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since moving to SF, I have been seeing a lot of people wearing "Urban Alchemy" jackets. I looked into who they are and they're a nonprofit that hires formerly i
by jeron 3y ago
since moving to SF, I have been seeing a lot of people wearing "Urban Alchemy" jackets. I looked into who they are and they're a nonprofit that hires formerly incarcerated people to stand on street corners and "keep the peace", including stopping people from shooting up, etc. Most of the time they're just standing there on their phones and I question the efficacy, especially considering the organization has received over $12M in two years just for working in Tenderloin[0].
[0]:https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/urban-alchemy-17188458.php https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/urban-alchemy-1718845...
- ttymck 3y agoWhat would you suggest that is more efficacious?
- wmf 3y agoI guess SF can't afford the Pinkertons.
- renlo 3y ago$12M affords numerous more-efficacious possibilities
- ttymck 3y agoSuch as?
- iancmceachern 3y agoCreating economic opportunities for people, people don't want handouts, people want opportunity
- ttymck 3y agoI agree! What sort of opportunities?
- iancmceachern 3y agoEducation that allows a path for meaningful employment nut also doesn't require people to take on crippling debt. Lots of church groups have been buying people's medical debt for pennies on the dollar and releasing people of their medical debt, that would be a great use of funds. Universal Basic Income programs Simple social safety net programs like food banks, non-predatory small loan and grant services to help people get over a rough patch. Public programs that create jobs while using the purchased labor to build infrastructure that benefits us all (think TVA). If you want more examples look at the French government and the many ways they reinvest in their people and economy.
- andromeduck 3y agoFocus on creating economic opportunities like housing/construction.
- local_crmdgeon 3y agoThe Doe Fund in NYC is a much better version of this, it's a fantastic organization.
- phonon 3y agoCops I see in the subway stations in NYC are also just standing around and chatting.
- andirk 3y agoSounds like they are there as a _reactive_ force meaning they act on something happening but they don't seek out issues. They are likely lightly trained and their presence is half the battle. As another commenter mentions, cops are sent to problematic BART stations but constantly end up gathered in a bunch and mostly paying attention to one another.
- iudqnolq 3y agoThe deeper you look into Urban Alchemy the weirder it gets. They aren't licensed private security. They not only hire formerly incarcerated people but actively seek out people convicted of "murder and attempted murder". They're run by a white woman who identifies as a member of the Black community. She has a budget in the high tens of millions. She got her start under the mentorship of an sF official convicted under federal corruption charges. They refuse to accept responsibility for the actions of their employees. One example I find particularly striking was their response to an employee attempting to murder someone with a gun on break. > That incident didn’t have anything to do with Urban Alchemy. That [was] a personal beef that existed before he was employed. He had just been hired two months ago. If you actively hire former murderers I'd expect you to have a proactive plan to prevent this sort of thing from happening, not just say it was a preexisting beef. https://sfstandard.com/politics/the-confounding-life-of-the-woman-seeking-to-heal-san-franciscos-wounds/ https://sfstandard.com/politics/the-confounding-life-of-the-... https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/article/urban-alchemy-san-francisco-17801596.php https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/article/urban-alchemy-sa...