Case Studies

Have Fun But Don't Shoot Your Gun

The North & East Neighborhood Council represents 5,000 homes in the downtown area of Richmond, CA. The Council is a grassroots organization that provides residents with a forum to discuss neighborhood problems and create and implement solutions.

In 1998, the Council took on the problem of celebratory gunfire. Each New Year's Eve, a significant number of residents fired guns to usher in the new year. Residents felt the police department was not responding appropriately to the problem. They decided to plan their own campaign to discourage gunfire on holidays.

During the first year, the Council formed a committee and created the "Have Fun, But Don't Shoot Your Gun (Fiesta Si, Tiros No)" campaign. Working with the police department, they created a flyer in Spanish and English which was distributed at community events by Council members and by police officers. The police and Council produced a public service announcement encouraging residents not to shoot and describing the dangers and legal penalties. Pens were produced with a Spanish message and distributed at Richmond's Cinco de Mayo celebration. The City Council adopted a resolution supporting the "Have Fun But Don't Shoot Your Gun" campaign.

There was some limited success, but when the committee met in February of 1999, they realized that the problem could be worse for the upcoming New Year, preceding the new millennium, so they decided a new approach was required. They turned to the Spectrum of Prevention for a planning framework.

Using the bands of the Spectrum, the Council developed a range of activities to reduce celebratory gunfire:

Influencing Policy and Legislation:

Although there were no gun and ammunition dealers in Richmond, the Council asked elected officials in nearby cities to ban the sale of ammunition 10 days before New Year's Eve. The officials agreed to request voluntary ammunition moratorium. The Council also explored the possibility of having Richmond strengthen its ordinance prohibiting the discharge of a firearm within city limits.

Mobilizing Neighborhoods and Communities:

The Council recruited more than 75 neighbors to go door-to-door and ask neighbors to post signs in their windows indicating that they expected no shooting on New Year's Eve. "We're Starting Y2K out Right, No Shooting on New Year's Eve Night" was the message on the signs.

Changing Organizational Practices:

The Council asked the Richmond Police Department to change the way emergency dispatchers responded to calls about random gunfire. Instead of telling residents to "wait it out," the dispatchers were to treat each call as an incident and take information about location. The Council also asked the City to take responsibility for overseeing future campaigns instead of leaving them to community groups.

Fostering Coalitions and Networks:

To get the message out that random gunfire was unacceptable, the Council enlisted faith community leaders, school officials, Police Explorers and ham radio operators.

Promoting Community Education:

The Council convinced a billboard company to donate space on which the "No Shooting on New Year's Eve" message was printed. The local television station broadcast a public service announcement and the Council sent out press releases that resulted in media coverage. Volunteers also asked local businesses to post signs in their windows reinforcing the message.

Strengthening Individual Knowledge and Skills:

The flyers and other informational material all contained facts about the dangers of random gunfire and the legal penalties for shooting guns in Richmond.

Despite the many festivities that greeted January 1, 2000, New Year's Eve was quiet in Richmond. The "No Shooting on New Year's Eve" campaign, using nearly every band of the Spectrum of Prevention, had worked. The North & East Neighborhood Council won first prize from Neighborhoods USA for the effort. And the Richmond City Council agreed to take permanent leadership for the campaign.

For more information, contact Sandi Genser-Maack, 510-237-5670.

Do you have an example of how your organization used the Spectrum of Prevention? Share your story with us by emailing jfreestone@hsd.cccounty.us

Content provided by the The Community Wellness & Prevention Program of Contra Costa Health Services.