Award of Excellence
April Saul
The Philadelphia Inquirer
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"CAMDEN UNDER SIEGE"
In 2012, Camden, NJ became not only the poorest city in America, but--following massive public safety layoffs the year before--the most dangerous. By year’s end, there were a record 67 homicides, and though most were related to drugs and gang warfare, many involved children and victims whose only crime was living in Camden. It became a year for activism, with a daylong summer boxing tournament to promote peace, and a field of crosses in front of City Hall to remember the murder victims and bring attention to the tragedy. By December, a gun buyback in Camden that had yielded only about 50 guns the year before netted over a thousand weapons from residents, many of whom cited frustration with all the violence.
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A young boy cries at the funeral for his father, gunned down in Camden.
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