Where's the Love, Philadelphia?

05/21/2024

“Dealing with folks who lost loved ones to gun violence, it’s hard … Outside people say, ‘Oh, you should be over that’ … People can be insensitive because they don't understand ... You never imagine that your child or your loved one can walk out the house and get gunned down by some stupid person. You never think that."

Nadine Holliman is an advocate for victims of violence and co-victims of homicide and a community resource specialist at Cure Violence Philadelphia. As a former foster child and foster parent, she’s well-versed in navigating the systems that are often so difficult to access for Philly’s Black and low-income residents and now makes it her goal to help others do the same.

Holliman spoke to WTL about her experience helping victims navigate both the legal and human sides of trauma, what it's like living in a community where guns are so prevalent, and why community resources and organizations are key to addressing gun violence as a public health issue.

Nadine Holliman is rarely without a flier or a door hanger bag full of information on community programs and resources. She spends her days sharing these resources, or in court advocating for victims of violence and co-victims of homicide. Holliman has always been passionate about helping others in....

11/15/2023

"They’d come in your neighborhood, and they had a slogan: Get down or lay down. Get down with us, or you’re gonna be laying down."

Andre Porter came up under the reign of the Junior Black Mafia in Southwest Philly in the 80s and 90s, an era coinciding with the highest homicide rates in the city's history.

Now a street outreach worker for Cure Violence Philadelphia, Porter talked with WTL about the similarities he sees between the JBM era and North Philly's current cycle of violence driven by drug dealing and competition for street cred. He says the biggest challenge in reducing violence today is a dominant street culture focused on “image” -- clothes, shoes, cars, drugs, and violence.

He's working toward changing that culture by modeling financial stability for young people and increasing accountability among community members.

Andre Porter’s approachable demeanor and ties to both North and Southwest Philly make him a valuable community leader, though he says he was too shy to take up that mantle initially.

10/06/2023

Hi all, Tia here. I'm excited to announce that WTL Philly is once again live! The gun violence reporting scene has come so far since I last worked on the project in 2018. I've been glad to meet some of the people involved and am eager to see how this project can contribute.

Please check out Lamar McCrory's story -- the first of several new interviews to come with
Cure Violence Philadelphia outreach workers. They're doing outstanding work de-escalating violence and providing community resources throughout North Philly.

“I can be loquacious,” Lamar McCrory warns, pausing in the middle of recalling stories from the many walks of his life. A charismatic public speaker, mentor, and artist, McCrory’s work centers around forming connections throughout his home community of North Philly, whether through his art –...

11/25/2018

“Not only did activists fail to enact these policy ideas, the ideas, however laudable, don’t have much relevance to the vast majority of gun deaths. They can’t help motivate people after memories of the last massacre fade.“

It’s not the money. It’s the culture.

07/17/2018

Check out a new letter from the editor by co-founder Tia Yang, reflecting on the national rhetoric surrounding gun violence in the US, and how it relates to our work.

And if you haven't yet, please check out our kickstarter page to learn more about and support our upcoming photobook! www.kickstarter.com/projects/wtlphilly/wheres-the-love-philadelphia-photobook

Friends of WTL, A question I'm commonly asked when I speak to people about WTL is "what policies would you suggest?" People want to know what petition they can sign, what letters they can write to their lawmakers, what specific gun control legislation they should support. I wrote the foll

07/13/2018

Honored to have our photographs featured on Aint-Bad! Check out the link below and don't forget to donate to our Kickstarter: https://kck.st/2L829cE

Where’s the Love, Philadelphia? is a multimedia storytelling project that seeks to raise awareness of the gun violence epidemic in Philadelphia by sharing the stories of those affected. We believe the key to understanding gun

06/29/2018

Coming soon: a Where's the Love Philadelphia photobook!

Some of the WTL founding team has reunited to adapt narratives from our site and publish them in the form of a photobook, and we've just launched a Kickstarter campaign to help make this a reality.

We are immensely grateful to all of the interviewees and community partners who have helped make this project possible since our founding in 2014, and all of the funds raised will be used to print books to distribute to our partners and other community organizations.

Please check out our Kickstarter page to learn more, and donate or spread the word if you're able.

THANK YOU for your support!

A photobook adaptation of audio-visual stories documenting the impact of gun violence on residents and communities in Philadelphia.

02/27/2018

"Preliminary findings yield data that demonstrate an intuitive yet striking relationship between gun homicides and economic activity at the neighborhood level..."

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02/19/2018

"The most common mental health consequences for people immediately affected by large-scale acts of violence resemble post-traumatic stress disorder..."

The effects of violence on a population's mental health are far-reaching.

02/13/2018

"According to a 2004 study, increased violence had the greatest impact on the growth of service-related establishments in low-crime neighborhoods."

Looking at gun violence from an economic perspective can also deepen our understanding of this challenge and help identify new ways to save lives.

02/07/2018

"Scratching beneath the surface of the data on gun fatalities reveals a complex landscape affected by factors like race and ethnicity, gender, and location."

Of all gun-related fatalities in 2010, 11,000 were considered homicides. The rest—more than 19,000 deaths—were classified as suicides.

02/01/2018

In order to have a long-term impact on this intractable problem, we must realize that gun violence touches all of us and take some responsibility in its demise.

We must break the cycle of poverty as well as disparities in schools, job opportunities and the criminal justice system.

01/02/2018

Founding member Tia Yang had the opportunity to chat with the Project Lantern team about Where's the Love, Philadelphia? Check out the podcast below!

Project Lantern is a global launchpad for youth-led social impact. Their podcast, Lantern features young people trying to 'change the world' and trying to understand what that actually means. Learn more at their site: www.projectlantern.com.au

“As far as breaking stereotypes in general, it's important to not be afraid to ask, because if you ask someone something… it shows that you’re not aware of something but want to be."

For our fifth episode, Asanga Seneviratne sits down with Tia Yang, co-founder of Where's the Love, Philadelphia? (WTLP) to discuss her experience getting out into the local community, breaking down stereotypes around gun violence, advocacy through photography work and solutions to gun violence and WTLP's mission to raise awareness around the gun violence crisis in Philadelphia and to share the stories of those affected.

Listen here: https://www.projectlantern.com.au/lantern/2017/12/24/episode-5-tia-yang

Subscribe here: bit.ly/lanternitunes

12/05/2017

"[A] group of community, political and religious leaders held a news conference at the Civil Rights Heritage Center to express outrage about a recent outbreak of violence that resulted in several deaths, and to implore to be proactive and addressing it."

SOUTH BEND — Concerned citizens will work to develop plans to combat the city's gun violence problem in the coming weeks.

12/03/2017

"The Trace and other media have noted a surge in gun thefts as a consequence of the desire of Americans to carry a gun for self-defense. But trying to make any specific connections between guns that are reported stolen to guns picked up in crimes is an inexact science..."

Our friends at The Trace have released a treasure-trove of data which should be used to set a new standard and direction for gun violence research. The d...

12/02/2017

12/01/2017

"Experts say that the public has to be careful with how it thinks about gun violence and mental illness, otherwise it could stigmatize those who suffer from mental health issues."

A report published by the APA says that fewer than 1 percent of firearm homicides are committed by a person diagnosed with a mental illness.

11/18/2017

An opinion piece on the links between white supremacy and the culture of gun violence.
"[It's] necessary to see the connections to the broader culture of violence that gun control and the Las Vegas shooting has ... we’ve been conditioned not to."

Reducing this culture of violence — or even just this one instance of violence — as simply an issue of gun control erases and negates the real impact that white supremacy has in terrorizing. In the wake of the Las Vegas shooting, there’s a blanket sense of hopelessness and frustration that is grippi...