From the moment Alyssa Prado first toured Temple, she was set on committing to the university. But as her freshman year of college drew near, her confidence in her selection wavered because of North Central’s lingering reputation as a dangerous area.

“Halfway through my senior year, I was a little iffy about [coming to Temple],” said Prado, a sophomore psychology major. “I was leaning more towards West Chester just because of safety, because I was kind of listening to everyone else being like, ‘Oh, well, Temple’s really unsafe.’”

Philadelphia has struggled with high rates of crime and gun violence, but sensationalized news coverage has played a direct role in stigmatizing North Central, a neighborhood rich with history, culture, families and hard-working individuals, as a crime-ridden danger zone. 

The perception of North Philadelphia as an unsafe, uninhabitable neighborhood reflects a broader phenomenon that often vilifies urban, low-income and minority communities. This generalization can eclipse the neighborhood’s strengths and reinforce a negative self-perception for residents and incoming students. 

Since arriving at Temple, Prado has yet to experience the dangers she was warned about in high school. 

“Even being on campus specifically, I’ve never felt unsafe,” Prado said. “Coming here, I definitely was at first a little nervous, but as long as you’re not stupid about it and as long as you’re not walking around at 3 a.m. by yourself, you’ll be fine.”

MEDIA COVERAGE OF GUN VIOLENCE

Historically, citizens of North Central have felt that media outlet’s crime coverage is rooted in sensationalism and misrepresents the reality of their neighborhood. Residents of North Philadelphia, Lower Northeast Philadelphia and West Philadelphia have also shared that stories about their neighborhoods were too negative, according to a February 2023 study by the Center for Media Engagement at The University of Texas at Austin. 

Crime is one of the most important topics for Philadelphians — and for Temple students — but crime coverage and word of mouth often don’t paint a comprehensive, fully accurate picture of a neighborhood, Prado said. 

“I do think that being in Philly, you’re most likely to hear outside people who say stuff about Temple and Temple being unsafe, but I feel like that’s a lot of major cities, like New York, so it is frustrating to hear when people do say that,” Prado said. 

Philadelphia is a diverse city, with nearly 64% of the population identifying as members of minority groups, according to the United States Census Bureau. These prevalent marginalized communities, like North Central, are more likely to be misrepresented by news reports, often receiving exclusively negative coverage that can perpetuate harmful stereotypes, according to an April 2023 study by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. 

While overwhelmingly negative coverage impacts the mental health of the community, the violence itself can further compound these feelings and cause residents distress. In addition to the initial shock and sadness that gun-related incidents cause, the tragedies can have long-term effects on mental health. People who lose loved ones or experience a shooting can develop post-traumatic stress disorder, panic attacks and even suicidal thoughts. 

Low-income areas, like Philadelphia, which has been dubbed by some media outlets as “America’s poorest big city,” are also more prone to gun violence and crime. Even just living in areas with high rates of gun violence can cause individuals to become more anxious and suffer from chronic stress, according to HelpGuide, an independent non-profit organization specializing in mental health.

GUN VIOLENCE STEADILY DECLINING

Gun violence has been a long-standing issue in Philadelphia, but gun-related crimes rose across the city in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, when there were 281 incidents. Neighborhoods in North Philadelphia were among the most affected. 

Gun violence in Philadelphia experienced an uptick in 2020 following the pandemic, but has consistently declined since 2022. The city had its lowest violent crime rate of the last 10 years in 2024.

Northwest and Northeast Philadelphia — where most Temple students live — were among the neighborhoods with the most significant reduction in shootings between 2023 and 2024, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. 

STUDENT PERSPECTIVE

Although news coverage that includes Temple is often plagued by violence, some students believe media outlets falsely represent how dangerous the area truly is by choosing to carry stories that highlight crime rather than positive things happening in the community. 

Nigel Andrews came to Temple from St. Louis — another big city that carries a reputation of danger. But Andrews has still felt safe in both cities and feels that media representation can cause anxiety and make isolated incidents of violence seem more common than they really are. 

“They say St. Louis is one of the most dangerous cities in the country,” said Andrews, a freshman environmental studies major. “It’s not, it’s all just statistics and people pulling stuff.” 

In the age of rapid Internet and social media, information travels fast. Swift news has its benefits, but it can also make individuals feel overwhelmed. Frequent exposure to news, whether it comes from social media or traditional news outlets, can affect people’s mental health and lead to depression and anxiety disorders, according to the American Psychological Association. 

“[Violence] happens, but I think it’s overdone by the news,” Andrews said. “If you look up Temple, it’ll come up with violence, but I don’t really think it’s a problem if you have any common sense.”

Despite the recent decrease in gun violence across the city, there have still been recent incidents close to Main Campus that raised concerns among students. Temple’s Department of Public Safety Daily Crime log has reported 11 incidents involving handguns between Feb. 3, and April 6. 

This semester, a student was also killed in a gun violence incident involving another Temple student. A few days later, another student was stabbed multiple times but survived.

These incidents, coupled with the frequency of coverage and alerts, can make students and community members feel like they exist in a constant state of anxiety.

“I felt okay, but at the same time it’s still disturbing,” said Grant Heberling, a freshman communication studies major. “It puts you a little on edge when all of that happens.” 

This feeling can also be amplified when people feel they have no control or ability to improve the situations they are hearing about, according to Mental Health America, a nonprofit dedicated to combating mental health stigma. 

Abby Briglia typically gets local crime news from sources like the Citizen app, university TUalerts and Temple-related Instagram accounts. The influx of crime reporting can at times grow distressing, so taking a step back from social media is beneficial to her mental health, she said.

“I follow [The] Temple News, student safety, and a lot of that coming at you at once can be a little overwhelming, so I would just say for myself, I just kind of step away from it when [violence] happens,” said Briglia, a junior psychology major. 

Similar to Briglia, other students find that stepping away from the constant news cycle and changing their perspective on violence while on campus can prevent the perception of violence from taking over.

Tara McElwain’s perception of gun violence has changed since moving to an area with higher rates of crime than her hometown. 

“At this point, I don’t have the same reaction that I used to when I was younger and I would find out that like somebody had been shot, where I’m thinking about what it would be like to be that person, because it’s so much more frequent,” said McElwain, a junior sociology major. “I’ve kind of shut down that part of my brain so that I can keep functioning.”

COMMUNITY SERVICES

Given gun violence’s impact on mental health in Philadelphia, an abundance of resources are available to support community members while navigating the environment. 

The Central Division Victim Services at Cecil B. Moore Avenue near 16th Street offers counseling services to help victims of robbery, assault, burglary or other violent crimes who might be struggling with their mental health. The CDVS also partners with the Victim Compensation Assistance Program to help victims get compensated for the money they spend due to a crime.

“It’s all about connecting and partnerships and knowing who’s who in your community, so that way you don’t have to try everything,” said Tijania Goodwin, community awareness and marketing coordinator for CDVS. “Everything is figure-outable.”

People of some demographics are more likely to experience gun violence. Young people are more vulnerable to gun violence, especially between the ages of 14-25. A 14-year-old Black male in Philadelphia has a 1 in 8 chance of being injured or killed in an incident involving firearms before they turn 25, according to a November 2024 study by the University of Pennsylvania. 

The CDSV implements initiatives like the PATH program to help with gun violence prevention. The CDSV partners with some schools and neighborhood advisors to connect with students, Goodwin said. 

“Some students sign up for the program and what they do is they assist them with maybe, let’s say, getting a job or maybe applying for school, because this is for ages 14 to 24 so not only do we handle them while they’re in high school, but also post high school,” Goodwin said. 

On campus, Temple opened The Community Gateway in fall 2023 to connect community members with resources about education, youth programs and health, hoping to decrease gun violence. 

The Community Gateway offers in-person assistance and can guide people to access the information they need. Community members can also fill out an online form to get resources about mental health, job training and adult education. 

Gun violence deeply affects the community in multiple areas, including its residents’ mental health. While community outreach programs and initiatives can help, a number of students believe extractive reporting and misrepresentation can make a difficult situation even worse. 

“I think in general, the more open of the dialogue that you have about things that are happening and the less of a distinct line you draw between [the surrounding community] and [Temple], the more beneficial it is,” McElwain said. 

Bayleh Alexander, Evelyn Blower and Kennedy Brown contributed reporting.