Clarke Launches Mobile Crime-Fighting Office

City Council President Darrell Clarke cut the ribbon to launch a 33-foot Winnebago on its way as a mobile office to help stop violent crime on the streets of North Philadelphia.

The mobile office belongs to Philadelphia CeaseFire, a public health violence intervention program. The new Winnebago — wrapped in the message “Stop. Shooting. People.” — will travel through the neighborhoods of the 22nd and 39th Philadelphia Police Dists. to engage residents in efforts designed to reduce shootings and homicides in those vulnerable areas.

The Winnebago will be used at community events, in high-crime areas and during Philadelphia CeaseFire’s response to neighborhood shootings. The vehicle will also serve as a safe and quiet place to mediate conflicts which can escalate to gun violence. Since January of this year, Philadelphia CeaseFire has conducted over 125 mediations which have served as a crucial effort in reducing shootings in the 22nd Dist.

Philadelphia CeaseFire is a structured, deliberate and disciplined violence intervention that was developed in Chicago based on the premise that violence is a public health issue and can be prevented. The program in Philadelphia is one of the national replication sites of the Cure Violence (formerly known as Chicago Ceasefire) public-health model.

The goal of Philadelphia CeaseFire, which is an outreach program of the Center for Bioethics, Urban Health & Policy at Temple University School of Medicine, is to reduce the level of violence, particularly homicides and shootings within selected neighborhoods in the 22nd and 39th Police Dists. The approach includes efforts to heighten community awareness about gun violence and encourage area residents, community, business and faith-based leaders to work together and get involved. The program is a collaborative effort with the city’s Philly Rising Initiative and funded by the US Dept. of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency & Prevention.