Chicago Sun-Times reported that urban radio stations and personalities in Chicago agreed to participate in an anti-violence campaign that aims to dissuade people to put their guns down.
Around a dozen participating stations at the behest of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel are expected to open and close every show with air public service announcements and an anti-gun message. Moreover, the radio stations are also expected to host a monthly simulcast to drive home the need for accountability and community responsibility and to host host weekly community affairs segments hat would feature community organizations who offer programs on violence prevention.
At the KLEO Center on Friday, Emanuel said in a news conference that it was important to enlist pop culture to drive the goal home, which is to curb gun-related violence.
He said, "We have seen over time in three areas - smoking, seatbelts, drug use - where a consistent message has changed behavior and attitudes. This is not gonna be done because, one Saturday, somebody said, ‘Put the guns down.' But when you say it a thousand times from every other angle and you constantly hear it, it starts to penetrate the conscience. It starts to raise the expectations. It starts to change your view of yourself and your role."
"Morning Riot" show host Tony Sculfield, had said that he is getting tired of hearing about the bloodbath on the streets of Chicago every weekend. "As a radio personality, I've grown weary of having to interview mothers like Annette Holt and Pam Bosley, who have lost one of their children and have to share the pain of losing a child with the city of Chicago. Enough is enough, Chicago. The message is simple. Put the guns down."
Emanuel's campaign to curb gun violence could be his response to the city's failed legal attempt to ban gun sales. The Huffington Post said the city's new gun sales ordinance has been stricken down by a federal judge on the basis that the ban on firearm sales violated constitutional rights.
