Barack Obama said “The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something.” After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on December 12, 2012, Mike and Hannah Martin thought America would not let this type of tragedy happen ever again, that lawmakers would take action to stop this. Hannah, a kindergarten teacher, had 20 students in her class, the same amount of students that died in the shooting. When nothing happened, Mike decided to take action and do something. His “something” was creating RAWTools, a nonprofit turning weapons into gardening and other hand tools, to “create a symbol for change.” The flagship RAWTools is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. As fate would have it, Mark Stradley who lives in Buffalo, NY was at an event where Mike was speaking. Mark, a school counselor for the Buffalo City Schools, had experienced first hand the hurt and harm of gun violence, as he has lost too many students due to gun violence.. He knew he wanted to do something, yet was unsure of what that something was. After hearing Mike speak he knew what that something was. Soon after the Buffalo chapter of RAWTools opened with Mark becoming the Executive Director. Mark graciously shared some of his time with me to talk about RAWTools.
“We’re using raw tools – not war tools – to transform the world. We offer a safe space for gun violence survivors to heal.” Mike Martin – RAWTools
Buffalo is one of the locations for RAWTools. In addition to the flagship location in Colorado Springs, the other locations are in Philadelphia and Asheville, NC. Being thoughtful and detailed in how they do what they do, RAWTools approaches what they do with knowledge and wanting to implement peaceful change and healing to as many people and places as they can. While turning weapons into gardening tools is one of their initiatives, they are promoting peace in other ways. Because chopping up guns needs to be completed in a specific manner, Mike, Mark and other RAW Tool members have been trained to cut up guns according to the guidelines and rules of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) after being trained to learn how to safely and legally destroy firearms. The traditional craft of blacksmithing is used to change guns into gardening tools. Many of the guns that RAWTools cut up and turn into gardening tools are given to them by police departments. Mark said RAWTools in Buffalo regularly partners with two local police departments where they give weapons to RAWTools to be turned into tools of peace. There are also times individuals surrender firearms to RAWTools as well. When RAW Tool events happen there are times members of law enforcement will attend and watch them chop up the guns and transform them into gardening tools.
“We do more than turn guns into garden tools. We are turning violence into peace. We are turning fear into trust. Through relationship, dialogue, and resources, we are welcoming neighbors with loving arms rather than bearing arms.” RAWTools
RAWTools in Buffalo have a number of initiatives that promote peace, healing, and education in non-violent skills to deal with conflicts. The blacksmith equipment is portable so Mark is able to travel to areas beyond Buffalo. At a RAWTool event, which is open to all to attend, any person who has lost a loved one due to gun violence can come and hammer the now chopped up weapon to prepare it to become a gardening tool. Mark shared there have been times the person hammering the tool has hit the chopped up weapon over and over again, sometimes in silence and tears, and other times expressing their anger and hurt at who killed their loved one. These powerful healing events provide a place and space for healing for people who have suffered such great loss. The majority of gardening tools are donated to grassroots community gardens in Buffalo, and to other places as well. What happens is transformative, that a weapon of violence is turned into a gardening tool that helps to sustain and connect communities.
“Turning guns into garden tools is at the center of RAWTools. It connects our programs and enables storytelling – stories of magnificent transformation as well as the deep trauma of grief and loss.” RAWTools
Other RAWTools initiatives include non-violent training so people can learn the skills needed to approach real-world moments “from a perspective of peace and disarmament.” Mark shared a Project RISE grant through the NYS Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) provides funding for an elementary school Peacemaker program for grades K-4, which he facilitates at the elementary school he works at. This program is a student-focused, social-emotional initiative that teaches conflict resolution, empathy, and peaceful strategies to resolve issues. Older students who have completed training then go back and teach the younger kids. The children learn about becoming Peacemaker Heroes. A bison custom made puppet – a nod to being in Buffalo – named Martin (for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) helps to bring joy and learning to these children.
“Move from fear to creativity. By using weapons to make garden tools and other hand tools, we are creating a symbol for change and we’re asking you to participate.” RAWTools
The four RAWTools locations are fully aligned and supportive of each other. Their teamwork is to make the dreamwork, of giving people the tools to solve problems peacefully, without guns and violence. Mark has experienced first hand the moments of healing and transformation that happens at RAWTool events, in the magic of children learning and using peaceful strategies to work through problems, and moments at community gardens where everyday people are coming together to heal, connect, and grow relationships by working together to make a peaceful place for all.
It is with honor we shine the Kindness Champion spotlight on RAWTools. Where healing, peace, and transformation are happening because people are creating change by destroying weapons of violence and making them into tools of peace while providing “comprehensive initiatives and efforts to move communities away from violence while teaching ways to solve problems through relationship, dialogue, and alternative means of justice.” We thank you for being you and bringing your awesomeness to the world.
For more information or to support RAWTools and RAWTools Buffalo here is there information:
Website: https://rawtools.org/
Facebook: @RAWToolsInc https://www.facebook.com/RAWtoolsInc/
Facebook: @RAWToolsbuffalo https://www.facebook.com/rawtoolsbuffalo/
Instagram: @rawtoolsinc https://www.instagram.com/rawtoolsinc/?ref=badge
Instagram: @rawtoolsbuffalo https://www.instagram.com/rawtoolsbuffalo/
