Fyheem Lanier

In the cold of a February morning in 2004, a 10-year-old Black male named Faheem Thomas-Childs, also known as 'Poppy,' was on his way to T.M. Peirce Elementary School in North Philadelphia. That morning, he had complained of a stomach ache, and his mother had told him he could stay home. However, after a short rest, he insisted he felt better and decided to make the two-block walk to school. His mother’s last words to him were a caution about the recent shootings in the neighborhood, a grim re ...

Murders in Philadelphia