By Alisha Dixon
Tuesday, the Neighborhood Service Organization’s Youth Initiative Project met to launch its the 13th annual “Hugs, Not Bullets” campaign to eradicate gun violence and to reduce celebratory gunfire in the Detroit area.
The NSO said the campaign “focuses on student-led activities that involve community and classroom workshops on gun violence, celebratory gunfire, bullying and gang activity.”
At the event, held at the Detroit Public Safety Headquarters, students from Durfee Elementary/Middle School, the Osborn Campus, Cass Technical High School were in attendance to show their support and commitment to fighting against gun violence.
Cass Technical High School junior Halima Begum spoke about a personal experience with gun violence that affected her family and how it has inspired her to become an advocate for gun safety.
“As a resident of Detroit, my family and I have had experiences relating to gun violence. My dad had a near death experience when he was grazed by a bullet. This incident greatly upset me and my family and I knew something had to be done. This encourages me to speak up about how gun violence can affect our community and how we must all take action in order to prevent it,” Begum said.
Youth leaders, like Begum, the NSO said work closely with schools to educate students about the significance of effectively resolving conflict and ways to resolve disputes.
Begum said, “I am not alone in this fight. The Neighborhood Service Organization’s Youth Initiative Project encourages teens to stop the violence in their community. As a youth leader, I am proud to announce that our youth activities have been successful in addressing gun violence throughout the community and providing youth leadership.”
The NSO has partnered with local law enforcement agencies including the Detroit Police Department for this campaign. Detroit Police Department Chief James Craig supports the campaign and has seen a decrease in violence since he joined the department.
“There is still a lot of work that we need to do and while I can sit here and count statistics of the last three years, we’re sitting on an overall violent crime reduction that is down 4 percent and a 7 percent reduction in violent crimes,” said Chief Craig.
“We’re all in this fight together to reduce violence. There is no place in the city of Detroit for celebratory gunfire. There is no place in the city for irresponsible gun owners. If you own a gun, secure it. If you can’t secure it, then you shouldn’t be a gun owner. That’s the bottom line. We’ve had too many accidental deaths of children and that’s certainly not acceptable. So, we absolutely need to do better.
Youth leadership is the cornerstone of the success of the “Hugs, Not Bullets” campaign. Leadership training and technical assistance helped youth leaders develop planning and organizing skills that promote well-being and success. The program has since been expanded to the Hope Village community in Detroit.
“When we talk about violence and we talk about Detroit’s turnaround, certainly we can’t do it without all of you. These young future leaders really represent Detroit’s future,” Chief Craig said.
About Post Author
