Note* — a more complete set of pictures can be found on my gallery page here
You may recall that I was present at a gun violence rally at the Santa Cruz clock tower the same day two Santa Cruz police officers were shot and killed. Today I volunteered at a gun dropoff event hosted by Pastor Dave Grishaw-Jones of First Congregational Church, Santa Cruz.
The goal was to offer a way for people with unwanted guns to dispose of them safely so that they didn’t end up in the wrong hands; for example somebody inherits a gun collection. Officers from the Santa Cruz Police Department were on hand to accept, process, and ensure that the guns were destroyed in a short amount of time.
The job of the volunteers was simply to show visitors which way to go. Lieutenant Dan Flippo gave instructions for how they needed it done and how to handle unexpected events like walk-ins instead of drive-ins. Pastor Dave’s idea was to welcome everybody and hand them a flower with deep gratitude.
Lieutenant Dan Flippo providing instructions and encouragement to the volunteers.
When we got started it was understood that collecting one gun meant success. By the time my shift was over we had collected ten.
Shanna McCord from the Santa Cruz Sentinel came to report the event. You can read her story here.
