Local activist hopes upcoming music video will help quell Philadelphia's gun violence

A Philadelphia non-violence activist is calling on the city's youth to participate in a music project that he believes will help curb gun violence and promote peace.

Michael "OG Law" Ta'Bon wrote a soon-to-be released song and created a music video as part of his "Stay Alive Movement" peace march that will begin in Love Park and end at the Art Museum. 

"Me by myself, it sounds a little thing, but if I can get 500 people to come out to the steps of the Art Museum and we can sing the city together that message, I believe that will inspire people," Ta'Bon told FOX 29's Shawnette Wilson.

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The song and march is part of a bigger plan to change the mindset of people to help end gun violence. There were 500 murders in Philadelphia in each of the past two years, including a historically bloody 2021 in which 562 were killed. 

"When you kill people and shoot people, the finger pulls the trigger, but it started with a thought on the inside," Ta'Bon said. "So if we can get into the self-conscious mind with a song and give them an option, we can rest in peace while you're still alive."

Ta'bon hopes the city's youth, along with community members, families and local non-violence groups will participate in the peace march and music video. Ta'Bon himself recently joined another youth peace march by the community group "Forget Me Knot" and some of that footage will appear in the video.

"This should be a project that we all should come on together when five fingers ball up into a fist we can really fight this thing," Ta'Bon said.

For more information, you can connect with Michael "OG Law" Ta'Bon on Instagram.