Where did the gun come from?
Jun 7th, 2010
“Where did the gun come from?” That is the question that participants of the Traffick Jam™ youth and adult workshops will take to the streets, classrooms and public forums. It is a question that is often forgotten when gun violence erupts in Milwaukee neighborhoods.
The Traffick Jam was a community awareness event that informed youth and adults of the problems of illegal guns in our community. The multi-media, interactive workshop developed by Citizens for Safety raised awareness of the varied sources of guns used in crimes throughout Milwaukee. It brought community residents, elected officials and law enforcement together to learn how police track crime guns, where they come from, how loopholes in the law protect traffickers, and what we can do right now to make our cities safer. Citizens for Safety worked with Safe & Sound, the office of Mayor Tom Barrett and the Milwaukee Police Department to organize the Traffick Jam for Milwaukee’s youth and adult leaders. The planning team included Terry Perry of the Health Department’s Office of Violence Prevention, and Bill Morales, Regional Coordinator of Mayor’s Against Illegal Guns. Joe Kubisiak of Safe & Sound’s Community Partners and Sharon Koziczkowski of our Safe Place programs are putting significant effort into making the workshops and follow-up activities a success.
The next step is to bring the workshop participants into active roles to ask “Where did the gun come from?” as part of community action campaigns. These campaigns will be adapted to the needs and concerns of Milwaukee through input received at the workshop. By equipping youth and adults with the tools they need to be effective spokespeople and leaders in the campaign against trafficking, we can lay the groundwork for youth and adult leaders to work with peers and local officials to develop a campaign to reduce straw purchasing. In addition, these leaders can carry the “Where did the gun come from?” message and information about gun trafficking to peers, community residents, the general public and the media. The overall goal is to mobilize Milwaukee with a cadre of youth and adult leaders trained to coordinate and sustain efforts to reduce gun trafficking and ultimately strengthen and expand a citywide coalition to support policies and programs to curb gun trafficking. To be a part the community outreach efforts or awareness and action oriented presentations please contact Joe Kubisiak of Safe & Sound Community Partners.
