A convicted murderer-turned-community activist in Baltimore has a radical approach to combating the city’s stunning murder rate: Pay criminals not to kill.
“I can relate to the shooters,” said the activist, who now transforms scenes of deadly shootings into so-called “no-shoot zones.” “Guess what they want? They want money.”
Moorehead, who Fox 45 reported spent more than a decade in prison on a second-degree murder conviction tied to a shooting at 15, suggests certain measures the city has taken to stop the bloodshed aren’t enough.
After Moorehead was released from prison in 2012, he got to work as an anti-crime activist and suggested that law enforcement can pay criminals not to kill people in an effort to lower Baltimore’s crime rate.
He has already taken other steps in an effort to curb violence in the streets of Baltimore. As of 2019, he painted nearly 200 “No Shoot Zones” throughout the city, according to WJZ-TV reporter Paul Gessler.
Baltimore has been wracked by violent crime in recent years, closing out 2020 with 335 homicides, according to statistics from the Baltimore Sun. In 2019, there were 348 murders.
“I’ve talked to these people. I’ve seen the shooters. It’s a small city, I know who the hustlers are,” Moorehead said.
Although Moorehead did not give many more details about his plan, he believes it would work because people would no longer be killing others for money.
If you think Moorehead’s strategy is radical, think again.
A similar strategy has been used before in Richmond, California, one of the most dangerous cities in the country, which paid criminals up to $1,000 a month, as well as provided counseling and job help, NPR reported in 2016.
The suburb of Oakland saw its murder rate cut in half, the station said.
Former Baltimore police spokesman TJ Smith agreed that a creative approach is needed to thwart the violence in the city — but said cash is not the answer.
“It could make it easier for people to get their hands on guns because they now have an influx of a different level of cash,” he told Fox 45.
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