Guns to Roses Experience

In life, people go through many changes and experience many life lessons. Many young men at the New Beginnings Youth Development Center have been exposed to gun violence. Four young men were chosen to create a sculpture made out of confiscated guns.These young men transformed their negative exposure to gun violence into something positive. Out of the four, three of the young artists showcased their creative sculpture to both the Metropolitan Police Department, the DC Council, and the public.

The beautiful garden trellis first premiered at the Metropolitan Police Department, where many police officers, especially Chief Cathy Lanier, gathered at the Joint Operations Command Center to watch their presentation. Through their presentation they explained who they were, why they were chosen to do this project, and what was the process to weld and forge the piece. It only took the young men three days to complete this project.

During the presentation, one of the young men asked the crowd "do guns have control or do you have control?" The crowd was hesitant, but they answered that they do, but in fact the answer was the gun had the most control. At the end of their presentation, the young men presented a dog, completely made from guns welded together, to Chief Cathy Lanier. She was amazed, and it put a big smile on her face. With her surprised reaction, since she wasn't expecting a creative gift, she thanked the boys and mentioned that MPD may put a request in to have a custom-made piece. The crowd was in elation.

Part two was held at the Wilson Building, where the young men met Councilmember Tommy Wells, Councilmember Michael Brown, and Councilmember Mary Cheh. This session was also open to the public, and attracted a crowd of younger adults. Even though there were younger adults, the young men's sculpture of a man running through a field of roses captivated the young group and had a great impact on them. It showed that it didn't matter what kind of crowd there was, it highlighted that something as negative as gun violence can be turned into something positive, where it can change the way people perceptions of others and to look beyond the sculpture and into the artist's story. The Councilmember's and the public audience learned about the process of taking the power out of the guns and transferring it into the artwork.

It truly was an amazing experience for me. Being there to see a beautiful scuplture the young men created made me realize that even though times get rough, the sun will come to clear away the dark and rainy clouds, and that change is possible. It reaffirmed my belief that within every human being there is the potential to succeed and to become have an innocent spirit running through a field of roses.