Community

Program in Marin City using community collaboration as crime prevention

Published

6 years ago

December 27, 2018

MARIN CITY, Calif. (KGO) —
A stunning drop in crime in one San Francisco Bay Area county is happening because of the vision of one woman who inspired her community. She pulled together a large coalition of services to create change, and, that change includes law enforcement.
The Phoenix Project in Marin County is Building a Better Bay Area.
The founder of the program is Felecia Gaston. She says one of the first young men to participate in the Phoenix Project is Shannon Bynum, Jr. She says he had been in and out of the legal system and it wasn’t for major crimes, but it was enough. He was on probation.
Shannon said that the Phoenix Project case managers wanted him to be on the right path when he turned 18. They asked him if he needed his record expunged– he said yes. Now, he doesn’t have any record at all of his past juvenile encounters with the law.
The Phoenix Project is located in the heart of the housing complex in Marin City, which means it’s easy to access. It acts as sort of a second family and connects them with a variety of services that allow them to move forward.
Founder Felecia Gaston says the services can be something small.
“I need my driver’s license, I need some clothing for a job interview. I need a bus pass to go to a doctor’s appointment.”
Gaston says the goal is “community collaboration as crime prevention”.
The Marin Housing Authority donates the office space at no charge. The Phoenix Project holds workshops to teach young men everything from how to fill out an application for a job, the importance of keeping a job, how to dress for success, and good manners. ABC7 News’ Cheryl Jennings was proud to participate in one of the first mentoring classes.
The Chief of the Marin County Probation Department, Mike Daly, said, “The Phoenix Project has been a total success. Felecia Gaston is a hero. She has almost single-handedly been responsible for decreasing the amount of people on probation in the community, as well as helping people while they’re on probation in the community.”
But, it wasn’t easy to get the Phoenix Project accepted. The Chief Public Defender, Jose Varela, says he recalls a meeting in which he and Cheryl Jennings participated nine or 10 years ago.
“When people were very pessimistic about whether any change could come to Marin City. I’m glad we’re here to say yes, the statistics bear out that there’s been change in Marin City.”
There are statistics from the Marin County Adult Probation Department which show a steady drop in the number of people on probation, adults and juveniles.
Things were drastically different in 2009 according to Gaston.
“Crime was on the rise, assaults, vandalism, robberies at the bus stop. It was important to pull together a team and say, what can we do to help? And law enforcement said we want to help, we want to be involved.”
Darrell Roary, a case manager with the Public Defender’s office, says people in the community came together at the request of Felecia Gaston. They created a survey to find out what the young men in the community needed.
The survey revealed that a lot of services were needed. So, a collaboration was formed with many community partners who are working every day to help Phoenix Project participants become successful.
Roary was among the first key liaisons between the Phoenix Project, the community and law enforcement.
Gaston said Darrell and two other men who lived in Marin City had been in the system and had changed their lives around, for over 10 years and became outreach workers and mentors.
Roary said, “I try to take my experiences, the things I’ve gone through and then now reach back and help others who are going some of the same things.”
Gaston says the caseworkers check in with the juveniles and adults on a regular basis asking them how they’re doing, keeping them going with encouragement, a lot of moral support, nurturing, a lot of mentoring.
The work is so impressive, that Roary and other outreach workers have been hired by the county probation department. It’s part of a movement called “Restorative Justice.”
Mike Daly, Chief of Adult Probation in Marin County, says his department offers services which supplement those of the Phoenix Project such as cognitive behavioral training and treatment, to change behavior, plus drug and alcohol classes, anger management classes and domestic violence classes.
Those who successfully complete their probation are acknowledged on a “Wall of Change ” in the Probation Department.
Daly says his department takes restorative justice even further by offering job training.
“We have a nice construction program going in Marin City that gives people real jobs.”
Shannon Bynum, Jr., one of the original Phoenix Project members, is now a father of three and is a highly regarded apprentice at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing in Novato. The company has very strict rules for its employees, according to Operations Manager John Rossi.
“No felonies, drug free, no misdemeanors for seven years, clean driving record, no DUI’s. I don’t know too much about the program. But I can tell you that if they helped Shannon guide his way to where he is today, they did a very good job because he’s a model employee and he’s great to work with.”
Bynum says he feels he is a better father and better man thanks to the Phoenix Project.
And the founder of the Phoenix Project, Felecia Gaston, says she is “super proud” of all the success stories. She says it’s a benefit for the entire county and the community. She says it’s prevention at its best.
One final note– the Phoenix Project collaboration helps at least 150 people a month in Marin City, on a budget of just $250,000 a year. Compare that to the cost of incarcerating just one person for nearly $50,000 a year.
See original story at ABC7 News

ABC7 News’ Cheryl Jennings

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of December 25 – 31, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of December 25 – 31, 2024

Published

8 hours ago

December 26, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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Bay Area

Glydways Breaking Ground on 14-Acre Demonstration Facility at Hilltop Mall

Glydways has been testing its technology at CCTA’s GoMentum Station in Concord for several years. The company plans to install an ambitious 28-mile Autonomous Transit Network in East Contra Costa County. The new Richmond facility will be strategically positioned near that project, according to Glydways.

Published

3 days ago

December 24, 2024

Oakland Post

Image of planned Richmond facility courtesy of Glydways.

The Richmond Standard

Glydways, developer of microtransit systems using autonomous, small-scale vehicles, is breaking ground on a 14-acre Development and Demonstration Facility at the former Hilltop Mall property in Richmond, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) reported on social media.

Glydways, which released a statement announcing the project Monday, is using the site while the mall property undergoes a larger redevelopment.

“In the interim, Glydways will use a portion of the property to showcase its technology and conduct safety and reliability testing,” the company said.

The new Richmond development hub will include “over a mile of dedicated test track, enabling Glydways to refine its solutions in a controlled environment while simulating real-world conditions,” the company said.

Visitors to the facility will be able to experience on-demand travel, explore the control center and visit a showroom featuring virtual reality demonstrations of Glydways projects worldwide.

The hub will also house a 13,000-square-foot maintenance and storage facility to service the growing fleet of Glydcars.

“With this new facility [at the former Hilltop Mall property], we’re giving the public a glimpse of the future, where people can experience ultra-quiet, on-demand transit—just like hailing a rideshare, but with the reliability and affordability of public transit,” said Tim Haile, executive director of CCTA.

Janet Galvez, vice president and investment officer at Prologis, owner of the Hilltop Mall property, said her company is “thrilled” to provide space for Glydways and is continuing to work with the city on future redevelopment plans for the broader mall property.

Richmond City Manager Shasa Curl added that Glydways’ presence “will not only help test new transit solutions but also activate the former Mall site while preparation and finalization of the Hilltop Horizon Specific Plan is underway.

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Alameda County

Last City Council Meeting of the Year Ends on Sour Note with Big Budget Cuts

In a five to one vote, with Councilmembers Carroll Fife and Janani Ramachandran excused, the council passed a plan aimed at balancing the $130 million deficit the city is facing. Noel Gallo voted against the plan, previously citing concerns over public safety cuts, while Nikki Fortunato-Bas, Treva Reid, Rebecca Kaplan, Kevin Jenkins, and Dan Kalb voted in agreement with the plan.

Published

3 days ago

December 24, 2024

Oakland Post

Oakland City Council voted on a plan to balance the $130 million deficit at their last regular meeting of 2024. The plan reduces police spending by $25 million, temporarily closes two fire stations, and guts the cultural arts programs. iStock photo.

By Magaly Muñoz

In the last lengthy Tuesday meeting of the Oakland City Council for 2024, residents expressed strong opposition to the much needed budget cuts before a change in leadership was finalized with the certification of election results.

Oakland police and fire departments, the ambassador program, and city arts and culture will all see significant cuts over the course of two phases.

Phase 1 will eliminate two police academies, brown out two fire stations, eliminate the ambassador program, and reduce police overtime by nearly $25 million. These, with several other cuts across departments, aim to save the city $60 million. In addition, the council simultaneously approved to transfer restricted funds into its general purpose fund, amounting to over $40 million.

Phase 2 includes additional fire station brownouts and the elimination of 91 jobs, aiming to recover almost $16 million in order to balance the rest of the budget.

Several organizations and residents spoke out at the meeting in hopes of swaying the council to not make cuts to their programs.

East Oakland Senior Center volunteers and members, and homeless advocates, filled the plaza just outside of City Hall with rallies to show their disapproval of the new budget plan. Senior residents told the council to “remember that you’ll get old too” and that disturbing their resources will only bring problems for an already struggling community.

While city staff announced that there would not be complete cuts to senior center facilities, there would be significant reductions to staff and possibly inter-program services down the line.

Exiting council member and interim mayor Bas told the public that she is still hopeful that the one-time $125 million Coliseum sale deal will proceed in the near future so that the city would not have to continue with drastic cuts. The deal was intended to save the city for fiscal year 2024-25, but a hold up at the county level has paused any progress and therefore millions of dollars in funds Oakland desperately needs.

The Coliseum sale has been a contentious one. Residents and city leaders were originally against using the deal as a way to balance the budget, citing doubts about the sellers, the African American Sports and Entertainment Group’s (AASEG), ability to complete the deal. Council members Reid, Ramachandran, and Gallo have called several emergency meetings to understand where the first installments of the sale are, with little to no answers.

Bas added that as the new Alameda County Supervisor for D5, a position she starts in a few weeks, she will do everything in her power to push the Coliseum sale along.

The city is also considering a sales tax measure to put on the special election ballot on April 15, 2025, which will also serve as an election to fill the now vacant D2 and mayor positions. The tax increase would raise approximately $29 million annually for Oakland, allowing the city to gain much-needed revenue for the next two-year budget.

The council will discuss the possible sales tax measure on January 9.