RICHMOND, CA - NOVEMBER 02: Students walk by Richmond, California police car that is parked in front of Richmond High School November 2, 2009 in Richmond, California. Faith leaders held a prayer vigil at Richmond High School to show support for a fifteen year-old student who was gang raped by several men while attending a homecoming dance. Six arrests have been made in the case. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) (Photo: )
As Baltimore, already in the national spotlight over the police killing of Freddie Gray, endured its deadliest month in almost 40 years, the search for solutions to the problem of persistent, violent crime turned again to a California city that was once among America's most dangerous.
The initiative, part of the city's Office of Neighborhood Safety, identifies young male residents, aged 13 to 25, who are most at risk of killing or being killed. The San Francisco Bay Area city then pays them a monthly stipend, ranging from $300 to $1,000, over the course of 18 months in exchange for sticking with an individualized “life map” of positive behavior -- such as GED programs, anger management therapy and job training. The better they do, the more they are paid.
Participants are also connected with community mentors, who are credible in part because many have their own violent pasts. The mentors keep in close contact with the young men throughout the program. But importantly, as Mother Jones noted in a 2014 story, the mentors do not share information about participants with law enforcement. Though the program has the police department's blessing, it operates independently.
While partially funded by the city of 100,000-plus residents, the program is also not wholly dependent on the taxpayers. Private donors have stepped in to help pay for those financial incentives.
The results of Richmond's initiative, which started almost eight years ago, have been encouraging. The Washington Post reports that of the 68 participants since 2010, 54 have not been charged with another gun-related crime -- and only four have died. Some of the participants have gone on to attend a four-year college. Additionally, the city’s murder rate has declined 77 percent in recent years, from 47 deaths in 2007 to 11 deaths last year.
“It’s amazing,” DeVone Boggan, the program’s creator and director, told the Post, “and it has to do with focusing on those driving violence and recognizing that they have a great deal of power in terms of gun violence in our city and whether it goes up or down.”
Other factors, of course, are at play in Richmond. As Al Jazeera noted, unemployment has declined and gentrification increased in cities across California, contributing to reductions in violent crime.
The Richmond program’s first formal evaluation is being conducted by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, a nonprofit social research group. Its results are set to be released later this month.
Michael Brown
On Aug. 9, the unarmed 18-year-old was shot dead by Ferguson, Missouri, Police Officer Darren Wilson. Wilson claimed he shot Brown as the teen ran at him after the two fought over his gun. But multiple witnesses, including the majority of those heard by a grand jury, said Brown did not run toward the officer. Many said Brown had his hands up when he was shot and killed. On Nov. 24, a grand jury voted not to indict Wilson, setting off protests across America.
Eric Garner
New York City police suspected Eric Garner of selling loose, untaxed cigarettes on July 17. In an attempt to place him under arrest, officer Daniel Pantaleo put Garner in what New York Police Department Commissioner Bill Bratton described as a chokehold, a move banned by the department. Garner can be seen in a video of the incident saying he can’t breathe as Pantaleo holds him. He is later pronounced dead at a hospital. A Staten Island grand jury voted on Dec. 2 not to indict Pantaleo, setting off another wave of national protests.
Tamir Rice
On Nov. 22, 12-year-old Tamir Rice was shot by police in Cleveland who were responding to reports of someone with a gun. The weapon he had in his hand was a pellet gun. Rice died a day later in the hospital. Video footage released by police showed that Timothy Loehmann, the officer who killed Rice, shot him within two seconds of exiting his car.
Akai Gurley
On Nov. 20, 28-year-old Akai Gurley exited his girlfriend's apartment in a Brooklyn, New York, public housing building. He started going down a dark stairwell that had a broken light. Rookie New York Police Department Officer Peter Liang, who had his gun drawn as he patrolled the stairwell, shot and killed Gurley. Police said the shooting was accidental. The New York Daily News reported that, instead of calling an ambulance, Liang texted his union representative after he shot Gurley. A grand jury will determine whether Liang faces charges.
John Crawford III
On Aug. 5, 22-year-old John Crawford III was shot and killed by police inside a Beavercreek, Ohio, Walmart. Crawford was carrying an air rifle that he had picked up inside the store. Cops were called to investigate a man waving what could be a firearm. Police said Crawford refused to put down the gun and turned toward them in a threatening way. But lawyers representing Crawford's family say the officers were reckless and negligent. A grand jury voted not to indict either of the officers involved in the killing.
Ezell Ford
On Aug. 11, Los Angeles police conducted "an investigative stop" and interrogated unarmed 25-year-old Ezell Ford. At some point, Ford was shot and killed. An LAPD statement on the killing said, "During the stop a struggle ensued, which resulted in an officer-involved-shooting." But witnesses told The Huffington Post that police shouted, "Shoot him," moments before three bullets hit Ford, who was on the ground. The case remains under investigation.
Samantha Ramsey
Samantha Ramsey was killed as she tried to drive away from a party on April 26 in Boone County, Kentucky. Boone County deputy Tyler Brockman said he shot Ramsey after she ran over his foot and forced him onto the hood of her car. He said he feared for his life and the lives of others when he opened fire. But witnesses said Brockman jumped onto the hood of her car and killed her unnecessarily. In November, a grand jury voted not to indict Brockman.
Darrien Hunt
Darrien Hunt was shot seven times by Saratoga Springs, Utah, police who were investigating reports of a man with a sword on Sept. 10 at a shopping center. Hunt's family said the sword was a replica. Police said Hunt refused to give up his sword and then started swinging it at them. An autopsy report determined that Hunt was shot seven times by officers, including several times in the back as he fled from police. The Hunt family's attorney, Bob Sykes, disputed assertions from cops that the 22-year-old acted aggressively. "I think it's a whitewash. I think it's an exaggeration," Sykes said. "I think they ignored good hard evidence to the contrary."
Rumain Brisbon
Phoenix Police Officer Mark Rine was investigating a tip that 34-year-old Rumain Brisbon was selling drugs inside an SUV on Dec. 2. Police said Brisbon didn't obey the officer's commands and instead fled inside an apartment complex where a struggle ensued. During the struggle, Rine mistook a pill bottle in Brisbon's pants for a gun and fatally shot him, according to police. Brisbon was unarmed, though police found a gun in his SUV. Prosecutors are investigating whether Rine should face charges.
Kajieme Powell
Less than two weeks after Michael Brown was killed in Ferguson, Missouri, 25-year-old Kajieme Powell was shot and killed by police in nearby St. Louis. Police were called to a convenience store to investigate a man causing a disturbance and acting irrationally. They found Powell with a knife in his hand, and graphic video shows Powell approaching them yelling, "Shoot me." But the video also appears to undermine some of the initial assertions from police. Instead of holding the knife in an overhand grip, as police said, Powell had his hands at his sides. Powell also did not get as close to the cops as they originally claimed.
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