PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 21, 2014 — State Sen. Anthony H. Williams today issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Justice’s audit of an $800,000 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance grant to Philadelphia Safety Net:
“The Department of Justice’s allegations are very disturbing. Philadelphia Safety Net’s ‘Goods for Guns’ program has made a difference in the safety of the community but learning that much more of the money could have helped to remove hundreds of other guns from Philly’s streets is tragic.
“As nearly everyone knows, one of my great missions is to reduce the level of violence in the city. My season-long ‘Summer of Peace’ initiative encourages residents to consider safer, more peaceful alternatives and it serves to teach our children that there are much better alternatives to guns.
“Part of my violence reduction initiatives agenda has been to buy back guns. We’ve accomplished a lot in this area. It saddens me to learn we could have accomplished more.”
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