Northeast Philly residents meet to discuss crime concerns
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Residents in Philadelphia's Tacony and Mayfair neighborhoods gathered to talk about their concerns over the rise in crime in their communities Thursday night.
Police from the 15th District led this community meeting. They listened to concerns about quality of life issues. One of them included the violence that happened in the Tacony, Holmesburg and Mayfair areas.
Showing strength in numbers at Roosevelt Park.
In the past week, police responded to a quadruple shooting on Guilford Street in Mayfair where three people were killed, and on Torresdale Avenue in Tacony, a beloved gas station attendant was shot and killed.
Police addressed the violence and what may be driving it.
"I wish we that could predict and foresee why these shootings are occurring, but I do know throughout the city narcotics is a major driver of a lot of the shootings," one police officer said.
While police say they don't have all the answers, they say they are going to continue the fight and focus on the good.
"I just want to make sure we are looking at the positive and not the negative and hopefully, collectively we can make this a better place," another police officer said.
"There is a lot of good people here, just don't believe the bad stuff," a woman said.
Neighbors say they hope these types of meetings start to spread city-wide.
"Whoever you are, whatever you are doing, make sure you are getting people together like this," a man said.
Police say they are trying to be proactive and there have been more patrols in the area.