I had to read this article twice to figure out what they were actually doing with their grant money. It turns out they are apparently taking a stroll into an alternate reality where good intentions make a difference. In their world view gang members need to be offered “alternatives to their current lifestyle”.
I call it wistful thinking but they call it Project Ceasefire:
“Our role in Project CeaseFire is, quite simply, to stop the next shooting,” state Attorney General Anne Milgram said, referring to the name of the statewide campaign and its tagline. “And if we do that, we can save lives.”
[…]
Friday’s news conference, held in the lower level of Plainfield Public Library before more than 100 people, also marked the graduation of eight paid outreach workers who endured 40 hours of training, including nighttime strolls in crime-ridden areas of other cities.
The workers said they will devote their time to consoling families affected by gun violence, offering gang members alternatives to their current lifestyle and promoting safe streets by holding community events such as a proposed midnight barbecue in the city’s West End.
The group, led by Angela Piggee, executive director of the Liberty Community Development Corporation, includes: Arlinda Harris, Ethel Wheeler, Eric Spann, George M. Brown Sr., Amy Concepcion, Tawana Fields and Wanda Lyles.
Though Piggee said she received a number of unspeakable responses when she and fellow trainees attempted to talk to gang members in other cities, Piggee said she remained optimistic about the outreach efforts in Plainfield.
NJ politicians have finally begun to acknowledge that gun control doesn’t reduce gang violence or recidivism, so they’re trying other approaches. Yes, some of them are stupid and doomed to fail. However, gun owners should encourage some of these alternatives, both for the welfare of our communities and to eliminate gun control as the only “workable solution”.