Mayor Cherelle L. Parker speaks at a Tuesday news conference about a shooting at Fairmount Park on Memorial Day that left two dead and nine injured. Read more Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer

by The Editorial Board Published May 29, 2025, 5:00 a.m. ET

A recent uptick in gun violence — including a Memorial Day shooting in Fairmount Park — serves as an urgent reminder for Philadelphians that while the number of homicides has plummeted from pandemic-era highs, the city still has a serious public safety problem.

Between 2014 and 2020, the city’s homicide rate doubled. In 2021, 562 people were killed and more than 2,300 were shot — the worst year for killings on record. Ahead of the 2023 mayoral election, gun violence had become the city’s greatest concern .

In 2024, the

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