Mike Levin: “this Saturday the Detroit Police Department will begin a new gun buyback program offering a $25 gift certificate for gas…”

“this Saturday the Detroit Police Department will begin a new gun buyback program offering a $25 gift certificate for gas and a $25 gift certificate for food to anyone who brings in an unloaded gun. Last year, a very successful similar effort took more than 600 guns off the streets of Detroit. During the past week, volunteers from the Youth Initiative Project, an organization dedicated to drug prevention and stopping youth violence, have gone door-to-door informing people throughout the community of the program. In addition, the Youth Initiative Project is a planning a Family Safety Fun Day to coincide with the gun buyback program that will distribute trigger locks and information on gun safety. There have been 14 young people killed by guns this year in metro Detroit. In response to these tragic shootings, the Youth Initiative Project held a town hall meeting at the Redford Branch of the Detroit Public Library on how to prevent gun violence. Some of the organizers were trained this summer at the Youth Action Institute, a three day convention in Washington, D.C. sponsored by the Alliance for Justice. These same volunteers are planning three more town hall meetings in Detroit and then will move their program into local schools.”