Discussing Philadelphia's gun violence crisis and the cycle of trauma
"They're scared. They're worried. There is no one telling them they can do something different," said therapist Akea Williams.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- As the plague of gun violence continues across Philadelphia, it is children who increasingly find themselves as the target.
In the last year alone, 220 kids under the age of 18 have been shot in Philadelphia, which is a 10 percent uptick from the previous year.
While the gun violence crisis is affecting most of the city, some of our neighborhoods are getting the brunt of it.
SEE ALSO: 13-year-old, two 16-year-olds injured in West Philadelphia shooting; nearly 70 shots fired
On Monday, a 13-year-old and two 16-year-olds were shot in West Philadelphia.
It was a scene where police counted nearly 70 shell casings.
Investigators were at the scene of Lansdowne and Frazier around 4 p.m. investigating the shooting when more gunfire erupted.
Police then raced a block away to find another victim: a 45-year-old man shot multiple times in his leg.
"Individuals are firing with no regard whatsoever with the presence of law enforcement being out there," said Sgt. Eric Gripp with the Philadelphia Police Department. "This is just showing a complete lack of respect for the sanctity of life for themselves, law enforcement, their neighbors. It's sickening."
Our cameras captured two men holding a child, navigating the landscape of evidence markers. Another woman could be seen running from the second scene. It's a sad reminder of the toll and reality for people living in these violent neighborhoods.
"It's just not the victims that are hurt, it's the entire neighborhoods that are hurt," said therapist Akea Williams.
SEE ALSO: Philly nonprofit helping kids cope with trauma from gun violence after one of their own is shot
Williams is a Colmar-based therapist who specializes in helping to heal families affected by gun violence.
"The first thing I do is give them a hug. (I) let them know somebody cares about you because you don't know what they're going through. You don't know what someone's normal is," she said.
Williams said she too had a childhood filled with trauma in Philadelphia.
"They're scared. They're worried. There is no one telling them they can do something different. They're doing what they see. There are no other options for them with trauma," she said.
Through her nonprofit Akea's Heart, Williams provides free counseling to those in need. But she said she can't do it alone. Like police, she sees more and more perpetrators and victims of gun violence getting younger and creating another cycle of trauma.
"The shooters are becoming younger and younger and feeling they got to take over," she said. "It's a lot to do with the music. It's a lot to do with social media. But the main cause of it is untreated trauma."
Williams said there is a tremendous need for more therapists, especially those who take insurance. Wait times can be over a year, which sadly some of these kids don't have to get better.
