MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee gun violence prevention initiative is entering its third session and expanding its reach to younger children with a newly released coloring book designed to teach gun safety before dangerous habits take hold.
The "I Will Not Die to Gun Violence" program, founded by Monte Mabra, uses a structured curriculum to help community members make different choices around gun violence. This month, Mabra will launch his third round of classes from the program's new office.
Lashante Martin was one of the first graduates of the initiative after being incarcerated on gun charges. She is now returning to learn how to facilitate sessions herself.
"Everybody goes through mistakes, and everybody handles them differently," Martin said.
Martin said the program's approach made a lasting impression.
"It was kind of like a family meets up, actually; it didn't really feel like a group. So I think that's what helped it the most. You didn't really feel the pressure of the courts or anything. Everybody just did it, and it was authentic," Martin said.
Mabra created the program after gun violence struck his own family.
"My brother LaTroy Harris was shot 15 times and killed on December 15, 2025. A lot of anger, a lot of rage, was inside me, and my revenge was not to take revenge physically but to take revenge against gun violence," Mabra said.
Alongside the new session, Mabra is taking his message to younger children through a new gun-safety coloring book. Each page is designed to start conversations about gun safety and challenge what Mabra calls "street codes" before they take hold.
"If you find a gun, don't touch the gun, call for help. If you see a gun in an unsafe place ... go to a parent, go to the teacher, go to the officer," Mabra said.
Attorney Michael Hupy, president of Milwaukee Crime Stoppers, helped sponsor the program's first 2 courses. He said the coloring book builds on the work already being done.
"He's teaching people who are young before they get up in bad behavior to avoid murder, crime and to follow the right path," Hupy said.
For Martin, the program's teachings have already changed the way she thinks.
"We were already taught as children that this is how you should react or this is how you should protect yourself. Monte just opened our eyes to different ways of thinking," Martin said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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