Anti-violence initiative in Philadelphia targets streets heavily impacted by gun violence

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The fourth day of an anti-violence initiative and peace patrol effort, titled Operation Hug the Block, took place on Friday.

It's an effort to bring peace to the violent streets of Philadelphia.

For day four, the group focused on Wayne Avenue and Logan Street in the violence-plagued neighborhood of Germantown.

"What we're doing now is an extended campaign to hit the blocks identified by D.A.s from 2015 as having 10 or more shootings," said Executive Director of Philly Truce, Mazzie Casher.

Earlier this summer, this block was where bullet holes riddled the storefront of a Chinese takeout, and a 19-year-old was injured.

In October of 2022, a 48-year-old man was injured in a shooting on the block.

A surveillance video shows a double shooting that happened in June of last year in the same place.

Police say more than two dozen shots were fired in that incident.

Peace on Philadelphia streets is what the group and others involved demand.

"We want a presence in our communities. We want people to come back out of their houses, we want people to not feel like hostages, want kids to play again," said Jamal Johnson with Stop Killing Us (SKU).

Overnight patrols of these neighborhoods will go on for the next few weeks.

The group plans to target 77 blocks in 77 days.

"There's more blocks that we need to get to, 77 days is a lot of days, but we've lost more lives," said Jon McKay, the CEO of Life Outside the Streets.

If you would like to get involved, visit their website.