Provocative Gun Sculpture May Come to Salinas

When John Lennon was shot and killed in New York City in 1980, Yoko Ono commissioned an artist to create a work to commemorate the songwriter’s life. The result was a sculpture of a gun, its barrel knotted as to never shoot again. The iconic piece now stands in front of the United Nations building in New York – and one like it may stand in Salinas.

On Oct. 9 members of Salinas’ Community Alliance for Safety and Peace, a collaboration of city agencies and nonprofits, met with a representative of the Non-Violence Project Foundation, a Swedish nonprofit that uses the knotted gun symbol to promote peace. The nonprofit obtained the rights to the sculpture in 1993 and has brought it, as well as an educational program called Cities for Peace, to dozens of cities worldwide.

“The symbol inspires people to think about alternatives to violence,” says NVP cofounder Rolf Skjöldebrand, adding, “You have a dove or whatever, but that doesn’t trigger anything.”

The provocative gun received mixed reactions from the members of the CASP team, which discussed the possibility of bringing the sculpture to Salinas. CASP program director Jose Arreola said the sculpture may help promote a new narrative in the crime-ridden city.

“We thought it might bring a little attention toward all the good work that doesn’t always get the 7 o’clock reel on a nightly basis,” he said.

“You have a dove or whatever, but that doesn’t trigger anything.”

Others were less optimistic.

“We’ve got a pretty bad reputation in the area,” said CASP Treasurer Richard Renard. “We have people in Monterey who believe if they cross the river, they’re going to get shot. I’m concerned [the message will be]: ‘There goes Salinas, they’ve made it official. They’re the gun city.’”

Skjöldebrand says cost varies, but a fee for the sculpture and accompanying educational materials might be between $50,000 and $100,000. He says the nonprofit can help cities fundraise if there are no government funds to pay.

In the U.S. there are only two Cities for Peace: New York and Miami. Santa Cruz filmmaker Elizabeth McCollum, who’s producing a documentary about Salinas gang violence, had been in touch with Skjöldebrand and facilitated the meeting between the Swede and the Salinas non-violence team.

McCollum plans on bringing the proposal to the attention of the City Arts Council. Arreola says CASP may develop a questionnaire to gauge public reaction.

“There’s no way to bring something like this to Salinas without provoking a lot of controversy,” Arreola said.