A few days into the 8th month of 2021, there has already been a 55% surge in gun violence across America. For the last six weeks, hosts Tamika D. Mallory and Mysonne "The General" have sat down with community leaders, politicians, survivors, and more to combat the gun violence crisis in America. On the finale of this limited six-part series on Gun Violence, hosts speak to the former police chief of the NYPD, Phillip Banks III, and gun violence survivor turned peace advocate Samson Styles on how communities and individuals can communicate their problems and squash the beef. 

Former NYPD Chief Phillip Banks III describes how if the NYPD spent more time listening to communities about prevention and addressing the criticisms they’ve received from the activists, he thinks New York would be in a different place regarding gun violence. 

Samson Styles discusses his history of being on both sides of a gun and how it changed his life and perspective. Samson has survived being shot five times and later went on to forgive and work with his shooter to educate younger generations on the importance of solving our problems before it gets to the point of violence. His new documentary “Killing the Beef” follows his story of forgiveness and acceptance as both himself and his assailant move forward in the aftermath of the shooting, hoping to prevent others. 

In this series finale, we examine the responsibility of law enforcement and the role communities play when it comes to gun prevention.

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