A city in California wants to end gun violence in their community so bad that they’re willing to pay their local gang members not to shoot their guns.
Fresno, CA has initiated a proposal program that pays stipends to gang members in efforts of stopping gun violence. Following a 3-2 vote at Thursday’s Fresno City Council meeting, the Advance Peace program will now be evaluated by city leaders within the next 90 days.
Fresno Mayor Lee Brand and Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer are a part of the group that will review the controversial program along with other alternatives to reduce violent crime. Dyer said though he supported the gang intervention concept presented by the program, his views on the full proposal were not.
“I am philosophically opposed to giving money to any gang member,” Dyer said.
The proposal, presented by Councilmember Miguel Arias, would fund $75,000 for “the administrative element” of a local version of the Advance Peace initiative. He also noted that an additional $225,000 would be funded by “Cannabis activity” for next year’s budget.
The Advance Peace program was first started in Richmond, Calif. as a method to curb gun violence. The Richmond program used a team of pseudo-social workers, many of whom were former convicts, who would monitor high-risk individuals and persuade them to join the program and halt the violence.
The Richmond program reportedly paid participants between $300 to $1,000 each month, depending on their progression in reaching personal and professional goals. Despite the program’s efforts, there have been no major studies of the organization or its program’s impact on violent crime, the San Joaquin Valley Sun reports.
