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Community Corner

Lay the Guns Down: One Man's Campaign Against Gun Violence

When tragedy inspires change

The worst thing imaginable for any parent is that their child ends up a victim of gun violence.

When Bed-Stuy resident Mike Tucker's son was shot in 2005 by a police officer, Tucker was completely devastated.

“It was sudden, shocking,” Tucker recalls now of his son’s death. “But I didn’t want to be an angry parent, didn’t want to be angry at the police, didn’t want to be angry at elected officials. I didn’t want to be angry, period."

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Tucker was determined to channel his family’s tragedy into something beneficial to his community. So he created the Lay the Guns Down Campaign, which aims to raise awareness about gun violence in Brooklyn through public service announcements by well-known figures.

The first one, shown here, features Justin Tuck of the New York Giants.

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One of Tucker's mentors is Tony Herbert, a former ombudsman for Congressman Ed Towns. Herbert knows Bedford-Stuyvesant well, and understands the seriousness of gun violence in the neighborhood. In fact, Tucker learned how to approach his campaign by watching Herbert.

Herbert also has worked for a number of other elected officials, and through his own network of community leaders and other contacts, he helped establish the Urban Community Council, to support families who have lost loved ones to gun violence.

"There are too many guns in our community," said Herbert. "We have a bunch of gun runners who take advantage of folks who want to harm themselves, because they are economically downtrodden.

"There are more guns in the street than the police have," Herbert remarked.

On Thursday May 19, Lay the Guns Down Campaign will host a fundraiser, "Dining to Donate," at Applebee’s Restaurant, located at 1360 Fulton Street. Diners can donate 10 percent of the cost of their meal to the campaign.

To participate in the fundraiser on Thursday, diners must bring in a flyer, which can be picked up at Gourmet Deli, located at 1339 Fulton Street at the intersection of Verona Place. There is an unlimited amount of fliers, enough for everyone. Donations will be accepted at the restaurant, for those who choose not to dine.

"I just want to make sure no other parents go through the pain and suffering I went through," said Tucker. "We have to work together and stand together. This is an epidemic that's destroying families and we need to bring attention to it."

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