DETROIT – It’s called “Gloves up, Guns down” but it’s really about releasing some stress. For the group behind the movement, there’s a bigger picture.
“We were just in my garage, watching our neighborhood go from what it used to be to everybody talking about killing,” said Dwayne Taylor with Pick Your Poison Detroit.
Taylor is a professional fighter and boxing trainer at Weavers Boxing Gym in Garden City and knows all about channeling your energy.
“We’re just trying to bring notice to all of the gun violence that’s going on,” he said.
It’s why he started the organization “Pick Your Poison: Gloves up, Guns down.” He said it’s an opportunity for those who have an issue with each other to handle it in the boxing ring instead of in the streets.
“A lot of these kids, they think it’s cool to carry guns and cool to shoot,” said Taylor.
Taylor said he knows all about losing someone to gun violence.
“I lost a lot of close family members to gun violence. It was like nonsense ... I lost my little cousin a few months back to gun violence for stepping on somebody’s shoe,” he said.
He also said he knows some may think it’s choosing another form of violence over gun violence, but he said there’s a bigger picture.
“It’s just a way to release some stress, some of that built up anger that you have. Also it’s better than losing your life because when you pull the trigger, it’s not just one family who’s affected. It’s two families who are affected,” he said.
If you’re interested in this program, contact the organization on its Instagram page at pyp.detroit.
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