A gravestone marks the resting place of a young victim of the Latino gang wars in a cemetery in northwest Philadelphia, PA. In 2005, there were 380 murders in Philadelphia, and many of the victims were young men such as this one.
Cherie Ryans holds signs depicting her son, Terence "Tee" Ryans, who was shot and killed outside a movie theater in September 1990 at age 18. The murder remains unsolved. Mrs. Ryans has become a force in the anti-gun movement in Philadelphia both independently and as part of Mothers In Charge, a community group.
Alleged members of the Latin Kings gang are arrested in northeast Philadelphia in connection with a murder that occurred two days earlier. Though major arrests such as this one are common in Philadelphia, the murder rate continues to rise.
Dr. Patricia Griffin begins to cry as she speaks about her son, Darien Griffin, who was killed in December 2003, at age 33, following an argument. Darien's case, which remains unsolved, was featured as part of a billboard campaign sponsored by a local radio station, which offered rewards in exchange for information on his killer. Dr. Griffin herself has been a part of many community efforts, including an anti-violence weekend workshop for girls.
Residents in northeast Philadelphia approach journalists at the scene of an arrest, as a woman cries "Why?" in Spanish. Scenes like this one are common in some neighborhoods, where tension between the people and authorities runs high.
Pastor Dicie Gilmore holds up an old picture of herself with her three children. Her son Nasir, on the right in the picture, was shot and killed in April 2004 following an argument with a friend.
Dorothy Johnson-Speight sits with a blanket and pillow made from the clothing of her son, Khaaliq Jabbar Johnson, who was killed in December 2001 over a parking space. After his death, she co-founded Mothers In Charge, a community organization dedicated to violence awareness, education, and prevention.
The gun vault of the Philadelphia Police Department. All of the guns in the vault, which number in the hundreds, have been used or recovered from crime scenes – many of them murders - dating back decades.
Richard Pomfret shows a medal belonging to his son, Shane, who was killed in April 2005 at age 15. He was shot by a friend who was playing with his father's gun.
Pastor Dicie Gilmore lowers her hands as if in prayer as she remembers her son, Nasir. "The people, they may forget," she says of victims like Nasir, "but the families...they never, ever, ever forget."
