PHILADELPHIA PA, January 16, 2007 – Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA), Philadelphia City Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown and a coalition of labor, business, civic and nonprofit partners today praised Philadelphia’s citizens for turning in 252 firearms in exchange for groceries in a unique initiative to honor Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday.

The “Guns for Groceries Initiative,” created by Councilwoman Reynolds Brown, and inspired by the Gun Safe Philadelphia program of Congressman Fattah, far exceeded expectations and brought thanks from the Philadelphia Police Department. Police officials called it one of the largest single-day gun buybacks ever.

Police displayed the 252 weapons – including sawed off shotguns, rifles, and 177 handguns -- during a news conference today at 22nd and 23rd District headquarters at N. 17th Street and Montgomery Avenue in North Central Philadelphia. Spread across a long table were long guns and dozens of so-called Saturday Night Specials that police said were exactly the kinds of lethal weapons they find on the streets.

The target had been the surrender of 200 firearms. All weapons turned in to police will be destroyed within a month, police said.

Congressman Fattah announced that a second goods-for-guns exchange would be conducted Saturday, February 10, at the Center for Human Advancement, 4601 Market Street, Philadelphia, in partnership with State Senator Vincent Hughes and Councilwoman Reynolds Brown. In addition, an Illegal Guns Hotline will be launched for citizens to report and lead to the seizure of illegal firearms and the arrest of the gun possessor, he said.

The “Groceries for Guns Initiative” operated for six hours at the Columbia YMCA, N. Broad and Master Streets, North Philadelphia, on Monday, January 15 as an MLK initiative for nonviolence. The Y opened its doors for volunteers to process the grocery vouchers and also to conduct a special holiday basketball tournament.

Vouchers for $200 worth of groceries were supplied by The Fresh Grocer, with underwriting from Business Manager John Dougherty and IBEW Local 98. Other partners included PECO, Merrill Lynch, Men United for a Better Philadelphia, People for People Inc., Philadelphia Federation of Teachers and Radio One, which promoted the exchange with programming throughout the day.

Philadelphia Police conducted the gun surrender, checking each weapon for live ammunition and storing the weapons in a mobile van parked in front of the YMCA. In at least one case, a woman handed over a shotgun without realizing it was fully loaded. Several boxes of ammunition and numerous loose shells were also surrendered.

Congressman Fattah noted that 344 of the 406 homicide victims in Philadelphia last year were killed with firearms – 85 percent of the 2006 homicide total.

“I am honored to work with Councilwoman Reynolds Brown in this ‘Guns for Groceries’ effort,” Fattah said. “As leaders, we have to go beyond politics and work with everyone to make sure that Philadelphians have the opportunity to live, work and raise their families in a gun-safe city.”

Councilwoman Reynolds Brown said, “The success in the guns collected did more than get guns off the street. It is keeping children out of harm’s way. …We are a step closer in fulfilling Dr. King’s dream of nonviolence in our communities and against one another.”