BY DIANA DAVID, Daily News Staff Writer davidd@phillynews.com, 215-854-5914POSTED: May 04, 2014
WHEN AMBER LONG was shot and killed during a purse-snatching in Northern Liberties earlier this year, her mother, Stephanie, committed herself to raising awareness about street safety among women.

Today, she will take part in a free women's self-defense class, from 10 a.m. to noon, at Cobbs Creek Recreation Center, on 63rd Street near Walnut.

"This class is the first step on a productive road to protect ourselves," said Long, 52, of Harrisburg. "I want people to know that they shouldn't give predators, the nonfunctioning part of society, what they don't deserve."

The class is hosted by Handbags 4 Peace, a grass-roots movement of women dedicated to making Philadelphia a safer place for women through empowerment and education.


The group was formed in memory of Amber, who was 26 when she was slain on Jan. 19, and Melissa Thomas, 29, who was shot and killed during a robbery in West Philadelphia on Feb. 2.

"This class is really important because it teaches women to defend themselves when they're walking alone at night," said Darisha Miller, a spokeswoman for Handbags 4 Peace, based in Southwest Philadelphia. "We teach them tips like not spending too much time at the trunk of their car and keeping all their belongings in the front to leave the area faster.

"So far, we have held safety workshops throughout the city, especially on college campuses," Miller said. "We have professional instructors come in and teach us certain techniques when dealing with dangerous situations."

Along with self-defense class, Long has raised $8,000 for a scholarship fund in Amber's name. Her goal is to raise $25,000 for an endowed scholarship.

"I only wish that Amber was taught how to handle that situation better earlier on," she said, referring to the confrontation that ended her daughter's life. "These workshops should be done beginning in high school."

www.PennLive.com By Barbara Miller | bmiller@pennlive.com 
Email the author | Follow on Twitter 
on April 30, 2014 at 3:00 PM, updated April 30, 2014 at 7:21 PM

It was little more than three months ago that a horrified Stephanie Long watched as her daughter, Amber, was shot and killed by robbers in Philadelphia’s North Liberties neighborhood.
“Life without Amber – it’s not supposed to work that way,” Long said this week. 

She's channeling her grief into helping to raise money for a scholarship in Amber's name, and advocating for the group Handbags 4 Peace, which promotes street-smart awareness and self-defense training for women.
The men who accosted Stephanie and Amber Long on Jan. 19 as they walked to their car in Philadelphia’s Northern Liberties section, and the man who shot Amber when she wouldn’t let go of her handbag, remain at large. That her daughter’s killers have not been caught, despite police releasing to the media video surveillance footage of the attack and getaway car, is a point of pain for Stephanie Long.

She says she’s impressed by the hard work of the Philadelphia police. A reward of up to $30,000 has been offered for information leading to an arrest. But so far, there is no update or additional details to release on the Amber Long homicide, said Officer Leeloni Palmiero, a spokeswoman for Philadelphia police.

“I’m dismayed and disgusted by the people who know who it is and haven’t come forward,” she said. “There are people who know who it is. ... That they consider that’s worth hiding is dismal to me.

“If he can shoot a girl he hasn’t met just because she defies him for a second, what will he do to someone else? He can kill, he can hurt, and that’s unacceptable to me. I don’t know why it’s acceptable to those who know where he is."

Honoring Amber's memory

A few weeks after Amber’s death, Stephanie Long said she called Philadelphia University, from which Amber graduated in 2011 with a degree in architecture, about setting up a scholarship fund.

“They were already on it,” Stephanie said. 

About $8,000 has been raised, including $1,600 Stephanie Long raised through sale of Amber’s artwork, and her donation of a percentage of sales at her shop,Goldcrafter’s Corner, 5301 Jonestown Road, Harrisburg.

Her goal is to help raise $25,000, the amount needed for an endowed scholarship. To contribute, click here.

Stephanie Long honors her daughter's life by creating a scholarship fund for Architecture studentsStephanie Long was with her daughter Amber, 26, the night she was shot and killed in Philadelphia during a purse snatching robbery in January 2014. Long talks about her daughters' art work that is for sale to help build a scholarship fund for other young architects who have a passion for sustainable design. To donate: http://www.amberjlong.com/

Stephanie said she’s been told another scholarship has been established at the Arts Business Institute. It was the institute’s Buyers Market, at the Philadelphia Convention Center, that had drawn Stephanie Long to Philadelphia the weekend of Amber’s death.

After Amber’s death, Stephanie Long said she had to take a break from her business for a while. She put herself to work making prints of the art that her daughter left behind.

“To me, she was really a phenomenal artist,” she said. But at only 26, “She didn’t have a chance to produce that much.”

An artist herself, Stephanie Long even finished a few of her daughter’s partially completed drawings.

One, a French streetscape, she calls a “mother and daughter” drawing. Amber had finished just half of the pen-and-ink sketch. Stephanie Long added the color.

Stephanie Long also has created a website where Amber’s artwork can be viewed and her life is celebrated.
Amber’s death also was the catalyst for the formation of a Philadelphia-based advocacy group called Handbags 4 Peace. They contacted Stephanie to ask for her support, and she agreed.

“Anything that helps other mothers not become as sad as I am,” she said.

Amber, who lived in the residential Passyunk section of Philadelphia, always felt safe in the city, Stephanie Long said. 

“I think about things differently now,” she said.

Handbags 4 Peace promotes self-defense for girls and women, and Stephanie Long is heading to Philadelphia on May 3 for one of their workshops. 

“They should be offered at universities everywhere,” Stephanie Long said, and even in high schools. “I truly think a little bit of self-defense is something every girl should get.”

“I learned what Amber coulda, shoulda done,” she said. “If you are aware, the odds are much different.”

A second woman was shot and killed Feb. 2 in a purse robbery in West Philadelphia, Stephanie Long said. And there have been others. 

“There were so many murders in Philly this year. There was another mother and son killed the same day as Amber,” Stephanie Long said.

The aftermath
The purse Amber purchased at a thrift shop for $14 that weekend was found in a field five blocks from where Amber was shot.

“They didn’t even take the cash out of it,” Stephanie Long said.

Stephanie Long’s purse, which another robber had pulled from her shoulder, ended up in an unclaimed postal collection point in Atlanta. It too had been tossed by the robbers, and was found by a junk collector, who took cash and a cell phone out of it and put it in a mailbox.

A spring cleanup was held the first weekend in April in the Northern Liberties neighborhood where Amber was shot, and the participants gave Stephanie a book in which they wrote condolences.

“They felt strongly about Amber’s murder and wanted to help,” Stephanie Long said.

There’s a mural of big yellow flowers in the neighborhood, and she said she wants to plant daffodils to come up next year.

“She was doing very well there – she was very happy,” Stephanie Long said of her daughter’s life in Philadelphia, where she worked for Nest Architecture, which is owned by Kip Kelly of North Cornwall Township.

Stephanie Long’s loss cannot be assuaged. She recalls planning a mother-daughter trip to France with her daughter. A huge fan of “I Love Lucy,” Amber gave her mom a mayonnaise jar for Christmas, and jokingly labeled it “the Ladies Overseas Aid Fund,” based on an episode in which Lucy and Ethel try to raise funds to accompany Ricky to Europe.

“This time next year we would be planning our trip to Europe,” Stephanie Long said.
Staff reporter Jeffrey Johnson contributed to this story.
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2014/04/amber_longs_legacy_will_includ.html

PHILADELPHIA -Residents were cleaning up Saturday to remember a woman gunned down over a purse.

It's part of seventh-annual "Philly Spring Cleanup."

Friends, coworkers and neighbors of Amber Long joined the efforts between Poplar and Laurel streets in Northern Liberties.

She is the victim who lost her life in January in that neighborhood. Those who were participating said Long wanted to see the area thrive, and they want her spirit to live on. During the cleanup, volunteers did find a handgun. It was handed over to police. 

No one has been arrested in Long's murder.

In North Philadelphia, Mayor Michael Nutter joined residents as the put in a little extra elbow grease tiding things up at the Gideon School. He, along with other volunteers kicked off the spring cleaning event Saturday morning. Volunteers took away truckloads of trash, removed graffiti and even painted the schoolyard.

Read more: http://www.myfoxphilly.com/story/25174154/shooting-victim-spring-cleanup#ixzz2yA8egHUr

By Jeffrey A. Johnson | jjohnson@pennlive.com 
Email the author | Follow on Twitter 
on March 05, 2014 at 1:33 PM


Amber Long, 26, was shot and killed Jan. 19 in Philadelphia as two men robbed her and her mother of their purses. Amber, shown here in this 2010 photo from her Facebook page, studied architecture at Philadelphia University. (Facebook)

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Philadelphia police are still searching for suspects in a purse snatching and fatal shooting that claimed the life of Amber Long, the daughter of a Lower Paxton Township jeweler.
The Jan. 19 incident remains under investigation, said Jillian Russell, a Philadelphia police spokeswoman. The department has released a video clip of the shooting, but Russell said Wednesday that has yet to lead to suspects.
Long, 26, and her mother, Stephanie, were walking in the 900 block of N. Front Street, where they were approached by two men who robbed them of their purses, police said. The video shows Amber appearing to hold on to her purse before she was shot once in the chest.
She was rushed to the Hahnemann University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead 40 minutes after the shooting. The men who robbed Long and her mother were last seen fleeing in a black Chevy Impala. 

Stephanie Long in a January interview said she went down to Philadelphia for the weekend to celebrate her daughter’s birthday. They had bought Amber’s bag for $14 at a thrift shop hours before the shooting occurred. 


Who was Amber Long?Amber Long's mother, Stephanie, talks about her daughter, who was murdered in Philadelphia. Video by Julia Hatmaker | jhatmaker@pennlive.com
Police initially had identified two persons of interest in the shooting and purse snatching, but they were wrongly implicated in the crime, police said.

Anyone with any additional information should call Philadelphia police's homicide unit at 215-686-3334 or 215-686-3335.

The city is offering up to a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case and the city police union is offering an additional $10,000 reward, police said. 

AMELIA BRUST, INQUIRER STAFF WRITERLAST UPDATED: Monday, March 17, 2014, 1:09 AM
POSTED: Sunday, March 16, 2014, 7:33 PM




Under gray skies, the Healing Presence Singers performed Sunday at the corner of Ritner and Colorado Streets in South Philadelphia.

Their voices were raised in song to remind a city about a killing it won't soon forget, and to protest gun violence.

They gathered, about two dozen in all, outside what had been the plant-filled apartment of Amber Long.


The 26-year-old architect was shot and killed Jan. 19 across town on the 900 block of North Front Street in Northern Liberties during a purse snatching. The horror was witnessed by her mother, Stephanie, who lives in Harrisburg and who had spent the weekend in Philadelphia with her daughter.

Police believe the attackers watched the women from a parking lot at Brown and Front Streets before approaching them just steps from their car. No arrests have been made, though police released surveillance footage of the attack to aid in the search.

"Amber Long should not be dead for a purse," said Movita Johnson Harrell, a local advocate against gun violence. Harrell's youngest child was shot in a case of mistaken identity, resulting in her family's relocation. "I didn't want my other children to become statistics on the streets of Philadelphia."

"This neighborhood is healing as well as the family," said the Rev. Katie Day, who chairs Heeding God's Call, the faith-based group that organized the vigil. Day relayed a message from Stephanie Long, who had been invited to participate in the event but who was in Harrisburg.

"She is very moved that we are here," Day said.

There were readings and prayers, as well as a collection to help pay for an exhibition of Amber's artwork at Philadelphia University, her alma mater, on March 29 at Ravenhill Chapel. Day said Stephanie Long was worried about how she would pay for the exhibition and was grateful for the collection.

The Healing Presence Singers typically perform for social-justice and hospice organizations but decided to assemble in memory of Long to show solidarity.

"In this case, it's one individual, but there's a family attached. There's a community attached," said Holly Phares, the group's founder and artistic director.

Speakers called for accountability on the part of city officials and gun retailers to restrict sales. As the bells of St. Monica Roman Catholic Church rang, the group chanted: "Now is the time."

Gene Foschini, who was a neighbor of Amber's, spoke a few words.

"She was so happy that she'd gotten to that point in her life," he said of Amber's budding career. "It's just a horrible loss for us. I'm going to miss her."


Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20140317_Prayers__song_and_a_word_against_guns_for_Amber_Long.html#VX0GogAu3FpV35Hm.99

 Via Comcast SportsnetA rally for peace was held on Sunday near the home of an architect who was shot and killed in front of her mother earlier this year.

Investigators are still searching for the men responsible for shooting and killing 26-year-old Amber Long while she and her mother, Stephanie Long, were walking to their car along the 900 block of Front Street in the city's Northern Liberties neighborhood on Jan. 19.

"It seems like the trail has gone cold," said Alan Hoffman, one of Amber's professors at Philadelphia University, who was in South Philly Saturday for the rally. "But hopefully it is just being kept under wraps."

Surveillance video shows two men grab the women's purses as they were returning to Amber's car. One of the suspects shot Amber when she hesitated to give up her purse. Police rushed her to Hahnemann Hospital, where she died about 45 minutes later.

Police have turned their attention to the getaway car, a dark-colored Chevy Impala. Surveillance footage shows the vehicle racing down Girard Avenue towards Center City, but investigators are trying to track down more video of the car to provide additional clues.

As the search for the gunmen continues, neighbors, churches and community groups, like the faith-based Heeding God's Call, gathered near Long’s home on Ritner and Bouvier streets on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. to speak out against gun violence and the sale of illegal weapons.

The participants sang and prayed, expressing their grief for Long.

If you have any information on Long’s death, please call the homicide detectives on the case at 215-686-3334.

A reward for information leading to an arrest has surpassed $30,000.

http://www.csnphilly.com/article/rally-amber-long

Photo Credit: Family Photo

VIA NBC 10
A rally for peace was held on Sunday near the home of an architect who was shot and killed in front of her mother earlier this year.

Investigators are still searching for the men responsible for shooting and killing 26-year-old Amber Long while she and her mother, Stephanie Long, were walking to their car along the 900 block of Front Street in the city's Northern Liberties neighborhood on Jan. 19.

"It seems like the trail has gone cold," said Alan Hoffman, one of Amber's professors at Philadelphia University, who was in South Philly Saturday for the rally. "But hopefully it is just being kept under wraps."

Surveillance video shows two men grab the women's purses as they were returning to Amber's car. One of the suspects shot Amber when she hesitated to give up her purse. Police rushed her to Hahnemann Hospital, where she died about 45 minutes later.

Police have turned their attention to the getaway car, a dark-colored Chevy Impala. Surveillance footage shows the vehicle racing down Girard Avenue towards Center City, but investigators are trying to track down more video of the car to provide additional clues.

As the search for the gunmen continues, neighbors, churches and community groups, like the faith-based Heeding God's Call, gathered near Long’s home on Ritner and Bouvier streets on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. to speak out against gun violence and the sale of illegal weapons.

The participants sang and prayed, expressing their grief for Long.

If you have any information on Long’s death, please call the homicide detectives on the case at 215-686-3334.

A reward for information leading to an arrest has surpassed $30,000.

Following scant clues in purse-snatch killing
Via Philly.com

The getaway car carrying Amber Long's killers sped from the crime scene up Front Street, careening onto Laurel, past vacant lots and shuttered warehouses in Northern Liberties.

Behind them, on a desolate patch of sidewalk, Stephanie Long tried to revive her dying daughter, shot once in the chest during a botched purse snatching.

Police were en route, but surveillance video from that January night shows the dark Chevy Impala already long gone - a left on Frankford, another on Girard, still another on 12th, where Stephanie Long's cellphone was found near a dark side street off Girard.

The Impala and its passengers were last seen on video speeding toward Center City.

From there, for now, the trail goes cold.


Read More -> http://www.handbags4peace.com/1/post/2014/03/update-on-amber-long-case.html

NBC10- Nefertiti Jaquez

It's been exactly one month since Philadelphia architect Amber Long was killed in front of her mother by a purse snatcher who shot her in the chest. NBC10's Nefertiti Jaquez talked with Long's parents about her unsolved murder.

Family and friends of Amber Long were reminded of the life the 26-year-old architect will never experience as they packed up her South Philadelphia apartment Saturday.

"She just isn't there anymore... and never will be again," said Stephanie Long, who was with her daughter when a mugger shot her to death. "I can't even think about how the holidays are gonna be, even Mother's Day."

Stephanie drove from Harrisburg and Amber's father, Troy, traveled from Pittsburgh to empty out the second-floor walk-up on Ritner Street their daughter had called home for the past three years.

About 20 people pitched in to help the mourning parents clear out the space that reminded all of them of their loss.

"It represents Amber very well," Troy said. "Because that's how much she was loved by everbody.

Amber was killed as she walked along the 900 block of Front Street in the city's Northern Liberties neighborhood with her mother on Jan. 19.

Read More -> http://www.handbags4peace.com/1/post/2014/02/amber-longs-parents-say-goodbye.html