Best idea ever?

[wyomingosualum]

Or just stupid?

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/09/01/sacramento-plans-to-pay-gang-members-1-5m-to-keep-peace.html

Sacramento plans to pay gang members $1.5M to keep the peace
By Benjamin Brown Published September 01, 2017
How bad has gun violence gotten in Sacramento, Calif.? City leaders now plan to pay gang members $1.5 million for a cease-fire.

Following a fatal shooting last weekend in a city park, the Sacramento city council unanimously approved a controversial program called Advance Peace in an effort to address a recent spike in violence.

The program offers gang members cash stipends for graduating from school and generally staying out of trouble.

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg requested that the vote be moved up in response to the park shooting, which left one person dead and four injured, Fox 40 reported. The vote was supposed to take place in two weeks.

"Let's get going on doing everything we can to save innocent lives," Steinberg told Fox 40.

The $1.5 million in cash stipends to gang members will come from the city’s general fund. A similar program is being used in Richmond, Calif., and Stockton is considering it.

In Sacramento, the city council voted 9-0 in favor of the program, but the language of the contract has not been finalized.

However, critics remain skeptical that the plan will be effective.

"How's the vote going to change anything? It's up to the community to change. You know what I mean? It's just senseless," Allen Brown, a friend of Ernie Cadena, 49, who was killed in the park shooting Sunday, told Fox 40.

 

[Rdcldad]

national guard and martial law

 

[OKSTATE1]

Paying off Iran did not work, this will not either. Paying people to not be thugs? What is next, paying them to not have kids? We are going to bribe terrorists in effect? Thought we did not believe in that.

 

[davidallen]

What are the behaviors they are indenting? Graduating high school? No more gun offenses... seems like a cheap experiment to me.

Friend of mine helped with some of the private funding. You can read more about the program here: https://www.drkfoundation.org/organization/advance-peace/

 

[wyomingosualum]

What are the behaviors they are indenting? Graduating high school? No more gun offenses... seems like a cheap experiment to me.

Friend of mine helped with some of the private funding. You can read more about the program here: https://www.drkfoundation.org/organization/advance-peace/

Something told me you'd be in love with this idea.

 

[davidallen]

Something told me you'd be in love with this idea.

Actually cautiously optimistic yet cynical...

 

[imprimis]

Another good idea---pay our adversaries billions to develop nuclear bombs.

 

[aix_xpert]

What are the behaviors they are indenting? Graduating high school? No more gun offenses... seems like a cheap experiment to me.

Friend of mine helped with some of the private funding. You can read more about the program here: https://www.drkfoundation.org/organization/advance-peace/

So do you pay anyone who graduates from certain high schools? Or do you have to live in a specific 'at risk' neighborhood? Do you have to be a minority? If the latter, would this be considered racist, given you'd be basically implying that only minorities are gang members? I read through the link you provided, and they seem to be nothing more than an donor aggregation system than then funnels money to smaller, pet-project type initiatives of varying types. I saw references to "clean energy", "disaster relief", expansion of High-speed internet access, etc. I saw one item that mentioned some stats around how they had reduced gun violence in Richmond, but no real details. At the end of the day, its not my money being spent on this, so it doesn't impact me either way, but I'm curious how they make it work as I have trouble reconciling a program that pays people to simply not be thugs.

 

[davidallen]

So do you pay anyone who graduates from certain high schools? Or do you have to live in a specific 'at risk' neighborhood? Do you have to be a minority? If the latter, would this be considered racist, given you'd be basically implying that only minorities are gang members? I read through the link you provided, and they seem to be nothing more than an donor aggregation system than then funnels money to smaller, pet-project type initiatives of varying types. I saw references to "clean energy", "disaster relief", expansion of High-speed internet access, etc. I saw one item that mentioned some stats around how they had reduced gun violence in Richmond, but no real details. At the end of the day, its not my money being spent on this, so it doesn't impact me either way, but I'm curious how they make it work as I have trouble reconciling a program that pays people to simply not be thugs.

I was asked to contribute. Declined based on other priorities, didn't due any real diligence on the program other than talking to someone I respect who is very enthused about the potential...

 

[Medic007]

I like what they are doing in Richmond. There hasn't been much hard analysis done at this point, but the crime rates seem to be trending lower.

Paying folks money to finish an education and to be mentored to become better citizens seems to have little downside. A lot of at risk youth drop out of school for the instant gratification payday of being a gangster, but the money in that "career" choice isn't dependable. Giving them a financial reward to take a different path (that will ultimately show them that employment provides a dependable income and takes the jail time and getting your ass shot to death out of the picture) seems like a very good investment.

The actual dollar cost of gang violence is very high. The money spent up front in a program like this to lessen the monetary and human costs is a literal bargain if it works.

 

[aix_xpert]

I like what they are doing in Richmond. There hasn't been much hard analysis done at this point, but the crime rates seem to be trending lower.

Paying folks money to finish an education and to be mentored to become better citizens seems to have little downside. A lot of at risk youth drop out of school for the instant gratification payday of being a gangster, but the money in that "career" choice isn't dependable. Giving them a financial reward to take a different path (that will ultimately show them that employment provides a dependable income and takes the jail time and getting your ass shot to death out of the picture) seems like a very good investment.

The actual dollar cost of gang violence is very high. The money spent up front in a program like this to lessen the monetary and human costs is a literal bargain if it works.

I would agree with this type of program if its incentivizing adult-preparation behavior (such as finish high school, complete VoTech, or similar). But I couldn't find any real details as to how the monies were to be doled out, how candidates were selected, etc. And "pay gang members to keep the peace" as the article states is pretty different to me than paying youths in inner-urban areas to graduate high school.

 

[Medic007]

I would agree with this type of program if its incentivizing adult-preparation behavior (such as finish high school, complete VoTech, or similar). But I couldn't find any real details as to how the monies were to be doled out, how candidates were selected, etc. And "pay gang members to keep the peace" as the article states is pretty different to me than paying youths in inner-urban areas to graduate high school.

Take a look at the program in Richmond. There are some specific details available on it. I agree with you on the posted article. Poorly described.