After a violent summer that culminated with another deadly shooting in Meadowview, the Sacramento City Council voted unanimously last Tuesday (August 29) to fund a new program aimed at the most violent offenders.
Advance Peace uses mentoring and intervention to reduce gun violence and Sacramento will invest $1.5 million in the program during the next three years.
Founded in 2010 by DeVone Boggan, Advance Peace sought out the most active firearm-wielding criminals in Richmond, Calif. and tried to get them to change their ways through intensive one-on-one intervention and offering to pay them when they reached agreed-upon goals. And it seems to be working.
Boggan joins Beth Ruyak to talk about how the program works and why he thinks it's been effective. We'll also hear from community leader Pastor Les Simmons and Vice Mayor Rick Jennings, II. Both support Advance Peace and have worked on a number of different projects aimed at reducing violence in their Sacramento neighborhoods.
Stockton is also considering the program, there's a public meeting on Friday at Victory and Praise Church at 5:30.