ZING! is a gun-violence-survivor-led initiative that puts the mic in the hands of people who have been denied accessibility and opportunity in art. We aim to keep kids off the street and in the studio and to create intergenerational spaces for people from all backgrounds to share their talent and wisdom.
Programs
Guns Down Mic Up!
GDMU is an open mic and conversation series that prioritizes the voices of those who have experienced systemic and personal violence, including but not limited to gun violence survivors, people with spinal cord injuries, people with disabilities, people of color, people who have been who have historically been denied access to musical resources and platforms. We prioritize those who have been systematically uprooted and denied proper agency to the narrative of their own story. We look to build membership in marginalized communities and also strive to connect them with arts professionals and community leaders.
Email support@opendoorsnyc.org to bring GDMU to your community!
While we prepare for the release of Fire Through Dry Grass, GDMU is not meeting regularly, but we are accepting requests for a facilitated Open Mic session!
Meet the Team
Vincent Pierce, ZING! Founder
As a teenager, I became involved in street life and at the age of 26, I was shot in the neck, leaving me paralyzed. Since then, I’ve been living in a nursing facility on Roosevelt Island and had given up on any dreams for my future until I joined OPEN DOORS and began learning poetry and music production. Today, my focus lies on being a good father to my 13-year-old daughter, Nuatej, creating music with a message. My plan is for ZING! to grow as a music community showing kids from neighborhoods like the one I grew up in that they are bigger than what their environments expect them to be.
Alex Eshelman, Guns Down Mic Up Co-Host
I’m an undergraduate college student who began interning for OPEN DOORS in summer 2020 and continued through the fall. Since then, I’ve volunteered to co-host GUNS DOWN MIC UP alongside Vince. I’m passionate about creating and learning music because art is my most natural form of expression. You can check out some of my work here.