AKRON, Ohio — Michael Wilson has lived in Akron his whole life and said in recent years the gun violence in his Little Harlem neighborhood has gotten out of control.
What You Need To Know
- An Akron man said the gun violence in his community is out of control
- He started an art project to help his community heal
- He is hanging inspiring messages throughout his neighborhood
“You are held hostage in your own community, gun shots flying, it sounds like you are in Iraq,” Wilson explained. “They are just ready to die over nothing, over following another man.”
Wilson is trying to make a positive change in his community.
He is making signs with powerful messages and hanging them throughout his community.
Some of his signs contain messages encouraging the neighborhood youths to get involved with their family, education and to take a stand against gun violence.
“I want kids from all over Akron to come over here and learn and get prepared to go to college,” Wilson said.
Wilson started this project two months ago.
“The local people push art as a way of changing society, so I just kind of tapped into that energy,” Wilson said. “I went out and bought some wood and bought some paint and got busy.”
He hopes that some of the messages will resonate with members of his community.
“I want them to be able to think there’s alternatives to going to jail, I want them to be able to focus on education, I want them to be able to ask God and get in touch with their spiritual side,” he explained. “I want them to love themselves.”
Wilson plans to create and hang even more anti-violence messages in Little Harlem in the future. More about the project may be learned at Wilson’s website.
