My South Philly Crime Beat Column: The Man Behind ‘Stand Up South Philly And Take Our Streets Back’

The South Philly Review ran my Crime Beat column online today ahead of the print edition, which will come out on Wednesday.

You can read the column via the link below or the following text:

 The man behind 'Stand Up South Philly and Take Our Streets Back' 

I attended the June 11 South Philly street vigil for Billy Schmidt, the 22-year-old who was recently murdered.

The streets near 20th Street and Durfor were packed with people who were both saddened about the murder of the young man and concerned about crime in South Philly. They listened intently to the speakers at the vigil and shouted out approval when the speakers called for justice for Billy Schmidt.

I spoke to several people in the crowd and all expressed outrage at the senseless murder of Billy Schmidt and demanded that the murderers be arrested and punished.   

Billy Schmidt, a Penn State student who was set to graduate in December, was shot to death when he tried to recover his cell phone from two young men who robbed him. 

Billy Schmidt was murdered near his home early on Saturday morning, June 6, as he walked home from a local bar where he watched a basketball game. He was discovered lying on the street with a chest wound from a gunshot. The robbery and murder, which was captured on a doorbell video, has infuriated the community.

The video showed two young men acting like predators, walking around and looking for a victim. After shooting Billy Schmidt, the video showed the two men stripping off their hoodies to avoid being detected.

Hopefully, the video will lead to their arrest by the police.     

The vigil was organized by Anthony Giordano (seen in the above photo), 56, who, along with his wife Lisa, started the “Stand Up South Philly and Take Our Streets Back” Facebook page nearly six years ago.

I reached out to Giordano to ask him about his Facebook group’s activism.

“We were instrumental in stopping the safe injection sites and we also were instrumental in protecting South Philadelphia during the George Floyd riots, so we’re all about the neighborhood,” Giordano said. “Now we have about 20,000 people on Facebook.

“So, what happened was with any kind of neighborhood issue, the neighbors reach out to me. Small things, like the alley lights are out or reaching out to a councilman. The quality-of-life issues in our neighborhood are the big things that we do, so when I saw this young man, Billy Schmidt, get murdered, I said we have to do something for their family.” 

Giordano said that they could not let Schmidt die in vain.

“South Philadelphia cannot let him die like he did, all by himself face down on the street. He needed to be shown love and respect. South Philadelphia united for this kid, and that’s why I wanted to do the vigil.”

Davis: How many people showed up at the vigil?

Giordano: “I’m going to say it had to be close to 1,000 people. It was a good crowd.”

Davis: Who spoke at the vigil?

Giordano: “First District Capt. Kelly Robbins and Councilman Kenyatta Johnson spoke at the vigil. Dr. Mary Palmer from the city’s Division of Safe Neighborhoods spoke as well as St. Monica’s Father Kelly. Councilman Mark Squilla was there, but he didn’t speak.”

Davis: Was the vigil a success?

Giordano: “It was absolutely a success. It got the message out for the family to show that South Philadelphia cares. The South Philadelphia community stands up for its neighbors. People came from 2nd Street, Southwest Philadelphia, Delaware County and New Jersey. We definitely got the message across that we are a united front.”

Davis: How did you become involved as an activist?

Giordano: “I’m South Philadelphia born and raised. Someone has to help and get involved and enough is enough. The quality of life itself in South Philadelphia is declining. Things are happening in our neighborhoods that didn’t happen when we were younger, and now more violent crimes are creeping into our neighborhoods. I decided somebody’s got to be the voice. I’m not doing this for glory or trying to get a better job or trying to become a politician. I can tell you that’s the furthest thing from my mind. I want to retire in six years and umpire baseball games. Everything I do is for the community.” ••

Paul Davis’s Crime Beat column appears here each week. He can be reached via pauldavisoncrime.com  

My South Philly Review Crime Beat Column: Murdered For A Cell Phone

The South Philly Review posted my Crime Beat column online ahead of Wednesdays’ print edition.

 

You can read the column via the link below or the following text:

Murdered for a cell phone

 

Reports of the tragic murder of 22-year-old Billy Schmidt in South Philadelphia have been carried in the national press, including Fox News and the New York Post, and internationally, in such newspapers as the Irish Sun and the British Daily Mail. The nation and the world grieve for Billy Schmidt.

 

Here in South Philly, the seemingly senseless murder that stemmed from the robbery of his cell phone has left the local community stunned, sorrowful and angry. 

The murder of Billy Schmidt touched me as well for a number of reasons, one of which is that I live not too far from where he was murdered, which is unsettling when I think of my own family, and like Billy Schmidt, I, too, was a Penn State student when I was in my early 20s.

I thought of my fine life post-Penn State and then I thought of what the late young man would now not experience. He was robbed of his future as well as his cell phone.    

Billy Schmidt was murdered near his home in a relatively low-crime neighborhood early on Saturday morning on June 6 as he walked home. Police were called and the arriving officers discovered him lying on the street with a chest wound from a gunshot. He was rushed to a hospital and died at 1:47 am. The robbery and murder were caught on a doorbell video that was provided to the police. 

Bill Schmidt, the father of the late young man, told reporters that his son was his best friend. Billy Schmidt’s sister Anna called for justice for her late brother. 

“He was a really good person who cared about everybody and never hurt or bothered a soul,” the father said. 

I spoke to a couple of neighbors about the tragic crime, one of whom began to cry when I asked her about the murdered young man, although she had never met him.

“What is this world coming to?” she asked. “To be shot for a cell phone or a wallet or a car is madness. I saw the video and the killer looked like a child. I don’t understand how someone can take a life so casually.”

Her companion was enraged. “This is why senior citizen women like us are afraid to go out at night. Once it gets dark, I lock the door and stay inside. I hope the police catch these criminals and lock them away forever.”         

I reached out to Gary Capuano, a fellow South Philadelphian and a retired Philadelphia police sergeant, and asked for his take on the murder.

“First and foremost, I want to extend my condolences to the family of Billy Schmidt,” Capuano said. “Once again, we have an innocent victim gunned down on the streets of Philadelphia by violent criminals. If history is any indication, there is a good chance that when Billy Schmidt’s assailants are caught, we will find they have lengthy criminal records. 

“That raises an important question: Who holds judges accountable when repeat offenders are repeatedly given reduced sentences? I am not saying that is the case in this particular incident, but it certainly appears to have been a factor in some of the most heinous crimes we have seen in recent years.”

Philadelphia Police Capt. Kelly Robbins, the commanding officer of the 1st District, released a statement about Billy Schmidt’s murder on Facebook.

“On behalf of everyone in the 1st District, we extend our deepest condolences to William’s family, his friends and all who loved him. No family should ever have to endure a loss like this,” Robbins stated.

“We are fully committed to bringing those responsible to justice. Detectives have been aggressively working this case and will not stop until an arrest is made. We ask anyone with information to come forward and contact the Homicide Unit or the department tip line, 215-686-TIPS or tips@phillypolice.com.” 

Paul Davis’s Crime Beat column appears here each week. He can be reached via pauldavisoncrime.com.