West Philly Panthers football team returns to practice near scene of West Philly shooting
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The sound of whistles and helmets clashing was a welcome respite in a neighborhood reeling from gun violence. The West Philly Panthers practiced Friday night on the field next to the rec center where nearly 100 shots were fired this past week.
Five people were shot near the Shepard Rec Center on Haverford Avenue on Tuesday night. Three people were taken into custody. Police are looking for three others.
On Tuesday night, the rapid sound of gunfire rang out and filled the night air at Shepard Recreation Center.
On Friday, three short days later, it was the sweet sound of children playing as if nothing had happened here days before, all as the boys of the West Philly Panthers football team practiced in the background.
"The kids are vested, the parents are vested into the program. They really support us, our parents. The kids want to be out here so I'm not really surprised. We're family. So they came back when we told them it would be safe," West Philly Panthers Vice President Nate Reed said.
"The parents, we're gonna make sure everybody is safe as much as we can. Like I said, it's a great environment out here," father Tyrone Mattison said.
Not surprisingly, there was an element of fear following Tuesday's shooting.
"Yes, in the beginning, we had some apprehension about coming back out right away, but after speaking with the local police and private security firms reached out, they told us that it would probably be a lot safer now that the incident happened," Reed said.
But the club dealt with that fear head-on.
"Yesterday the police came down and spoke, local politicians came down and spoke and we had grief counselors on hand that were provided to us for the kids to speak to also, so that was done yesterday," Reed said.
On Friday night, the kids and their families were once again out in full force.
"We still family out here. It's family at the end of the day. And we gonna grow stronger from this," Mattison said.
In so many ways, the fact that all these kids are out here practicing, and all these families are here enjoying a beautiful Friday night, speaks to their resiliency as well as the fact they simply don't have any other option but to live their lives --with or without fear.
