San Francisco's homicide rate has risen, from 14 in 2019 to 21 so far this year. According to a government report, the majority of people involved in gun violence (as shooters or victims) are directly associated with twelve "high risk social networks" (aka gangs). So later this year, the city will start paying some of the individuals affiliated with those groups $300 each month to not get shot or shoot anyone. Participants in the program, called the Dream Keeper Fellowship, could also earn an additional $200 per month for things like actively seeking a job or complying with probation requirements. From SFist:
"What we are talking about is saying we are going to invest resources in this 25-year-old who has eight previous arrests, who is on parole, who is a proud member of a neighborhood clique and who is not even seeking services," National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform executive director David Muhammad told the Examiner. "It's just not a popular decision to make and may not be politically palatable, but that's what you have to do in order to reduce gun violence."
The fellowship is slated to launch as a small pilot program in October. There will be only 10 participants at first, which would ramp up to 30 by the end of the year, and if successful, would eventually ramp up to as many as 200-300 participants. SFPD would decide whom to offer enrollment to based on ongoing analysis of crime statistics data.
image: public domain
