From killing to cultivating: Akron organization turning donated guns into gardening tools

A community organization is transforming guns meant for violence into tools meant for cultivating.

To kick off the Festival of Nonviolence and Peacemaking this weekend across Akron, Cleveland and Canton, Akron Cooperative Farms and the Akron Police Department hosted the Chop Some Guns event Thursday evening.

Akron police donated dozens of guns that were confiscated from various scenarios, including crime scenes, for the event, which drew a crowd of about 15 people.

"It's a win for everyone getting a gun off the street," said Akron police Lieutenant Matt Whitmire. "Taking illegal guns off the street is a benefit for the community."

Douglas Wurtz, the founder of Akron Cooperative Farms, said the garden is the perfect place to start.

"This is where we build communities, change hearts," Wurtz said. "These guns were used for evil, and now we are going to turn them around and use them for good."

Bryson Dabis, who organized the event, said the idea of chopping guns down into tools and other things came from one of his friends in Pennsylvania, Shane Claiborne, who an activist is there.

Dabis said he hopes events like this brings more awareness to stopping violence.

Dabis said he and other members brought the idea up last year to Akron police, who were all for it.

"We told them to give us the guns, and we will turn them into symbols of peace for our city," Dabis said, adding that donating the guns is also symbolic for Akron police.

During the event, organizers chopped the dozens of donated guns down into separate parts. Over the next few weeks, they will be melted down and formed into tools and jewelry.

After everything is done, the new items will be spread around the Akron, Cleveland and Canton areas, where people can pick them up for free from the organizers of Akron Cooperative Farms and the Festival of Nonviolence and Peacemaking.

Dabis said this year was the first time they have been able to do this, but they hope to make it an annual event.

"This is a methodology approach to building justice and peace through this action-based, loving work of nonviolence," Dabis said.

About the Festival of Nonviolence and Peacemaking

The festival will take place Friday through Sunday across the region. It will include music and festivities that center around nonviolence and peace.

The festival, hosted in different cities on different days, will also provide nonviolence and peacemaking trainings as well as "amplify the work of nonviolence being done in our cities," the event website says.

The Akron-area event will take place from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Cascade Plaza. The program includes food trucks, basketball, bounce houses, live music and roller skating from 5-8 p.m.

The Cleveland event takes place from 4-8 p.m. Friday at Artha Woods Park, and the Canton event takes place from 3-7 p.m. Sunday at Nimisilla Park.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: From killing to cultivating: Akron organization turning donated guns into gardening tools