Over several years, Silence the Violence and Shun the Guns has been building a rock solid platform to reduce youth gangs and gun violence. Silence the Violence and Shun the Guns knows the main problem for youth gangs and gun violence starts with social and economic exclusion, which leads to poverty, and poverty leads to avoidable crimes. Consider these facts for 2018.:
- Data from Toronto Police shows there has been more than 350 shootings in the city this year so far and they've resulted in 46 deaths.
- 32% spike in gun violence since 2017 in the city of Toronto.
- The Toronto murder rate, half accounts for gun violence, is at an all time high at 90 as of Sunday, November 18, 2018. Today, a record set in 1991 was broken.
- And this is while programs are suppose to address the problems for residents living in impoverished areas and for years, the United way has take in over $100 million annually.
- Chief Mark Saunders stated that we are not going to arrest our way out of the rise of youth gangs and gun violence.
- There has been growing talks that gun violence is a public health issue.
- And on Tuesday, November 13, 2018, the Coalition for Gun Control launched a campaign to sign a petition to ban handguns. “How many more shots before gun violence will take over our city?”
Over the years, billions of dollars has been spent by all levels of government, every conceivable program has been implemented and some programs have been discontinued rather than investing the time, effort and resources to fund the main solution to reduce youth gangs and gun violence. It is clear the above listed facts are not the only solutions needed. Instead, a wholistic approach is needed. So do we continue to travel down the same road, using the same solutions or excluding the necessary solutions while gun violence increases? If the public becomes fearful for their safety in public, they will reduce their time out in the public which will hurt retailers' bottom line. “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” We have been travelling down the road of insanity for far too long and now we are starting to really pay for it. We must change course now or more shootings will be coming to an area near you. For example, Yorkville, Yorkdale and Danforth all which has taken place this year.
Silence the Violence and Shun the Guns is known to do the unprecedented, which has also attracted the interest, endorsements and financial support of a growing number of celebrities, politicians and influential and powerful people. And this is why Silence the Violence and Shun the Guns has recently become number one, by far, for its work to reduce youth gangs and gun violence. Silence the Violence and Shun the Guns knows what the solutions are to reduce youth gangs and gun violence. The main solution is to fill in the lack of knowledge concerning self sufficiency by offering economic stimulus solutions to the underprivileged. In other words, offering proactive economic solutions before all at-risk youth turns to joining gangs. The inaugural annual “hand up to the underprivileged campaign” was designed to be one of the ways to generate the necessary amount of money to teach and guide the underprivileged on how to pull themselves out of a life of poverty and then “povertyproof” themselves.
The inaugural annual hand up to the underprivileged campaign begins on Monday, November 19, 2018 and ends on Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Silence the Violence and Shun the Guns' branding executives will be still working outside from time to time during this campaign. Join Silence the Violence and Shun the Guns, and the growing following mainly in the Toronto financial district and upscale areas, as it embarks on the final stage to generate the money needed to give the underprivileged a hand up to have a legitimate chance for a higher quality of life and reduce crime. Why? Because it is good for our society. Because it is good for business. Because it is good for our youth. And it is good for our peace of mind. Silence the Violence and Shun the Guns is looking to partner with organizations to work indoors in high traffic areas by setting up its display, raise ongoing “awareness” with the public, “educate” the public and encourage the public to “participate” to get involved and/or by purchasing items from its growing product line to fund this initiative. In February 2014, Silence the Violence Shun the Guns partnered with the City of Toronto Employee United Way Campaign to sell its items in City hall's rotunda area and Metro hall's common area.
And with the ongoing appreciation from Toronto mayor John Tory, for the work that Silence the Violence and Shun the Guns does, this is the opportunity to show the world just how strong Toronto really is when it relates to improving public safety. No one should feel threatened for their safety when in public. As the minister of public safety Ralph Goodale has recently stated, “guns and gang violence is everyone's problem” and “gun and gang violence has no place in Canada”.
These high traffic spots Silence the Violence and Shun the Guns can work at could be your office building rotunda, the lobby, the main floor of a building or condo, the foyer, at a event, at a performance, shopping malls, concourse, pathway to the subway station, etc.. A commitment would be anywhere from a few days, to a week. If your organization is interested in offering a free small space, as small as 10 x 6 feet or configured differently, an even smaller space, to advocate for the improvement of public safety, simply complete the form below. (If your organization can not partner with Silence the Violence and Shun the Guns for this campaign, consider a minimum $10,000.00 purchase of wrist bracelets for $20,00 each or other items and the branding executives will show you a number of ways to recover all the money you had spent. It's easy! See some of the most popular items in the ever growing product line here.) Remember, we all have a role to reduce youth gangs and gun violence.: