Lockdown blamed in part for Philadelphia rise in gun violence

Conservative News DailyFebruary 14, 2021

PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 14: Police officers congregate while responding to a shooting on August 14, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At least six police officers were reportedly wounded in an hours-long standoff with a gunman that prompted a massive law enforcement response in the city's Nicetown-Tioga neighborhood. (Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images)

Police officers congregate while responding to a shooting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images)

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UPDATED 10:05 AM PT – Sunday, February 14, 2021

In a new study published by Temple University, the pandemic lockdown was cited as one of the causes of the spike in gun violence in Philadelphia. The study showed how gun violence rates increased after pandemic lockdown measures were put in place in March.

Trauma surgeons in the city said they were looking for an explanation for the increase in gun violence patients, which prompted the study. Researchers said the spread of the virus compounded issues already seen in low-income communities.

Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Tom Farley, left, speaks with members of the media as Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney listens during a news conference at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

“With the containment policy has come exacerbation of poverty and those structural disadvantages,” Dr. Jessica Beard of Temple University stated. “And that connection is likely the cause for the uptick.”

Police in riot gear face protesters marching through West Philadelphia on October 27, 2020, during a demonstration against the fatal shooting of 27-year-old Walter Wallace, a Black man, by police. - Hundreds of people demonstrated in Philadelphia late on October 27, with looting and violence breaking out in a second night of unrest after the latest police shooting of a Black man in the US. The fresh unrest came a day after the death of 27-year-old Walter Wallace, whose family said he suffered mental health issues. On Monday night hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets, with riot police pushing them back with shields and batons. (Photo by GABRIELLA AUDI / AFP) (Photo by GABRIELLA AUDI/AFP via Getty Images)

Police in riot gear face protesters marching through West Philadelphia on October 27, 2020. (Photo by GABRIELLA AUDI/AFP via Getty Images)

The number of people shot each week in Philadelphia almost doubled during the pandemic by jumping from 25 to 46. More than 2,200 people were shot and nearly 500 killed during 2020.