The city is debating on whether or not to have a citywide curfew this Summer for children 14 to 17 years old at 10 p.m. The curfew for children 13 years old and under will be 9:30 p.m.

The bill was introduced last Thursday, June 16, and if it does take effect, it will begin this Summer and will cease on Sept. 29, 2022.

The proposal initially came from Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson in response to the deadly South street shooting that killed three people and injured 12, which took place earlier this month.

Three of the survivors of that shooting were minors.

Gilmore Richardson said in a meeting that children in Philadelphia are being plagued by the ongoing gun violence.

“As we all know, our great city is struggling with horrific gun violence, and no one is suffering more in our city than our young people,” she said in a meeting last week.

Gilmore Richardson also said that children also suffer from the trauma of gun violence.

In response to the violence in the city, Richardson has also been working to create community evening resource centers over the last 20 months.

These spaces will be a haven for children who are most likely home while their parents are working or for children who want to seek a protected environment.

Young people are able to go to the centers from 7 p.m. until 2 a.m.

“This is not a new initiative because of everything that has been going on, this is something we have been working on for the last several years,” said Gilmore Richardson.

Although some Philly locals agree that the curfew will reduce gun violence, Mayor Jim Kenney stated in a press conference that the curfew will also likely limit the amount of police officers on the streets.

"I don't think residents of any neighborhood would be appreciative of officers leaving their post to accompany minors to a curfew center," Kenney said.

The city has seen a significant uptick in gun violence. As of June 19, 2022, approximately 230 people have lost their lives due to gun violence. About 843 victims in Philadelphia suffered nonfatal gunshots.

Just last year, 562 people lost their lives to shootings in Philadelphia.