Bells rang across Philadelphia on Friday in honor of gun violence victims. The second annual Toll the Bell event is part of National Gun Violence Awareness Day.
The citywide sound installation is a collaboration between faith-based organizations, community groups and other partners across the Philadelphia region, including Penn Live Arts and Interfaith Philadelphia.
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WATCH HEREThe event kicked off on Friday, June 6, at 12:15 p.m. with an Interfaith Vigil Service at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Center on 3680 Walnut Street in Philadelphia.
Then at 12:55 p.m., a group walked from the Annenberg Center to Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral on 19 South 38th Street while bells rang.
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SIGN UP At 1 p.m., bell ringing took place at dozens of locations across the Philadelphia region to commemorate National Gun Violence Awareness Day.
Finally, at 1:15 p.m., Philadelphia jazz vocalist and performer Ruth Naomi Floyd performed “Echoes: Shattered Flesh and Breathless Souls” at the Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral. The commissioned work reflects on the impact of gun violence.
Philadelphia’s first ever Toll the Bell event took place in 2024, bringing together more than 60 community groups as bells rang simultaneously for five minutes at 44 locations across the Philadelphia region. The five minutes represented the one in five Americans who have had a family member killed by a gun, organizers said.
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As of June 5, there were 94 reported homicides in Philadelphia in 2025, down 17.54% from the same time in 2024 which ultimately saw the lowest number of homicides in the city in a decade, according to police data. Also as of June 5, there were 750 reported shootings in Philadelphia in 2025, down 20.63% from the same time last year, according to police data.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
