Translation: Farah Safieddine - A pilot program launched by New York City months ago has been criticized by some for allegedly giving taxpayers money to "gun thugs."
According to Fox news, the city launched the Advance Peace Model program in March. It aims to pay a monthly stipend of $1,000 to young people who have been convicted of crimes in exchange for continuing to participate in the program and improving their behavior.
The program has been tested by five police districts, one in each borough of New York City, according to a press release from Mayor Bill de Blasio's office in March. He said during a news conference at the time that he had the support of Solicitor General Joaman Williams.
Mr. Goman declared that the program "is not just a moral obligation, but a duty of the government towards society". Reportedly, New York City has earmarked $1 million for the pilot program.
"Under the pilot project, the city will conduct outreach activities in areas with high levels of armed violence to identify youth at risk," the statement said. He added, "The young people are then selected to be trained by specialists who will guide them in life and set tangible goals such as obtaining a driver's license or obtaining a better education."
“When participants achieve their goals, they receive a monthly stipend,” the mayor emphasized, adding, “This model will make New York safer and more equitable for future generations.”
But the network made it clear that the idea did not appear to be acceptable to everyone. Journalist Seth Barron, editor-in-chief of The American Mind, wrote an op-ed for the New York Post on Sunday titled: "De Blasio's Plan to Give Perpetrators of Violence a Monthly Stipend Is Crazy." He pointed out that the program "distributes money to thugs with weapons."
The model was first used in Richmond, California, and later adopted in Sacramento, Stockton, and Fresno, state, as well as in Fort Worth, Texas.
New York Mayor's Office spokesman Bill Neidhardt told Fox News Tuesday that conservative critics of the program "don't really get the hang of it...and they don't really care about stopping gun violence."
Noting that they welcome tax cuts more than governments investing this money in young people at risk.
Neidhardt praised the results of a similar Richmond model, where statistics showed that gun-related assaults decreased by 66% between 2010 and 2017.
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