Can you change someone’s mind in 60 seconds?

I first suggested this three mayors ago: Get NBA star Carmelo Anthony, who played at Towson Catholic and has strong Baltimore ties, to make some powerful, visually arresting public service videos imploring an end to the shooting. You say no one will listen? I say it’s never been tried. Baltimore needs a consistent, high-profile anti-violence message from an influential figure. “This community is what made me who I am today,” Anthony said when he visited Baltimore a few years ago. Can we get him to do something here, please?

Without counter messaging from influential sources – a respected adult, a popular celebrity, a powerful song or riveting video – then those engaged in criminality continue undeterred. Same goes for bigots and haters, abusers and addicts, speeders and trash dumpers. We assume they know better, but they don’t. They need to be told they need to change. 

Corporations spend millions and billions on TV commercials, trying to get us to buy the cars they manufacture, the beer they brew and the insurance they sell. It must pay off for them. So there should be no hesitation about using the power of images and words in 30 seconds or 60 seconds to change destructive behaviors, from gun violence to littering. This is one of the reasons for my Wednesday column; I think more messaging like the one in the “Goodbye” video produced by U.S. Attorney Erek Barron‘s office could make a difference. But it needs sufficient air time and ample presence in social media. Otherwise, we will never know if it works.