Lonnie Young Recreation Center. (Photo: Rasheed Z. Ajamu)
Meet these kids where they are, on their level, says Debbie Fortune, community leader at Lonnie Young Recreation Center.
And that’s what the new “Playing it Safe in the 8th District” initiative wants to do.
The main goal of the initiative is to prevent and stop gun violence in and around recreation centers this summer. It’s a new collaborative effort by the team at Councilmember Cindy Bass’ office, Philadelphia Anti-Drug Anti-Violence Network (PAAN), the district’s police officers, and the Parks and Recreation staff.
The initiative started forming after multiple shootings of youth near Lonnie Young Recreation Center and Finley Recreation Center this past spring.
The idea and plan were introduced at a community town hall at Lonnie Young after the shootings, where elected officials and community members discussed possible solutions ahead of the summer months.
Kenneth Thompson, director of programs and community outreach at Councilmember Bass’s office, said the plan was inspired by his observations from a visit to Newark, New Jersey, where he saw how police, Community Crisis Intervention Program (CCIP) leaders, and city officials were working together to stop and prevent gun violence.
One main observation, said Thompson, was the presence of a facility in Newark where police, credible messengers, and city officials all worked together in the same physical location, providing a real opportunity for collaboration.
Without a specific facility for that in Philadelphia, Councilmember Bass and her team proposed turning the recreation centers into that kind of hub.
One of the key components of the Safe in the 8th initiative is the “Community Partnership Hubs.”
These are locations where police officers, credible messengers from PAAN, and organizers from the Councilmember’s office will have specific hours at each designated recreation center, where they will co-work, build relationships, and maintain a physical presence at the centers.
Don ‘Ike’ Jones, who is the director of the CCIP program at PAAN, stresses the importance of credible messengers – folks with lived experience who grew up in the area and can encourage alternatives to violence, to have a physical presence at the different centers.
“A lot of times, the kids know who’s beefing with who. They know what things are about to happen. They know about the meetups. They know these things, you know, so being in the area with the kids, forming a relationship with the kids is key to stopping the gun violence,” Jones said.
He says it’s all about building relationships with the youth and the community leaders in and around the centers, and his team are trained violence interrupters if anything does start happening.
Debbie Fortune notes that all recreation centers are different and each has its own unique needs. However, one thing she emphasizes is the priority of building those relationships and establishing trust.
“We welcome any help we can get for Lonnie Young. But at the same time, how will you interact with the children? What activities are you going to do? Don’t just come and stand around,” said Fortune.
She says the children need support and interaction from adults, who can build trust with them by listening, playing sports, or engaging in activities like chess, as well as simply interacting with them while they are on the playground or near the pool.
Thompson and Jones are taking into account the needs of all the different recreation centers and have spoken with the various staff at each center about their busiest hours.
At Lonnie Young, they knew they wanted to be present during Monday and Wednesday night basketball games, as well as immediately after the games, to ensure a safe environment during the busiest times.
Fortune thinks that’s a great idea.
She says it’s always good to have more people around during times when the sidewalks and streets could get hectic.
Jones is also planning to create basketball tournaments and other recreational activities that his team can participate in alongside the youth. Thompson says his office can help provide bottled water, water ice, and other snacks, as well as outside tents and tables for centers that lack an indoor space where people can congregate.
The plan includes police officers stopping by and conducting regular check-ins at the recreation centers, as well as performing their duties during the designated community safety hours.
Thompson says that as they’ve been organizing the plan, officers have been telling him that they can sit and do some of the work they need to do, and still be present in the space, working with PAAN and city officials.
Thompson and Jones both note that they don’t just want to drop in and move on. Jones said that one time a kid told him, If they are going to come there one time and leave, they may as well leave now.
Jones says he and his team want to be a consistent presence for the youth, listening to them to hear if they need food or other resources, helping them deal with trauma, and letting them know that they can talk to them if things are rough at home.
He says this is a key factor in stopping violence in the city.
He says PAAN can bring a lot of their training and resources to these hubs, and alongside the resources that the Councilmember’s office can bring, he thinks this initiative can really help. He also sees Thompson as a great mentor, someone the children really respond to.
Fortune reinforces the idea that adults should step up and serve as mentors and support systems for today’s youth.
“As adults, we all remember being children and youth, getting into the same thing half of these kids are doing now, and someone was in your corner, steering you in the right direction. So why not be able to return that favor to our youth now?”
The Playing it Safe in the 8th initiative will officially launch on July 1, 2025. Below are the confirmed community safety hours for hubs.
Lonnie Young Recreation Center (1100 E. Chelten Ave)
Daily Coverage
● 12-1 p.m. – Staff on site
● 2-3 p.m. – Staff on site (End of Day Camp)
Evening Hours
● Monday–Thursday: 5:30-9:30 p.m.
● Friday–Sunday:
- 3:30-4:30 p.m.
- 5:30-6:30 p.m.
- 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Happy Hollow Recreation Center (4800 Wayne Ave)
Daily Coverage
- 12-1 p.m. (Staff on site)
- 2-3 p.m. (Staff on site)
- 4-5 p.m.
- 6-6:30 p.m.
Belfield Recreation Center (2109 Chew Ave)
Daily Coverage
● 12:00 PM – 1:00 p.m.
● 2:00 PM – 2:30 p.m.
● 3:00 PM – 4:15 p.m. (End of Camp / Start of Open Swim)
Evening Activities (Monday–Saturday):
● 5-6 p.m – Basketball Games Begin
● 7 p.m. – Close – Recreation Continues
Jerome Brown Recreation Center (1919-41 W Ontario St)
Daily Coverage:
● 12-1 p.m.
● 2–3:15 p.m. (End of Summer Camp)
● 4-4:30 p.m.
Evening Activities (Monday–Friday):
● 5:15-6:15 p.m. – Basketball Games
● 7:15-9:30 p.m. – Basketball Concludes