City’s Office of Violence Prevention partners with community campaign to call for an end to gun violence | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
City of Milwaukee Health Department
October 23, 2018
The City of Milwaukee Health Department Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) launched a series of ad campaigns aimed at promoting pride and peace throughout the city and empowering residents to take a stand against violence in their community. OVP sponsored two campaigns in the city: We Live Here and Guns Down Miltown. The ads consist of print and digital billboards, as well as bus shelters.
“We have to do everything possible to elevate the positive. We have to make LIFE louder than death,” said Reggie Moore, director of OVP.  “When we saw the Guns Down Miltown t-shirts we immediately reached out to its creators and offered to amplify the message through a city-wide ad campaign in partnership with Clear Channel Outdoor.”
The “We Live Here” ad was developed by OVP and features images from the Blueprint for Peace. The imagery features local residents and promotes the Blueprint for Peace. The phrase “We Live Here” promotes pride in our city and elevates the promotion of LIFE over death.
The second campaign, “Guns Down Miltown,” is the brainchild of local designers Gideon Verdin and Denzel Johnson, who created the message to promote peace. OVP teamed up with Guns Down Miltown to amplify the call for ending gun violence in Milwaukee. In 2017, OVP released the Blueprint for Peace – the first community-driven plan to prevent and reduce violence in Milwaukee. Goal one of the plan is “Stop the shooting.” The partnership with Guns Down Miltown is vital to promote a message of peace and unity.
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“Although the idea behind this campaign has been years in the making, the message is more important today than ever. After going nearly four weeks without a homicide, four lives have been taken from us within the last 48 hours. The loss of one life in our city is unacceptable and our campaign is a reminder of that. We are grateful for the partnership with the Office of Violence Prevention and Clear Channel Outdoor,” said Gideon Verdin, designer of Guns Down Miltown.
For more information about OVP visit: www.milwaukee.gov/staysafe. To read the Blueprint for Peace, visit www.414LIFE.com. To learn about Guns Down Miltown visit: www.gunsdownmiltown.com