#NoGunsAllowed Town Hall

by Philip Johnson

In the midst of the BET Experience a prelude to the BET Awards rap superstars, elected officials, and activist all came together to say “No Guns Allowed”. This town hall meeting put on in conjunction with the Young Voters League and the NAACP Youth & College division held a full house of both young and old people who are committed to stopping gun violence. Dealing with issues from politics to the realities that young people face in urban environments the panelist provided a constant stream of different viewpoints that many could relate to in regards to why and how we could stop gun violence.

With many highpoints during the event such as when panelists such as director of the award winning “Fruitvale Station” shared his inspiration behind writing the screenplay and current parole and activist in Philadelphia shared his story and his commitment to be a changing the streets of Philadelphia. The highlight of the event came when panelist rap superstar T.I. and Congresswoman Maxine Waters exchanged dialogue. This discussion both encouraged young people to vote but also to use their voice to apply pressure to their elected officials. At the same time it highlighted some of the apathy that young people of color may feel because of laws targeted at them and none to stop those who commit mass shootings and don’t resemble us.

With rap stars pledging to be a continuous voice, elected officials to pushing legislation and community activist to continue their work in the streets the meetings wrapped up with everyone making a pledge to be proactive in their communities. While we may be a long way from stopping all gun violence we can make a difference one event at a time. Simply saying “No Guns Allowed” today can make this difference.