The July 4th shooting was in Kenyatta Johnson’s district. Here’s what he says Philly should do to prevent the next one.

For years, Kenyatta Johnson has organized “Peace not Guns safety walks” in his district, in which he and other neighborhood leaders knock on doors to strengthen community ties they hope will help prevent the next shooting.

On Friday, the day after a deadly July 4 shooting at 60th Street and Kingsessing Avenue, the City Council president got some high-profile help, with Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, District Attorney Larry Krasner, and Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton joining him as he went door to door.

» READ MORE: 1 dead, 8 hurt in July 4th shooting in Southwest Philly; 'This is not normal,' mayor says

The shooting, which left one dead and eight wounded, including four teens, was the largest since Johnson was elected Council president in January, and it took place in his 2nd District, which includes almost all of Southwest Philadelphia as well as the western half of South Philly.

“For the community members in Southwest Philadelphia, they shouldn’t have to feel like they’re hostages inside their own homes,” said Johnson, who founded Peace not Guns after his cousin was murdered in 1998. “It’s totally unacceptable.”

Shootings and homicides in Philadelphia have fallen dramatically in the last year after three years of record-setting gun violence. During that time, Philly experienced an exaggerated version of the national trends following the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, with shootings spiking here more precipitously than other places and violence now receding more quickly than any other large U.S. city.

So far this year, homicides are down 39% compared with the first half of 2023. But there have still been 132 killings in 2024, and Johnson said he knows the city must do more.

» READ MORE: From a family tragedy to City Hall, how Kenyatta Johnson rose to power before his corruption trial

He believes the reason for Philly’s comparatively rapid decline is the city’s strategy of pouring tens of millions of dollars into small community groups that do antiviolence, such as trying to intervene in neighborhood rivalries, providing trauma counseling, and offering activities for at-risk youth.

He has pushed for the city to continue supporting that program, which gets almost $30 million in the new city budget that took effect Monday. Johnson said it was critical the city continue “supporting the organizations that provide trauma support and violence prevention opportunities for our young people, which I believe is pretty significant.”

The program, known as Community Expansion Grants, has been criticized for being hastily assembled without proper oversight, and an Inquirer investigation found it resulted in some organizations with little experience and inadequate internal controls receiving taxpayer money while being unable to provide the services they promised. But it has also provided resources to proven groups that Johnson praised.

“It’s the violence prevention [grants] that I believe has played a major role,” Johnson said. “I believe that’s a testament to working with the boots-on-the-ground grassroots organizations.”

Parker initially proposed spending $25 million on the grants this year. But Johnson pushed for more, and the administration agreed to an additional $4.9 million, funded by rolling over unspent money from the previous budget.

» READ MORE: Philly poured $22M into an anti-violence grant program. It picked some groups unable to deliver on their proposals.

The Independence Day shooting occurred at a “pop-up party” organized on social media and attended by young people from across the city who descended on the area, Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said Friday.

Asked what Council could do to address the issue of spontaneous gatherings, Johnson said he would wait for Bethel’s recommendations on whether legislation is needed.

“They weren’t sanctioned. It’s not like they had a permit,” said Johnson, meaning that it’s unclear how to crack down on the gatherings because they are not licensed by the city like regular block parties. “The commissioner said that he will take a look at what policies are on the books.”

Staff writer Jesse Bunch contributed to this article.