Dawn Butler MP welcomes anti-gun and knife crime message of 'Hip Hop Opera'

Dawn Butler, MP for Brent, joined around 200 people who turned up to watch a screening of the Hip Hop Opera at the Tricycle Theatre on Wednesday 9 April.

Genesis Community supported the event, which forms part of Urban Concepts’ Don’t Trigger campaign.

In a question and answer session after the screening, a panel including Dawn Butler MP, bereaved parents, children, superintendent Simon Corkhill, the writer/director Raymond Stevenson and youth workers, addressed questions from the audience and called for more government funding to tackle the issue.

Dawn Butler MP said: “While I would like to see the government take a more joined-up approach to tackling the problem of gun and knife crime, government alone can't solve the problem. Everybody has a part to play.

"This joint initiative between Urban Concepts and Genesis Community is an excellent example of partnership working which is helping to fight the violence on our streets.”

The Hip Hop Opera formed the main element of Urban Concepts’ 2007 Don’t Trigger campaign. The 90-minute feature film contains scenes of conflict resolution, heartfelt testimonies from parents who have lost children to gun and knife crime and speeches from politicians, senior police and community leaders.

It is a fusion of fiction, fact, music videos, docu-film and contributions from politicians and real victims. This hard-hitting tale shows how a situation of disrespect can escalate to tragic consequences. Don-E refuses to back down, Desmond refuses to back down. By the time egos and bullets fly, they are in too deep to retreat. 

A sudden twist in the plot which leads to three unnecessary deaths exposes the futile nature of gun and knife crime deaths that take place in our communities.

An important ingredient in the Hip Hop Opera is the music content which is woven into the plot. It features contributions from some of the UK’s leading urban artists.

Iain Mackechnie-Jarvis, Head of Genesis Community and part of the panel, said: “Genesis Community is committed to working in partnership with groups like Urban Concepts.

"We are proud to be involved with their creative and effective campaign to take weapons off the streets. It is in line with our aims to help young and vulnerable people, and to create safer communities at grass roots level. We wholeheartedly support the strong message embedded in the Hip Hop Opera”.

Raymond Stevenson, film-maker and campaigns manager at Urban Concepts, said: “The first Don’t Trigger campaign in 2005 helped prompt a growing number of organisations to find ways to help strengthen the communities they operate in. We are very pleased to have Genesis Housing Group’s support in helping to tackle the violence on our streets.”