There’s a Term for Paying People Not to Victimize Others

Can we all get along? For how much? (Advance Peace/Facebook)

U.S.A. – -(Ammoland.com)- “San Francisco thinks it may have an answer for its rising gun violence problem: Paying people to not pull the trigger,” The San Francisco Examiner reports. “The initiative will pair participants with newly hired life coaches from the Street Violence Intervention Program, known as SVIP, who will help them make the right choices and access services.”

They call it “Dream Keeper,” and it’s been tried already in Oakland, we are told, with $300 “incentives” if behavioral “milestones” were met. Since a perusal of recent headlines will show us that didn’t work, San Francisco is lowering the “standard,” dropping such requirements and just offering free money, with the promise of more if the recipients can comply with their probation terms, apply for a job (not get one), or meet with their “mentors.

We’re also told the Operation Peacemaker Fellowship program has been a success in Richmond, VA, where no less an authority than the American Journal of Public Health “linked the program to a 55% decrease in gun homicides and 43% decline in shootings since it began in 2010.” It pays, though, to read the fine print in the “study,” where we find admissions like:

“However, to our knowledge, there are no quantitative studies of the population-level outcomes of the program that control for other factors that may have contributed to declines (e.g., improvements in economic climate and broader crime reductions).”

That basically means they can’t really prove the logical fallacy that correlation equals causation, so they had to make some assumptions. And again, recent headlines suggest the problems are far from cured. (As an aside, it reminds me of NRA making similar claims about Project Exile years back – pointing to Richmond as a model for Philadelphia to emulate. Shortly thereafter the murder rate rose as national numbers declined.)

New York City, going through a murder renaissance of its own, tells San Francisco to hold its beer by offering $1,000.

“New York to Roll Out Pioneering Violence Prevention Program That Involves Financial Incentives,” an Aug. 11 headline in The Trace, the Michael Bloomberg “seeded” anti-gun propaganda site that presents itself as objective news, declares. “The Advance Peace model, which pairs young people with mentors and rewards them for reaching life goals, has achieved positive outcomes in other cities. It’s about to face its biggest test yet.”

“Mentors”?

“The program … will launch in one precinct in each borough and pair fellows — young people deemed at risk for involvement in gun crime — with formerly incarcerated mentors.”

“Advance Peace” … and I thought the Department of Pre-Crime was ridiculous. Pair budding criminals up with experienced ones. And add money into the equation. What could go wrong?

And why does an earlier similar effort come to mind?

“Hector ‘Big Weasel’ Marroquin, 51 — who founded the one-time city-funded group ‘No Guns’ in 1996, purportedly to work against gang and gun violence in the inner city — is charged with the sale of an assault rifle, a machine gun, two pistols and two silencers … It is his second weapons-related arrest in as many years.”

Is it any surprise that newer attempts are also a bust?  Even left-leaning, “gun control”-supporting sites like Vox are seeing it:

“Groups like Cure Violence and Advance Peace recruit members of local communities, particularly people who have a history with gangs or violence, to act as mediators who can deescalate interpersonal conflicts before they turn violent … But studies on interrupters have been largely disappointing. Reviews of the evidence have found that the approach often produces no significant effect on shootings and murders, and some programs were even associated with more violence.”

Still, before unequivocally declaring such programs won’t work we need to qualify that assessment. If it means they won’t work at making a meaningful impact on urban violence, that’s pretty clear. The problems there are way too deep for any feel-good Band-Aid approach.

But if we’re talking about transferring wealth from those who produce to those who take — and enabling opportunistic politicians and bureaucrats to continue swindling uninformed and gullible constituencies to the approval of virtue-signaling “progressives” — why that works just fine.

It’s extortion, a state-sponsored protection racket, but naturally one with no guarantees.

Nice place you got here. Shame if somethin’ happened to it.


About David Codrea:

David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.

David Codrea

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Larry

Poster of Obama looks on in serene approval. If he had sons…

james

Just call it what it really is, Protection Money.

Boz

Ransom, bribe, protection, payola, extortion money, etc.

USMC0351Grunt

Don’t forget wire fraud and RICO.

swmft

This could work, you dont arrest them for steeling give them money for not killing and landlords cant kick them out for not paying rent , think I have seen this movie Escape from new york In real life any slum around the world. police contain people in the slum like a prison and from time to time target kill people who get too powerful not a “society” but a zoo with free roaming animals

Courageous Lion - Hear Me Roar - Jus Meum Tuebor

“There’s a Term for Paying People Not to Victimize Others”
Yep..that term is INSANITY.

Yes, and they will probably just go and get a better gun.

How about ‘Eaten up with the dumb-ass’? How would the ‘potential victimizer’ prove that he/she abstained only for the money? Even if buying criminals off were beneficial, the ceiling of the amount paid would have to be raised almost continuously, and the demand would be enormous. The United States is a country of laws that serve as both deterrents and punishment for violations. Today’s lackluster enforcement and handling of violations of our laws is far below applause. LEO’s are heavily restricted in things pertinent to doing their job, and are always at risk of being deemed the culprit instead of… Read more »

Courageous Lion - Hear Me Roar - Jus Meum Tuebor

The only “laws” that should be enforced are those of the common law. Where a VICTIM is involved. 99% of the “laws” on the books today are “thought crime” laws and need to be taken off the books. We need “law enforcement” to turn back into PEACE KEEPERS. No victim, NO CRIME. No crime…NOT GUILTY.

Well said. This point needs to be made ad astra, until people begin to understand that statutory law perpetrates a fraud that the government is the victim of every crime.

If you’re under the impression that living in a country where nothing is illegal would be ideal, you’re living in the wrong country. The United States did not get to be the greatest country on Earth by allowing everyone to do as they please without consequence. If ‘anything goes’ were the rule, why would we need PEACE KEEPERS? Planet Earth will never be inhabited by only one human, but that’s what it would take to erase the need for laws.

USMC0351Grunt

So, just like Arnold Schwarzenegger said, “To hell with your freedom and liberty”?

USMC0351Grunt

No, our rights and freedoms are directly connected to the stock market and the publicly traded Prison System. “They” can’t get money unless they get a repeat business to supply their demand for, “services” to house the criminals.

Private Prison Stocks Outlook for 2021 – floorballcoach.org

Heed the Call-up

How would the ‘potential victimizer’ prove that he/she abstained only for the money?

The Leftist obvious answer is, if you don’t get caught, prosecuted, and sentenced, you did not commit a crime.

ExGob

10-4! Adherence to The Leftist view of what’s legal and what’s not, would spell doom for Our Country in short order. We absolutely must have laws, law enforcement and the freedom of self defense.

Rowboat

Oh, I can see a whole new political enterprise ! Pay me not to steal, pay me not to rape , pay me not to violate any of the Ten Commandments, I’ll be rolling in taxpayer dollars just for continuing not to be evil !
Is that not “ paying the devil his due “ ?

Morrigan

I decided not to shoot two people today. Honest!
I will advise where to send my reward money.

I at first NATURALLY assumed when I read this
that it was a joke. Is there a Greek word for
“Government By Morons”?

JimmyS

Close. There is “kakistocracy,” which means government by the least qualified to govern, or government by the worst, most inept.

Think of it as, “Government by the shittiest.”

USMC0351Grunt

I pray each and every day that the heightened levels of stupidity that we see can NOT go any higher… And I mean praying a LOT! Yet I am shown each day that my prayers are falling on deaf ears…

Happy Everafter

As soon as I think we have reached the absolute bottom of the stupid barrel, tax-stealing politicians fund another, stupider, stupid barrel.

Last edited 2 years ago by Happy Everafter
Bozz

Criminals extorting city government. That’s what it will amount to. Give me money and I won’t shoot, rob, or steal. I’d like a piece of that action.

USMC0351Grunt

What do you think those that researched, developed, drafted and planned out all of this BS? Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts?

Coelacanth

When Scorpions get in your yard, threatening your children and pets, you employ Scorpion control methods. Same thing goes for two legged predators. Employ the methods that work and elect prosecutors that know how to get the job done. That job is “Protect the Public”.

GomeznSA

Once you pay the danegeld you never get rid of the dane…………….

USMC0351Grunt

David, I truly pray that you are able to mentally remove yourself from all of this societal stupidity that you write about and that there is some sort of, “Brain Bleach” that you can use to clear your mind of what you must come across in your routine research, so that you are able to decompress, relax and thrive in your own mind-space from time-to-time and that you are not faced with long-term effects from all the dumbasses and idiotic issues that you come across for your writings? I mean your stuff is FANTASTIC, but, damn? Be cautious of the… Read more »

Last edited 2 years ago by USMC0351Grunt
gregs

that someone thought that this would work is truly laughable. good behavior is expected, as i tell my grandson. bad behavior is punished. what is going to happen to the criminals who get paid to be good and then behave badly? are they going to put them in time out? i heard of this years ago in chicago and thought it was the most asinine thing ever thought of, yet they bring it back into another leftist controlled city.

USMC0351Grunt

And think of the hundreds, possibly thousands of dumbasses that are draining taxpayer dollars from yet more dumbasses that are either not aware of or do nothing to stop how THEIR tax dollars are being squandered within the many networks that create, monitor, distribute and finance all of this crap?

hoss

Everything that’s going on now is by design. Crime will continue to rise all over the country til the decision is made to employ the military, because the excuse will be, LEOs cannot contain the crime. So, the military will be employed by special laws put in place by the enemies of this country (read Democrats), probably as “temporary”, and we all know when the government says temporary what they really mean is, it’s forever! With the military in control of policing the nation, without fail Marshall Law will be declared, and they will by force come for your guns.… Read more »

USMC0351Grunt

VETERANS! Grab your gear and stand by!

Arny

Good thing I am single with no children. Work for myself. I have quit paying taxes. At least income. I refuse to pay for BS programs that do not align with my standards. I will be losing my home to this BS. A home bought & paid for with cash from years of saving. Working multiple jobs. Day & night. I will sale it privately for cash. So I will not leave empty handed. I refuse to feed the beast ! A home on wheels. I will be ok till they start hunting people for not getting the shot of… Read more »

Wild Bill

@Arny,
If everything that you wrote is true, then you should not be broadcasting your intentions.

Arny

Why ? They going to hunt me ? Give me 3 hots & a cot. lol

Mack

Richmond has indeed participated in this with a $500,000 Virginia Gun Violence Intervention Program grant.

Children are given a ‘stipend’ not to pick up a gun and use it.

james

Cheaper to give all these gangsters simunitions training, they may think twice before pulling a handgun on another guy because they both can shoot better.