The Greensboro City Council didn’t appear to have much interest in the report on the Cure Violence program at the Tuesday, Dec. 6 meeting.
In Greensboro, the $400,000-a-year Cure Violence program is called the Gate City Coalition (GCC) and is run by City Councilmember Yvonne Johnson in her role as executive director of the nonprofit One Step Further. Johnson lobbied hard for the Cure Violence program to be managed by One Step Further but was recused from the votes to fund the project with $500,000 in 2019 and $400,000 in 2020.
Only two city councilmembers asked questions after the presentation on the 48-page report by the Serve Center at UNCG and neither question was about the presentation. Councilmember Sharon Hightower asked that Arthur Durham, who works for the GCC, be allowed to speak.
Durham made the interesting comment that Assistant City Manager Trey Davis “gave me a contract.”
Durham also said that the GCC had recently lost three of its seven employees, or over 40 percent of its staff. Durham said this had put a burden on the staff that remained who were overworked.
Durham also said, “If you properly fund this program and properly resource it, you can win.”
Holston asked what was needed to make a difference going forward.
Durham said, “We don’t have close to what we need.”
In the presentation by the Serve Center staff, it was explained that the Cure Violence program had not been in place long enough to see the expected results in violent crime reduction and that it would need to operate two to four years to see those results. Later in the report that time period was revised to three to five years.
The lack of success was also attributed by Durham to the fact that the national Cure Violence organization had not provided the proper training and supervision for 18 months. According to the contract, about $100,000 was supposed to go to the national Cure Violence organization for that training and supervision.
Never enough money, gimme, gimme, gimme, sounds awfully familiar, like a mantra for anyone wanting some else’s money.
Where is the money? Anyone surprised the majority of our council did not ask questions? The report does not state, BUT did the councilman wanting to be Mayor ask questions? If not, why not? You want our support but will you be fair to all the citizens or just a group of citizens?
Looking forward to your open forums from the public.
Another worthless “feel good” program that doesn’t produce substantial results but keeps getting renewed because City Council member Yvonne Johnson makes her money by running the foundation. It is just like most government programs: once it starts, it never ends – no matter what kind of results it produces.
People serving on government boards should not be allowed to profit from programs the boards vote on for funding even if they recuse themselves. It is still tit for tat. You vote for what I want, and I will vote for what you want in the future.
All any program needs to be more successful is more time and more money from the taxpayers. End this boondoggle NOW. Crime and murder are rampant in the city. Give the money to the police force so they can make arrests and hopefully the DA and the courts will put these criminals away.
Lol…yeah, right. Throwing $ down a rat hole.
Greensboro should really take a look at other locations where they have Cure Violence. As sheriff I did and talked with the law enforcement leaders in the respective areas. It doesn’t work. It is a feel good operation that allows local mayors and council to say they are doing something. I suggest the citizens look for themselves, then vote out any elected official who didn’t. The answer is to hold people accountable for their actions. It’s best for the victim and the citizen. Crime is the result of passion (they got mad over something) or opportunity (they see a chance to benefit from taking or damaging something) without reprisal. There is no way there will ever be enough community organizers to be everywhere and stop the problem.
$900,000 in 2 years and nothing to show for it. Sounds like unqualified managers. Close it down now and stop throwing millions away for somebody’s ego program.
This sounds exactly like someone who has been there, and knows what he is talking about. Did then, does now. So why do we have another sheriff? I have no faith in the electorate: apathetic, uninformed, irrational, emotional.
Another “duh” moment.
And why would they? They are all accomplices.
Just follow the money and it will lead to Yvonne Johnson and her cronies. Been seeing this for over 20 years. it is time to call an end to the throwing away of our tax dollars. Give the money to the police/sheriff’s departments and elect honest people. Let them do their jobs. Stop giving thousands and thousands to Do Gooders.
if they cured violence, then then would be out of a job.
Watch, the speaker was asking for more money. If the same people win reelection they will give them double the amount. Mr. Barnes is correct, this program does not work. One of the first programs was Chicago and you can empirically see how that has worked out.
“Program Goals/Target Population
Cure Violence (formerly known as CeaseFire—Chicago) is a Chicago, Illinois–based violence prevention program administered by the Chicago Project for Violence Prevention. Cure Violence uses an evidence-based public health approach to reduce shootings and killings by using highly trained street violence interrupters and outreach workers, public education campaigns, and community mobilization. Rather than aiming to directly change the behaviors of a large number of individuals, Cure Violence concentrates on changing the behavior and risky activities of a small number of selected members of the community who have a high chance of either “being shot” or “being a shooter” in the immediate future.”
The above is straight off youth.gov/content/cure-violence-chicago-illinois. Notice is says “evidence based.” I would like to know how many shootings the Greensboro group has “disrupted” when there have been hundreds reported. Where is there statistical data? And no, having 16 whopping surveys returned is not empirical data. As usual our council is a joke.
Mandate Mayor with nothing to say? For shame the grifters we have in office. Like the pied piper or the Music Man promising cures but only having snake oil at our expense.
Is no one surprised that highwater had nothing to say what could she say it’s a free money program for blacks with all black “employees”and a black woman council member in total charge without having to answer to anyone. What more could she want oh wait what am I thinking she’d love to have an all black council and her as queen.