City Councilor Tito Jackson (Roxbury) acknowledges it's a "pretty radical" idea. But he says the city should consider paying teens identified as being at risk of engaging in violence a monthly stipend to stay out of trouble.
At a City Council meeting today, Jackson said a stipend program in Richmond, CA, in which teens are paid between $300 and $1,000 a month to follow a "life plan" they write with counselors has dramatically reduced that city's murder rate.
The council agreed to hold a hearing on the idea.
Jackson said he began thinking of the idea after seeing "the most disgusting footage I've ever seen in my life" - of that seven-year-old boy being shot on Bowdoin Street.
Jackson said a stipend program would be a meaningful tool that Boston's 50 anti-violence street workers could use to curb problems. He said that while murders are down this year, shootings are up.
Although Jackson did not specify an amount for how much the program would cost, he noted Boston Police is currently on track to spend $60 million on overtime - at least some of which is related to investigations of violent crimes in the neighborhoods where the program would be used.
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Comments
Great idea, but...
By eherot
Wed, 06/03/2015 - 9:50pm
Good luck getting the 50 worst criminals in Boston to do that for $1000/month.
$1000 a month?
By Laura82
Wed, 06/03/2015 - 4:31pm
That was my after-tax income when I worked retail.
40 hours a week, $8 an hour: $320 a week or $1280 every four weeks before taxes.
Who elected this idiot?
By MatthewC
Wed, 06/03/2015 - 4:36pm
I have a better idea: how about we pay firefighters, EMTs, and teachers more since they actually contribute something to society. I know, how dare I. What a radical idea.
Maybe ...
By SwirlyGrrl
Wed, 06/03/2015 - 4:58pm
Maybe we should put these kids to work with the firefighters, EMTs, etc. You don't have to have much training to clean an engine or a floor, or help stock up an ambulance, but they would be around some really good role models.
Agreed...
By MatthewC
Wed, 06/03/2015 - 6:06pm
But accoriding to Tito Jacskson, throwing payoff money at kids already on a dark path is the solution. The fact that he didn't even entertain an idea like yours shows how ridiculously foolish he is.
Internship Snobbery
By SwirlyGrrl
Wed, 06/03/2015 - 7:28pm
I wonder how much of that is internship snobbery, where guidance counselors and their ilk are only interested in things like biotech and university placements, rather than trades and other non-academic professional disciplines?
I understand what it is like to be "steered" into certain things on career day because of being low income, and the baggage that comes with that, but I don't think that should matter as much as just mixing kids in with working professionals and giving them something to do!
Though it's not specifically
By C
Wed, 06/03/2015 - 4:48pm
Though it's not specifically for "troubled" teens, Artists for Humanity toes into this territory: They offer after school paid apprenticeship programs in the creative field. The program model sounds pretty fantastic, the kids work under experienced professionals in their discipline on real jobs (meaning you can contact AFH and hire them). They target underserved populations, so not specifically "troubled teens", but there's certainly a lot of crossover.
Ditto for Bikes not Bombs
By SwirlyGrrl
Wed, 06/03/2015 - 7:23pm
The kids get to build their own bike after they help build or rehab a bunch of other bikes.
I remember just a couple of
By anon
Wed, 06/03/2015 - 5:53pm
I remember just a couple of years ago, one of the churches was paying the gang kids. I doubt it's still going on because it was a complete failure. All the kids had to do was pretend to listen to someone preaching to them. On Friday afternoon it was, "We gotta go get our church money.". Friday night was business as usual. That was church money, this is our tax dollars. PLEASE stop giving my money away to bad and/or lazy people!!
Simple Solution to a complex problem
By anon
Wed, 06/03/2015 - 6:03pm
Tito you should have all the councilors watch the videos "Roxbury State of Mind' which are available on YouTube and maybe that will help them understand the complex problems which exist in your district.
How about acknowledge the
By dcf
Thu, 06/04/2015 - 9:51pm
How about acknowledge the kids that do the RIGHT thing and help better them....this is bullshit!!! Another handout - Get a job like the rest of us and get paid!
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