Holster your anger, and put down the pistols. It’s clear request that many community members are making together.
On Dec. 13, about 75 community members attended a town hall meeting on anti-gun violence at the Metropolitan Education and Training (MET) Center, 6347 Plymouth Ave.
The nonprofit Better Family Life, Inc. (BFL), the local Radio One affiliate, and the St. Louis Coalition against Gun Violence hosted the meeting to offer solutions to decrease St. Louis area gun violence.
The panel included clergy, police, educators, agency leaders, youth activists and State Rep. Jamilah Nasheed, who represents a North St. Louis City district.
In October, the coalition launched an anti-gun campaign. Audience member Hakee Mitchell, CEO of Assisting Children of Prison Parents, said that he saw the posters for the coalition’s “Put Down the Pistols” campaign.
He decided to put his sources behind the campaign, rather than keep his community efforts separate, he said. He hopes others do the same.
“We need to come together under the same agenda. If there was ever a mission and ever a purpose, it’s Put Down the Pistols,” Mitchell said.
Jimmy Moton, a volunteer with Better Family Life for 14 years, said that he was part of a gang and now works with youth in the streets. He said that older gang members need to get back into the community and fix what they started.
“I don’t understand where are all my what they call OG’s at – the ones that started the gang banging, the ones they followed – where are they at?” Moton said.
Moton said he has lost many friends to shootings. This year in St. Louis city, 133 people have been killed by gun violence.
Nasheed recommended that the St. Louis Public Schools stop “socially passing”
students that aren’t ready for the next grade. Chief Tim Fitch of the St. Louis County Police department said that the community cannot arrest its way out of the problem. The death of Tyrone Thompson, a former police officer and prominent community member, has rallied the community together to address the issue and explore ideas, Fitch said.
Young Ro and Ryan Palmer, representing the youth on the panel, said they are working to be positive peer role models.
Radio stations Foxy 95.5 and Hot 104.1 broadcasted the panel live for an hour – stopping the music to stop the violence.