Philadelphia officials hold "Peace Not Guns" town hall at Imhotep High School after violent week of shootings
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It was a packed house inside Imhotep Institute Charter High School for a town hall called "Peace Not Guns" on Wednesday night.
During the first part of the town hall, city leaders remembered 17-year-old Dayemen Taylor, who police say was killed last week in a shooting at a SEPTA bus stop. Police say four other people were also shot.
Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson and Councilmember Cindy Bass hosted the event to address the gun violence plaguing the city.
"We know it was a rough week last week in the city of Philadelphia," Bass said. "We want to get in front of this before the summer hits. We intend to work very hard to make sure that there are opportunities for our young people this summer."
Community members filled the seats, listened, asked questions and offered their own personal resources and solutions.
"You know for a fact if you have a 14-year-old child who is out after 10 o'clock, 11 o'clock, where is the parents? Let's not blame Cherelle [Parker], let's not blame the police chief, let's not blame the schools. We have to start looking at ourselves and blaming ourselves," one community member said.
Bass hopes people left the meeting with a sense of hope and a constant fight for change.
"They want different, they want change, they want better and that's what this evening did for me," Lanette Harris said.
"I'm hopeful that people will feel hope," Bass said. "That they will feel a sense of direction and they feel that police, all the partners, everyone who is really working together, the schools, the educators, everyone's really working together to come up with solutions."