DYRS Youth Advocate End to Gun Violence Through “GunzDown DC” Song

DC DMHHS
DC DMHHS
Aug 31, 2018 · 2 min read

By Jessica Smith

On Wednesday, youth from the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) released a song they wrote, produced, and preformed entitled, “GunzDown DC.” This song speaks to the fear and frustration many young people in Washington, DC, and across the nation experience as a result of gun violence and it comes with a strong message from youth imploring their peers to “put the guns down” and “spread the love.” DYRS Director Clinton Lacey says the song is a “call to action from young people with a clear message: ‘put the guns down, let’s respect one another, and let’s love ourselves, our families, and our community.’”

Courtesy of DYRS

These youth’s message is a powerful example of Mayor’s Bowser’s Safer, Stronger Initiative which makes historic investments in the city’s public safety agencies, doubles down on community policing efforts while increasing accountability at MPD, enhances the District’s public health approach to violence prevention and gives residents and businesses the tools and knowledge they need to support first responders. The Safer Stronger Initiative is a community wide response that amplifies the importance of all residents coming together to make the District a safer place and “GunzDown DC” could not be a better illustration of that.

As Lynndon Ferrel, one of the artists, recently told Washington Post, “me and my friends created a track that we can all say we did something good. At the end of the day, we got to do something… Just know, no matter what, there’s some people out here, and they do care, and they are trying.”

DMHHS could not be prouder of these youth and their efforts to spread awareness and help make the District a safer, stronger place for all.

You can listen to the song and learn more at www.dyrs.dc.gov.

Jessica Smith is a policy advisor in the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services

DC DMHHS

DC DMHHS

Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services. Coordinating a comprehensive system of benefits, goods & services across multiple agencies to ensure healthy lives.

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