5) Richmond
In Richmond, California’s crime and gang violence was so bad that the community hired several outsiders to come into the city and try to develop a unique plan to combat violence. At the time, it was the third most violent city in the country.
What they did was find the 50 people in Richmond most likely to kill, or be killed in the course of a year. Those people were approached and essentially given a second chance. For a stipend and the ability to turn their lives around they would act as representatives of the community — providing insight to the authorities, as well as building trust, and strengthening positive bonds throughout Richmond.
While this strategy still has a long way to go, it is showing progress.However, this unique style of battling crime also has its detractors, and also does not change the fact that Richmond is a relatively poor community with a lot of violent gangs. That is a bad mix in an area ill-equipped to combat such problems.
