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

When Williams grew up in the 700 block of South 63d Street, the neighborhood was less violent. The corridor he patrolled Saturday spans the 18th and 19th Police Districts, which in the last year had 36 murders, 108 rapes, and 1,150 aggravated assaults.

Williams remembers the time his mother and his aunt began carrying big sticks on walks in the park. They were afraid children would rob them.

"It was one of the reasons I went into law school and wanted to be a prosecutor," he said. "I wanted to be on the side of victims of crime."

He has his work cut out for him.

While he walked the neighborhood, shootings continued in other parts of the city. A 20-year-old was shot in an arm on Susquehanna Street. Another 20-year-old was shot in a leg on Bridge Street. At 3 a.m., soon after he finished, a shooting occurred in Bustleton.

"I have two BlackBerries that go off - one of them with nothing but the shootings, the stabbings," Williams said. "People in the city are desperate for change."