Uvalde Foundation launches volunteer safety patrols in Philadelphia following shooting of students
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A national nonprofit is taking steps to make Philadelphia's streets safer for young people.
The Uvalde Foundation For Kids, formed after the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in 2022, is launching its STOPNOW patrol program in Northeast Philadelphia.
Members of the organization's patrols will be in Philadelphia "coming from as far as Texas immediately and for the next several weeks minimum," foundation director James Earle said in the release.
The foundation is also looking to recruit and train additional volunteers within the next few weeks, Earle said.
The volunteers will ride SEPTA buses in Northeast Philadelphia during morning and afternoon hours, according to a news release.
The nonprofit noted in the announcement that because of the "current crisis in the city and students apparently being targeted," it is including the SEPTA system in the patrols.
Volunteers will also cover the neighborhood around Northeast High School and Crossan Elementary School and around Cottman and Rising Sun avenues. The patrols are a response to a shooting Wednesday in Northeast Philadelphia when eight teens were injured near a SEPTA bus station.
The program is modeled after the Guardian Angels anti-crime patrols in New York City in the 1980s. Volunteers patrol school perimeters to minimize and prevent violence and provide extra support for students, according to the release.
The foundation also announced Thursday that it is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest of the individuals responsible for the shooting through its "Crimes Against Students Program."
The foundation has also launched patrols at schools that have experienced violence, including Covenant School in Nashville and Michigan State University.
Volunteers receive training and will undergo background checks and drug screening, according to the foundation. Patrols usually include 4-8 volunteers, who are unarmed and wear berets and uniforms.
Those interested in volunteering can email uvaldefoundationforkids@gmail.com or call 877-780-8527.
The announcement comes as the latest investigation into the Robb Elementary School shooting put no blame on local police officers despite acknowledging several failures. Several family members of victims walked out of a presentation where the report was presented.