Philly D.A. Williams begins personal treks to fight crime

Deeply troubled on the day after the funeral of 18-year-old Shakuwrah Muhammad, Philadelphia's top prosecutor made a decision.

It wasn't enough for him to imprison the killer of the young woman just graduated from Central High School, an innocent caught between two groups of shooters June 20 in West Oak Lane.

It wasn't enough for him to imprison the killers of the dozens of others across the city, District Attorney Seth Williams told himself. He had to find a better way to connect with people in the city's most crime-ridden neighborhoods, he thought, and help them "take back our streets."

So at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, he set off on a journey of discovery that should keep him stepping most weekend nights this summer. He began in West Philadelphia, in the neighborhood where he grew up, where he went to St. Carthage Catholic School, where he played in Cobbs Creek Park, where 11 classmates lost their homes in the MOVE bombing 25 years ago, where he still goes to church.

On this sweltering evening, he was joined by about 100 community organizers, police officers, politicians, church members, parents, and children for a stroll two miles down 60th Street, from Market Street to Washington Avenue.

Along the way, he heard worries about liquor sales, malfunctioning security cameras, and loitering teens. He shook youngsters' hands and urged them to excel in school. He greeted residents sitting on their stoops, wide-eyed at the eclectic throng.

"We're going to put you in the White House," one man yelled.

Williams smiled. "I'm just trying to keep 60th Street safe first," he answered. "How's that?"

"Right on," a woman hailed from a passing car, giving the group a thumbs-up.

Several police cars with flashing lights drove beside the group, with other officers on foot. Williams made it clear they were there to talk, not confront.

Saturday's walk was only the start. Williams, who took office in January, intends to take the three-hour treks - from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. - on as many Fridays and Saturdays as he can this summer, a season when violent crime tends to accelerate.

He plans to walk through the Badlands of West Kensington, through Olney, Germantown, and the Far Northeast. One night, he says, he'll visit 58th Street between Baltimore and Woodland Avenues, "one of deadliest corridors in the city."