Community table talk will be part of Albany Police Department’s gun buyback event

ALBANY – The Albany Police Department’s annual gun buyback event is happening, Saturday, but this year’s event will have a unique, community-centered twist. 

APD, along with other community partners, will host “It’s My Neighborhood, It’s My Community, It’s My City” in conjunction with the gun buyback, a special gathering designed to foster open dialogue and unity across Albany. 

From 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Albany Civic Center, APD will offer residents a safe, anonymous way to turn in unwanted firearms and help reduce gun violence in the community. Just next door – at the Veterans Park Amphitheatre, community members are invited to take a seat at a 500-foot community table to enjoy a free meal and discuss community safety and togetherness. 

“We’ve always been known as the Good Life City, and a lot of people have been really upset because we’ve had a lot of gun violence,” Quinetta Hall, owner of Q’s Cakes and organizer of the community event, said. “My thought was maybe this would be a good way to bring the city back together by doing a community event that involves everyone, not just the APD, not just the leaders of the city, but the actual community.”

Hall first was inspired to host the community event after seeing a similar one on social media in Tallahassee, Fla. She shared the idea with Albany City Manager Terrell Jacobs, who she said immediately jumped on board. The community table will have enough space to seat about 500 people, and everyone is invited to sit down.

“They’ll have a seat at the table to break bread together and discuss different issues that have been going on around the city,” she said. “We’ll discuss ways we can try and correct it as a whole community.”

Each table section will have a “table captain” and engagement cards to guide conversations. Hall said she’s hoping to see connections form and conversations start about action and accountability. She said she’d like to see discussions on restarting and strengthening neighborhood watch groups.

Hall said she felt that the gun buyback event presented a good opportunity to host the table talk.  

“One of the main reasons our community has been so broken is because of gun violence,” she said. “So if you’ve got people on one side that are driving around dropping off guns that they no longer want – gun violence and all those things have made an impact on our city in a negative way.

“So to be able to bring that back around in a positive way, why not have the community sit at the table … talk about ways that we can change that through … togetherness and relationships? I think that would be just great for community pride and ownership.”

The community table talk is free to attend. Participants of the gun buyback will receive a $100 gift card for each firearm turned in, with no questions asked. No identification is required, and all exchanges are 100% anonymous.

To ensure safety, all firearms must be unloaded and placed in the trunk or back seat of the vehicle. Participants are asked to remain in their cars at all times, as officers will safely retrieve the firearms from each vehicle. Walk-ups will not be permitted.

In addition to the gun buyback, attendees can also safely dispose of unwanted medications at the same location, but in a different line.

Residents are encouraged to participate in both events as part of a shared commitment to building a safer and more connected Albany. For more information, call (229) 302-0776.