Posts into Letters

Background

After the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14th 2018, there was an outpouring of social media posts. Yet again Americans gave voice to their pain and called for change.

Yet again the Government has ignored all of these online pleas to take action.

However, according to 96% of staff employed on Capitol Hill, letters to Congress are still the most effective way to get real action.

Idea

‘Posts Into Letters’ is an initiative that transforms social media posts into handwritten letters, which people can then mail in order to petition members of Congress to introduce stricter gun control laws.

The font was developed using the handwriting of Joaquin Oliver, one of 15 students killed by 19 year-old Nikolas Cruz.

His handwriting was donated by his parents, Manuel and Patricia Oliver, who are co-founders of non-profit organisation Change the Ref.

The film of the initiative, shot by Great Guns, featured friends and family members of the victims explaining how they hope to create a movement that Congress simply can’t ignore.

The film’s music was written and performed by the Parkland Drama Club in memory of the friends they lost.

Results

The initiative has been supported by Parkland survivor and #NeverAgain activist David Hogg. Ads in local newspapers are planned to get as many people as possible to post their protests to Congress.

The campaign has only run for a short time but already 1,315 letters have been posted.

Our Thoughts

Gun control is a massive issue in the USA but most politicians seem to fight shy of getting involved because it excites such passions on both sides. Yet most normal human beings can see that doing nothing will simply lead to more killings, more tragedies. (Sandy Hook Promise on pages 26-27 isn’t trying to get guns banned but is trying to teach people how to identify and neutralise the misfits most likely to go in with guns blazing.)

This starts with a fascinating piece of data.

Congressmen can’t not respond to mail in the way they can ignore social media. Add to that the sheer physicality of mail and here is evidence that it works in ways other media simply can’t.

Here’s hoping the Oliver family get some sort of meaningful response.