Last year, Lamatra Johnson’s nephew, Donta Lawrence, was killed by gun violence. He was only 16.
So when her pastor, Rev. Rodney T. Francis, spoke to his congregation about organizing the Toy Gun Buy Back Initiative, Johnson jumped at an opportunity to try to curtail youth violence.
Johnson, her husband Marty, and their son Jeremiah, 9, were among the many volunteers at the Toy Gun Exchange Day held Saturday, July 13. She was joined by volunteer Tiffanie Brooks, who attended the event with her son Spencer, 3, and nephew Jonathan Smith, 7, who both donated water guns nearly half their size.
“I don’t want him to grow up in a community of violence,” Brooks said of her son.
That day about 250 new non-violent toys were distributed in exchange for roughly 90 violent toys and five video games at three site locations: North County and O’Fallon Park recreation complexes and the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center.
Rev. Francis, who is pastor of Washington Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church, said O’Fallon Park had the best turnout of the three sites.
“The goal is to spark meaningful conversations about the culture of violence,” Francis said.
A family conversation on gun violence might have prevented the shooting death of 11-year-old Leonard Smith Jr. by a six-year-old child exactly three days after the Toy Gun Exchange, he said.
“I certainly think there’s a connection,” he said. “One of the messages of the initiative was to encourage our kids that guns are not toys. They are not to be played with.”
His wife Leah Gunning Francis, assistant professor at Eden Theological Seminary, cited the case of a four-year-old boy who had found a handgun in a closet at home, placed the barrel into his mouth and pulled the trigger – as he had often done to get a drink from his water-pistol.
Although Rev. Francis is given much credit for spearheading the initiative, his wife insisted the initiative was a community partnership of more 70 supporters. The idea emerged from the community forum “From Newtown to our town” held at Washington Tabernacle two months after the December 2012 mass school shooting in Newtown, Conn.
“We wanted to call attention to the gun violence here in St. Louis,” Rev. Francis said.
The faith community-led initiative included child and youth service providers, academic and youth development institutions, law enforcement departments and civic advocacy organizations like the St. Louis city NAACP.
Cedric Clarkson, 2nd vice president of the St. Louis city NAACP and deacon at Shalom Church (City of Peace), said parents need to understand their role and take accountability by utilizing their purchasing power.
“Kids go to Toys R Us but parents have the pocket books,” Clark said. “The industry is not going to change until we challenge them and say, ‘This is not what you can market in our community.’”
Rev. Francis said he intends to continue the conversation “about the culture of violence” and its impact on today’s youth. He has teamed with an undisclosed professional youth development agency to develop a curriculum to help parents learn the implications and impact of violent toys, games and movies on youth. He hopes to implement that curriculum at child care service providers, churches and other youth development agencies.
Rev. Francis advises parents to make conscious choices when buying entertainment for their children.
“There is evidence to suggest that violent toys, games and movies impact our kids psychologically and emotionally,” he said. “They cause them to be less empathetic and desensitize them to violence.”
