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City support
At last Saturday's collection, the city of Laurel joined the collaborative efforts of the county and the NAACP.
"We approached Laurel about having a collection site here, and the chief (Richard McLaughlin) was really instrumental in providing us support," Butler said.
While Butler and Prince George's Police were expecting the city to provide support in the form of police volunteers, which they did, they were not expecting Mayor Craig Moe to arrive at around noon with a handful of 20 to 30 additional gift cards.
Piringer said the gift cards were left over from the holiday party for city employees the night before.
"We found out they were running short, and made a call to the mayor," Piringer said. "We were able to contribute some and keep the doors open a little longer. I think the organizers were happy we were able to step up and get more guns off the streets."
Ross was appreciative of the efforts made by the mayor and police, and added that the two groups specifically chose Laurel as one of the four collection sites.
"We picked Laurel and this site to send a message that the NAACP and police do work together," Ross said.
In the past year, Ross and the NAACP have sponsored protests at the Laurel Municipal Center and the Laurel Police Department to protest the Laurel Police Department's treatment of blacks after a Laurel officer was seen on a cell phone video apparently striking a man in handcuffs.
Last week, the Prince George's County State's Attorney's Office found no apparent criminal wrongdoing in the case. A civil suit against the city and the officer totaling $3 million has been filed in Prince George's County Circuit Court.
Piringer said it "made sense" to have the collection in Laurel and the city is exploring the possibility of having a collection of its own some time next year.
"Based on the success they had here today, we are entertaining anything we can do to keep the city safe," Piringer said.
