Courageous Conversation without compromises

A bold move from Goodby Silverstein and Partners shows a Black man experience acute racism in a casual, everyday setting. 

Not A Gun starts out familiar as people visit their corner store to pick up a candy bar. When a Black man comes in, he asks for the same, and the cashier turns, picks up the chocolate, but instead, we see a gun slide across the counter. It still costs one dollar. The man walks down the street and then is stopped in a random check that we can only assume is racially biased. He raises his hands, only holding a candy bar. 

The horrific reality depicted by the PSA is tense and impactful. There is a single second shot of a policeman reaching for his gun, and the next moment the wide eyes of an innocent man, facing down a nightmare. With deft production from Rakish that ramps up the pressure every second, Not A Gun spreads an important message about racism and police brutality in the United States, and elsewhere.