Advance Peace employee charged with gang crimes. Here’s Fresno’s relationship with group
The city of Fresno agreed to fund a program to fight gun violence that drew controversy and this week had one of its employees arrested.
Advance Peace is a prevention program that identifies the city’s most likely shooters and crosschecks them with police, according to its supporters.
The idea is to provide services and support to the people most likely to shoot — which advocates say is a small number — and give them reasons to live without the violence.
The program will cost Fresno about $300,000 annually for three years, according to the plan adopted in 2020.
A study on the city of Richmond, where Advance Peace first started, showed the program works, according to the American Journal of Public Health. Sacramento and Stockton also have versions.
Fresno City Council initially funded the program in 2018, but the spending was vetoed by then-Mayor Lee Brand.
Following the public reckoning many communities faced after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police — and a recommendation from Fresno’s Commission on Police Reform — the council approved the funding in 2020.
The program became controversial because some residents were concerned participants could potentially earn a stipend of $1,000 from the city’s investment.
The Fresno Economic Opportunity Commission pays for the staffing of the program but no city money will go to its participants, according to city officials.
Arrest of Advance Peace member
Leonard Smith appeared in Fresno County Superior Court on Tuesday along with nearly 30 others arrested as part of Operation No Fly Zone, a multi-agency arrest of the 107 Hoover gang in Fresno, according to police.
Smith, 44, is also an employee of Fresno’s version of Advance Peace. He pleaded not guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit murder.
Aaron Foster, program manager for Advance Peace, confirmed Smith’s employment, noting the whole point of the program is to work with people who might commit crimes to try to change them.
“Yes, Leonard Smith is an employee of Advance Peace Fresno,” Foster said in a statement. “By the nature of the program, our Neighborhood Change Agents work with gang members to reduce cyclical and retaliatory gun violence. We are looking forward to a positive outcome.”
Advocates have noted Fresno’s traditional method for tamping down crime — local police — have also had employees arrested.
The most recent example is Sgt. Donald Dinell, who has worked for the department since 2003, and in March was charged with DUI, drug possession and robbery.
This story was originally published April 20, 2022 at 1:10 PM.
