Bullets in the Hood: Anti-Gun-Violence Tour

The Bullets in the Hood: Anti-Gun Violence Tour was a grassroots initiative that occurred over three weeks during May-June 2006.

The unique centerpiece of this initiative was DCTV's forty-foot long, state-of-the-art, mobile production vehicle, the CyberCar, which brought gun violence awareness directly to youth, to their streets and their communities.

Rolling into communities throughout New York City and Hartford, Connecticut, the CyberCar attracted young audiences by the hundreds. At each stop along the way, the CyberCar conducted "Town Meetings" at schools, libraries, and youth group gatherings. The Bullets in the Hood: Anti-Gun Violence Tour featured public screenings of Bullets in the Hood: A Bed Stuy Story, a multi award-winning film produced through DCTV's youth media program, PRO-TV.

Consequently, important dialogue has begun that has engaged youth and members of their communities in discussions about gun violence in their own neighborhoods. These dialogues are a critical first step toward stemming the tide of violence that claims thousands of young lives each year.

BULLETS IN THE HOOD: A BED STUY STORY

Bullets In The Hood: A Bed Stuy Story was produced and directed by four New York City teenagers through DCTV's PRO-TV program (a free media arts training program for inner city kids). Its principal producers/directors, Daniel Howard and Terrence Fisher, conceived of the project as a response to the eleven friends they had lost between them due to gun violence. The film took a tragic turn during its production when Terrence experienced the horrific consequences of losing another friend, his best friend, to gun violence--only this time the shooter was a New York City housing policeman. Terrence was standing behind 18-year old Timothy Stansbury when Timothy was shot by a police officer patrolling the roof of their building on January 24, 2004. The force of the shot sent Terrence and Timothy tumbling down the stairs together in a spray of blood. The shooting was later deemed 'unjustified' by the New York City Police Commissioner, but the officer was exonerated of charges. Terrence's "retaliation" was to capture the events of the tense days and weeks afterwards through the lens of his camera.

Bullets In The Hood: A Bed Stuy Story continues to make news around the world and was awarded the 2005 Sundance Film Festival's Jury Prize, the 2006 Henry Hampton Award for Excellence in Film among many worldwide honors. It has been screened at global film festivals and special youth events. Terrence and Danny have been featured on leading television and radio networks and in print publications around the world.

TOUR DATES

• May 4th, 2006 - Foundations Academy (Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, NY)
• May 9th, 2006 - Boys Club of NY/Abbe Clubhouse (Queens, NY)
• May 10th, 2006 - Bronx Lab H.S. (Bronx, NY)
• May 11th, 2006 - Westside H.S. (Manhattan, NY)
• May 12th, 2006 - St. Johns Community Center (Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, NY)
• June 2nd, 2006 - Hartford Transitional Learning Academy (Hartford, CT)
• June 3rd, 2006 - Second Avenue Street Fair (Manhattan, NY)

PARTNERS

The Open Society Institute (a major funder of the spring tour); New Yorkers Against Gun Violence; the Boys Club of New York; several New York City and Connecticut high schools; local law enforcement; and Speakers such as Terrence Fisher, Phyllis Clayburne (mother of slain teen, Timothy Stansbury) and others.