Guns down love up
MISSION
Our mission is to promote Love, Peace, and Community Collectiveness to end gun violence in the Twin Cities.
Our programs address youth and community violence, focusing on prevention, intervention, and restorative practices within the African American community. Our efforts are focused on decreasing gun violence by increasing positive community interactions, conversations, spaces, events and creating programming to heal and prevent future retaliation. In addition, we work with families, community stakeholders, culture, and religious organizations in our outreach efforts to promote the message of ending gun violence and promoting love.
We are reimagining community safety and what it looks like for African Americans around community violence and gun violence. We invest in our community by working alongside community members to provide impactful change. We are the change, we have been waiting for! We are committed to ending gun violence in our community and have invested our time, money, and lives to bring creative solutions to our community, using culturally specific engagement messaging and activities.
Prevention
The Creative Lab is a place for our young people to be safe, create, and explore. We encourage creativity and conflict resolution over violence and hate. The creative lab offers young people a positive outlet to poor their trauma into. We capture the attention of young people between the ages of 13- 18 years old so that the streets don't take their light before they have a chance to grow.
Intervention Community Out Reach Street Team
Our street team comprises of pastors, mothers, fathers, and individuals from the African American (Black) community whom all share a passion for ending community violence. Our team of committed community members are in the community engaging brothers and sisters in high gun violent areas throughout the Twin Cities.
Restorative Justice
Community Healing Circles were started as a way for community to talk about their pain, grief, and trauma caused by gun violence in our community. The community healing circles are culturally specific to the African American (Black) community residents and are led by community members who have directly experienced gun violence. Participants can begin the healing process with their family, and community.
Did You Know!
African Americans are ten times more likely than white Americans to die from gun homicide.
African Americans are fourteen times more likely than white Americans to be wounded.
A documented 4,084 Black people were lynched in 73 years; 93,262 were shot dead in 14. Like lynching, gun violence is a racial justice issue.
68% of African American adults or someone they care for has experienced gun violence in their lifetime.
Children exposed to violence are more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol; suffer from depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder; resort to aggressive and violent behavior, and engage in criminal activity.
Community Partners
City Of Minneapolis
City Of Minneapolis
City Of Minneapolis
Next Steps
City Of Minneapolis
City Of Minneapolis
Zion Baptist Church
City Of Minneapolis
Zion Baptist Church
Love First
City Of Minneapolis
Zion Baptist Church
Hope And Healing
Hope And Healing
Hope And Healing