A deadly shooting in Meadowview over the weekend related to a trio of local rappers and the gangs who support them pushed the Sacramento City Council to immediately approve a controversial gun-violence prevention program that targets the handful of young men suspected of being behind most of the violence.
In front of a packed City Council Chambers, the council voted 9-0 on Tuesday to adopt a three-year, $1.5 million contract for Advance Peace, a mentoring and intervention approach to gun violence. Pioneered in Richmond, the program is credited by city leaders there for significantly reducing gun crime, but has been criticized for giving cash stipends to participants for reaching goals such as earning a high school diploma.
The Advance Peace program in Sacramento would target about 50 young men, mostly black and Latino, who are thought by police and city leaders to be responsible for most gun violence in the city, especially gang-related crimes that are often retaliatory and personal. City police are currently investigating five homicides this year that are possibly gang related, said police spokesman Officer Eddie Macaulay. In total, 13 people in the city have died this year from gunshot wounds.
The Meadowview shooting took place at a popular neighborhood park Sunday afternoon during a video shoot for C-Bo, whose given name is Shawn Thomas. Four people were injured and one man, 49-year-old Ernie Jessey Cadena, was killed.
Thomas promoted the video shoot on Instagram. In his post, viewed by more than 17,000 people, Thomas wrote, “let’s go sactown OG’s will be out side.” Cadena, a father with one daughter and second child due in coming weeks, was at the park to attend a barbeque and the filming of the music video, according to community activist Les Simmons.
The promotion of the video shoot, also billed as a unity barbeque in the wake of the escalating violence, may have drawn the notice of supporters of rival rappers, said community activist Berry Accius.
Due to this event rapper Lavish D aka CML was in violation of his probation and was recently arrested and currently being held with no bond in a Sacramento County jail.
Speak On It!