Pilot program Area 32 in Philadelphia spotlights gun violence, community outreach

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Block by block, a group of young men in Philadelphia are taking back their zip code.

They're part of a pilot program called Area 32, which is dedicated to changing the culture on some of the city's most dangerous street corners.

"We door knock, we talk to residents, we find out what some of their concerns are as it relates to gun violence and solutions," said John Solomon.

It's a routine that Solomon says right now, he and a group of young men do three nights a week.

The pilot is called Area 32 for zip code 19132.

Action News asked the group, why this zip code? Is it a known hotspot for gun violence?

"Per capita, this is one of the highest shooting hot spots in the city," answered Pastor Carl Day.

One of the biggest tools in the group's arsenal is trust within the community.

"Most of the guys that we recruited are from the community, from the 19132 zip code, and already have credibility among the residents in the neighborhood," said Solomon.

Most of the kids in the nieghborhood already recognize the men of Area 32 when they come around.

The violence interrupters, as members of the program are called, range between being in their late teens to in their 30s.

The young men tell residents about programs they spearhead that handle trauma services, athletic programs, and job preparedness.

They even recruit others from the neighborhood to join their efforts.

"People need hope, and if they don't see men in their own communities taking back their communities in the right way, I don't know where else the hope is supposed to come from," said Solomon.