Richmond reports lowest homicide total in 33 years, credits multipronged efforts
By Robert Rogers
Contra Costa Times
Posted:   01/06/2014 02:29:58 PM PST
Updated:   01/06/2014 08:31:40 PM PST

Richmond police Officer Giulia Colbacchini logs her activity as she patrols in Richmond Feb. 19, 2013. (Kristopher Skinner/Bay Area News Group Archives)

RICHMOND -- Just six years removed from being ranked among the nation's 10 most dangerous cities, Richmond's 2013 homicide total was its lowest in 33 years. Total reported crimes also continued a decade-long fall and were more than 40 percent lower than the 2003 total.
While the reasons for the steep decline are complex and varied, anti-crime advocates point to an event last summer that highlights just how much things have changed in a city once plagued by cycles of retaliatory street violence.
Hundreds of mourners, many of them young men with their fallen friend's face embossed on T-shirts, packed Macedonia Baptist Church in North Richmond to remember Lavonta "Macho" Crummie, a 23-year-old budding rap star who grew up in the neighborhood's notorious housing projects.
Crummie was killed in an Aug. 1 drive-by shooting in Antioch.
Mixed with the crowds and the raw emotions of that day were more than a dozen representatives from the city's Office of Neighborhood Safety, many of them ex-street toughs who now work to keep the peace. They urged Crummie's friends not to retaliate.
August was one of five months last year in which there were no killings in Richmond.
"Particularly because of who (Crummie) was, that was the kind of incident that has historically triggered waves of retaliation," said ONS Director DeVone Boggan. "The violence could have been outrageous, immediate and terrible."
Sixteen people were killed in Richmond in 2013, the lowest total since 1980 and a far cry from the 40-plus tallies of just a few years ago.
"We have a ways to go, but we're headed in the right direction," said police Chief Chris Magnus. "The reputation of Richmond as a dangerous city is not well-deserved anymore; that is becoming the Richmond of the past."
The decline in homicides and overall crime -- Richmond has not had more than 26 homicides in any year since 2009 -- can be attributed to a range of factors, law enforcement and anti-violence officials say, including better police-community relations, improved youth-outreach programs and changing demographics.

Richmond police traffic officers Ben Mendler, left, and Phil Sanchez are photographed in one of their DUI Enforcement police vehicles in Richmond, Calif., on Friday, Feb. 22, 2013. Sanchez and Mendler were honored by Mothers Against Drunk Drivers for their work in helping to curb DUI's in Contra Costa County. Sanchez received the Century Award for the third straight year for his 101 arrests and several other contributions. Mendler was the top arresting officer in Contra Costa County with 139 DUIs. Also, Sanchez was honored with the HERO Award. (Ray Chavez/Staff)
On the police side, Magnus has reformed a long-beleaguered department with an infusion of young officers, a focus on data-driven resource deployment and an emphasis on building community trust.
"We don't cast a wide net or move into hot spots like an occupying force, which fosters distrust among community partners," Magnus said. "We are surgical; we concentrate on people that need to be focused on."
At the same time, the ONS employs agents who build relationships with more than 60 young men and teens, identified through criminal records and other data as potential violent offenders. The program includes educational, counseling and job-placement support.
Operation Ceasefire, a volunteer campaign, helps give former gang members and violent offenders job training and counseling.

"We have built relationships with the people who may have otherwise perpetrated gun violence, and helped them become influential peacemakers," Boggan said.
While the drop in Richmond's violent crime is pronounced, it's also part of a larger trend.
Oakland saw a 30 percent reduction in homicides and a slight drop in overall violent crime in 2013. San Jose reported 44 killings, a drop of two from 2012, and San Francisco's homicides fell from 69 to 48. The regional trend mirrors a national one of major urban centers such as Los Angeles, Chicago and New York reporting steep drops in killings, said Barry Krisberg, a senior fellow at UC Berkeley's law school.
Krisberg said Richmond benefits from a confluence of forces, including improvements in policing strategies and the ONS, along with community groups and faith leaders who conduct frequent "peace walks" in the city's most crime-plagued neighborhoods. Krisberg noted that Richmond is "not the same city it was even 10 years ago," thanks to the influx of more upper- and middle-income residents and immigrants.
The focus on offering positive outlets for at-risk youths in Richmond and elsewhere could be key to sustained crime reduction, he said.
"Part of crime reduction is not incarcerating kids in awful places where they become more violent," Krisberg said.

Richmond police officers Matt Stonebraker, left, and Anthony Diaz ride on patrol in Richmond, Calif., on Wednesday, March 13, 2013. ( Kristopher Skinner/Bay Area News Group Archives)
The 16 homicides in 2013 are the lowest total since 1980, when 15 people were killed. The lowest number on record, dating to 1971, was 12 homicides in 1973. But Richmond has about 105,000 residents today, up from just under 75,000 in 1980, according to U.S. Census data, meaning the homicide rate per capita in 2013 was the lowest in the city's recorded history.
While total violent crime dropped 4 percent in 2013, one of the few categories that rose was assaults with a firearm, which climbed from 81 to 91. The city's sophisticated ShotSpotter gunshot-detection system, which records and triangulates gunfire throughout the city, showed no significant decrease in 2013, Capt. Mark Gagan said.
While the statistics show decreases in crime, longtime residents say the decades of gunplay haven't faded from memory.
"Shootings and people dying has been a part of life out here since I can remember," said Joe Alexander, a 38-year-old who has spent most of his life in the high-crime Iron Triangle neighborhood.
Alexander is also the founder of the Facebook group R.I.P. Gone But Never Forgotten, which pays tribute to hundreds of young men killed in Richmond over the years. "I know there's less violence, but when I'm out and about, I still always stay aware of my surroundings."
Contact Robert Rogers at 510-262-2726 or rrogers@bayareanewsgroup.com. Follow him at Twitter.com/SFBaynewsrogers.

Young Men Deserve Credit in Steep Declines in Richmond Violence
On January 6, 2014 ·

OP-ED • DeVone Boggan
Richmond, CA has experienced another consecutive year of historic declines in violence. The City marked its lowest homicide rate in 33 years in 2013.
While we should celebrate this milestone with great exuberance, the media coverage about this success has been shortsighted. The police officers in Richmond certainly deserve recognition, but so do the young men who have decided to stop the violence.
When one truly desires to live, better decisions are made, lives are changed, and conditions are created that help to transform a city.
Each day in Richmond, boys and men of color between the ages of 13-25 (sometimes younger, sometimes older) face significant challenges including that of negotiating conflicts that have traditionally led to vicious cycles of gun violence. For example, such disputes produced more than 160 deaths here between 2006-2009.
In late 2007 the City of Richmond created the Office of Neighborhood Safety (ONS). The ONS is a non-law enforcement city agency with the charge of reducing firearm assaults and associated deaths. In 2013, the city recorded the lowest number of firearm assaults and homicides in more than three decades, and has experienced a 66% reduction in such crime between the ONS launch and 2013.
Although street level conflicts (disputes that may result in retaliatory cycles of gun violence) are ongoing, and several were certainly navigated by our city’s most vulnerable young men in 2013, their responses to these transgressions were far different than in past years.
In mid-2010, the ONS launched the Operation Peacemaker Fellowship, known nationally as “the Richmond Model.” As it is called by its local users, “the Fellowship” is an 18-month intensive transformative mentoring program that is responsive to and customized for those identified to be the most likely perpetrators and/or victims of firearm assaults in Richmond. Since 2010, there have been three Fellowship cohorts and as a result 68 boys and young men of color have agreed to participate. The results of this robust engagement have been dramatic and promising.
Of the 68 Fellows over the past 43 month period: 65 are alive (95%); 64 have not been injured by firearm (94%); and 57 are not in custody (84%). The Fellowship, and its Fellows, have contributed to a 50% reduction in firearm related homicides in Richmond compared to the four years before the Fellowship was implemented.
It is essential to communicate the impact of strong partnerships between a caring community and those who have the greatest influence over the direction in which gun violence trends. Without such a relationship, courage, willingness, and the patience required to empower these specific young men – very little changes, and epidemic rates of gun violence persists.
We have made a commitment to acknowledge and affirm the value, worth and humanity of these young men. As such, Richmond must continue to advance positive investments towards the hope that is dependent upon this specific group of individuals. Only then is real and longstanding “peace in our streets” possible.
There is still much work to do. No codes have been cracked and we should not be satisfied until gun violence ends in Richmond. For the families that have lost loved ones this year and in years past, you and the memory of those who have passed on have encouraged a firm resolve and an ongoing commitment to make our city a healthier place to live, work and play.
The ONS and I are truly grateful to the many young men who when faced with potentially lethal contention, made healthier decisions. We are proud of your hard work, your strength and resolve to resist years of bad information, advice, example and instruction that point you toward a path known to escalate conflicts. You are our city’s greatest resources and advocates for creating a healthy Richmond. For this we celebrate you.
So with great humility, a strong sense of pride and a heart filled with hope, I thank you!
(DeVone Boggan serves as Neighborhood Safety Director and Director of the Office of Neighborhood Safety in Richmond, California)

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