to the reasons why they were killed. Gun violence can’t just be a feminist issue. It must be an intersectional feminist issue as well.
Fortunately, there are local organizations doing necessary work to help keep women safe. At Anti-Violence Partnership of Philadelphia, solutions include connecting women with services such as career coaching and housing relocation for those experiencing domestic violence or witness intimidation. Lisa Christian, a director of Community Services at the organization, says that the increase in femicide is a direct result of high poverty numbers exacerbated by the pandemic. We must address the systemic inequities that have led to exponential increases in gun violence and how it intersects with race, class, and gender. Because of this gun control is essential to help save the lives of marginalized individuals to ensure we all live in communities that are safe and free from violence.
Sources:
Explainer: What is femicide and how bad is it globally? — CNN
https://www.inquirer.com/news/a/philadelphia-shootings-homicides-redlining-kensington-20210916.html
https://6abc.com/philadelphia-gun-violence-black-women-crime-victim-police/10594894/
How redlining segregated Philadelphia — WHYY
https://whyy.org/articles/philly-trans-march-returns-to-demand-justice-equity-and-liberation/
