(New York, New York) On the eve of Easter Sunday hundreds gathered at Brooklyn’s Christian Cultural Center for the first edition of Guns For Greatness. The gun buy back program is the first of its kind, allowing illegal gun-holders to anonymously turn over firearms to police without any repercussion. The program took around 115 guns off the street, 89 of which were pistols along with 1 assault rifle.
Following a successful private gun buy back this past Saturday, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly updated the press on NYC’s dropping rates in murders and crimes. “About 60 percent of our murder victims in NYC are killed by guns, the rest are killed with knives and other weapons. The good thing is after setting record lows for homicides last year, rates are down another 30 percent. Shootings are also down significantly.”
Michael “Blue” Williams who led the Guns For Greatness, spoke with The Source on the surprisingly quick journey of the program. “This started around January it was an idea that I had. I contacted Ken Thompson who was a former Federal Prosecutor, he helped me connect the dots and put me in touch with Pastor Bernard and Chief Banks. I then reached out to L. Londell McMillan and it all came full circle. It took us about 75 days to get the first one up and running.”
Media initially praised the initial effort of the program when a story stated that gun donators could be awarded tickets for Beyonce and Jay-Z. Williams took a moment to clarify with The Source exactly how that story was taken out of context. “The original story got skewed with the tickets. With the mentoring program as they come in and do the work this would be a reward for their work.”
Gun donators were awarded $250 and information on mentoring programs that would be offered. Two organizations that were involved to help in the mentoring program were Stephen Powell of the Mentoring USA and Susan Taylor of the National Cares Program.
L. Londell McMillan Owner and Publisher of The Source has been quoted from the start on his beliefs in the program. “There is a guns crisis out there and we need all the creative and innovative approaches to solutions. We have to get guns off the streets and stop violence. The Source Magazine and I am personally supporting Guns for Greatness,” explains L. Londell McMillan. The importance of having a powerful brand like The Source involved in a movement like this is crucial in delivering a message to the Hip-Hop community to see this as a positive rather than a negative. McMillan explains further in a statement with TheSource.com, “After getting the guns off the streets, our next conversation with the NYPD is that of Stop and Frisk. Look for The Source Magazine to be a leading voice in the community on this issue as well.”
Pastor A.R. Bernard spoke on the success of Saturday’s gun buy back at Brooklyn’s Christian Cultural Center. “The significance is that these young men actually grew up in these neighborhoods made something significant with their lives. They are attorneys and business executives and helped raise private sector funds to help this program.”
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The Source Magazine continues to push Hip-Hop to new limits in its 25th anniversary. The Source continues to evolve and seek unique and innovative ways to engage and present our brand’s offerings. The Source is and continues to be the leading voice in Hip-Hop culture, music, and politics. With over 24 years as the leading voice and platform for Hip-Hop, The Source has remained the industry’s most recognizable and important Hip-Hop media brand around the world. The Source is responsible for creating the bridge needed by countless artists, brands, and corporations to successfully reach an audience that has multi-billion dollar buying power and influence like no other—the Hip-Hop community.
