Will Advance Peace be used to reduce gun violence in Merced? City Council to consider
A relatively new approach to addressing community violence will be considered by the Merced City Council on Monday.
Council members will decide whether to endorse an Advance Peace pilot program in Merced — an effort that’s been tried in cities like Richmond, Stockton, Sacramento and Fresno.
In a nutshell, the nonprofit program aims to reduce gun violence by identifying the city’s most likely shooters — and encouraging them to participate in a program run by advocates.
There’s therapy, mentoring and potential financial incentives for participants if they reach agreed-upon goals. The nonprofit focuses on engaging with those most impacted by cyclical and retaliatory gun violence.
The prospective partnership is intended to tackle one of Merced’s key objectives for the future, City Manager Stephanie Dietz told the Sun-Star.
Addressing community violence prevention has been on Merced’s goals and priorities list, which helps guides the allocation of city funds, for the last two fiscal years.
Supporters say the program creates a more proactive approach compared to Merced’s current model, which responds to situations once violence has already occurred, Dietz said.
City Council members Jesse Ornelas and Delray Shelton each separately learned about Advance Peace and suggested it as a possible way to address violent crime in Merced, Dietz said. In late 2021, city officials traveled to Fresno to learn about how the program operates.
Advance Peace’s approach in no way replaces law enforcement, but rather works in tandem with existing criminal justice systems, Shelton told the Sun-Star. The City Council member also serves as a Merced County Sheriff’s lieutenant.
Shelton said he learned during the Fresno visit that the relationship between Advance Peace and area law enforcement is supportive. “I see this program as an additional resource to come alongside in conjunction with and in support of what’s currently in place,” he said.
The program supports those at the core of gun hostilities, bridging the gap between anti-violence programming and hard-to-reach populations at the center of violence in urban areas, the nonprofit’s website says.
At the crux of the approach is a personalized and intensive “peacemaker fellowship” for youth involved in firearm offenses. Fellows participate in group life-skills classes, receive social services, elder mentoring, opportunities for internships and travel — and a milestone allowance if they demonstrate progress
But the program has garnered critics in other cities over the years. For example, Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones back in 2017 voiced “fundamental objections” to the program, equating it to paying people not to commit crimes.
If Merced leaders are supportive of partnering with Advance Peace, 50% of funding would come from Measure Y, a local tax on cannabis business operators. The other half would be funded by American Rescue Plan Act dollars, totaling $500,000 for the violence prevention pilot program.
Can success be replicated in Merced?
Reports of violent crimes were up in Merced last year, with 13 murder/non-negligent homicide cases compared to seven in 2020 — an increase of 85.71% — according to city crime data submitted to the FBI.
Richmond saw a 85% decrease in firearm assaults between 2012 to 2019 while the program operated, according to a report by the organization. Of 127 individuals enrolled in the peacemaker fellowship over the course of six cohorts, 66% had no new gun-related charges as of 2019.
Improvements were also shown in Fresno, Stockton and Sacramento, according to reports.
Shelton noted the recent uptick in local violence, as well as that among Merced’s young people. “The youth violence, where we’re going, has been very heavy on my heart,” he said.
Advance Peace could represent a new, different tool in the city’s toolbox of resources alongside criminal justice, law enforcement, counseling, education and job training, Shelton explained.
In addition to helping at-risk youth, the City Council member said the program could also be a boon to supporting local law enforcement.
Law enforcement officers are sometimes expected to be the solution in situations where supportive services are more appropriate, Shelton said. This leads to officers, who aren’t professionals in counseling or mentoring, performing duties they aren’t equipped for, he said.
“This could potentially be a program that, if implemented together correctly, could come alongside and help fill in the gaps,” Shelton said.
Merced City Council to vote on next steps
How a partnership with Advance Peace would actually take shape locally is not yet clear.
Monday’s City Council decision will determine whether staff can complete the first step of filling out a site assessment form. The assessment guides what program is best suited for a community by evaluating its needs, opportunities and resources.
“(The program) is tailored to the needs of each jurisdiction through each assessment,” Dietz said.
If given the green light to complete the assessment, staff will return during a future meeting with a presentation of a Merced-specific pilot program for the City Council’s consideration.
Even if leaders ultimately decide Advance Peace isn’t a good fit for Merced, Dietz said the assessment would be a valuable exercise in identifying local needs as the city moves forward and explores alternative violence prevention strategies. The assessment incurs no cost upon the city.
The public can comment on the Advance Peace program during Monday’s Merced City Council meeting in City Hall at 6 p.m., held in the Council Chambers.
Comments may also be made by emailing cityclerk@cityofmerced.org or calling (209) 388-8688 by no later than 1 p.m. the day of the meeting.
This story was originally published April 17, 2022 at 3:11 PM.
