Amid youth violence, Black leaders beg for crumbs at Sacramento City Hall | Opinion
You can find Genesis Baptist Church at 2801-B, Meadowview Rd, located in the neighborhood that bears the street’s name. It has been a community institution for more than 30 years. Dr. Tecoy Porter took over as senior pastor when his father passed in 1999.
The church, like in many cities across the country, functions as a staple for the surrounding community. It has evolved into a community center for the days they don’t hold services, as a place for the youth to have somewhere to go.
Its roots hold strong in the community, in good times and bad. There have been too many bad times involving youth and violence. And there have also been too many times, like Tuesday night, when the Sacramento City Council didn’t do all that it could have to help.
Weeks ago, down the street from the church, Julius Shawn Marcel Chaney, a 15-year-old boy, was shot and killed.
“Oh man, not again,” Pastor Porter said about hearing of Chaney’s death.
Porter’s longstanding work in youth violence prevention gives him the drive to end senseless killings like Chaney’s, but to make an impact in this effort, Sacramento has to invest in communities like his.
“Meadowview has been a place where divestment has shown up, we’re seeing results of it in our community and showing up in our youth,“ Porter said. “I just don’t think our city has the will to make it happen. They understand it. They see it in other districts where they invest, but when it comes to other districts, there’s a disconnect.”
Wanting more investment
The City Council had a chance to do right by activists like Porter to adequately fund youth violence prevention programs in the city. Before the council was a proposal to spend a portion of the city’s tax revenues from cannabis sales on youth initiatives.
At a press conference Monday, Pastor Porter joined Sacramento City Councilmembers Roger Dickinson and Mai Vang to urge the city to consistently commit funds to youth violence programs.
But on Tuesday, the council didn’t fully follow their lead. While 24 non-profits received city funding, only three are dedicated to combating youth violence. Also, during public comment, many people who run youth violence prevention programs expressed how the process of applying for the funding was difficult.
Darrell Roberts, who runs the Roberts Family Development Center, said that while he was able to get the grant, he knows it was because of his 25 years of experience of being in the field.
“I am tempered by the recognition that there are many other worthy organizations that were not selected. I’m also suggesting that community meetings better explain the grant for the Children’s Fund...to assure nonprofits fully understand.”
Roberts said that to complete an audit of his non-profit, it cost them $45,000. Are we to believe that every program could afford to do that?
An unfair dynamic
While issues like mental health and homelessness are important, it seems like the council didn’t get the message that Sacramento’s youth violence issue is a crisis.
Chaney’s passing marks Sacramento’s third shooting involving a young adult in less than two weeks. The issue requires constant commitment.
The city of Sacramento may not want to appear this way, but they are showing that youth violence will not be a priority in the city. They put violence prevention advocates like Porter Sr. in a position where they are begging for crumbs in front of City Hall while prominent leaders easily access city funds.
This is not a city that is using all of its money wisely. On Tuesday, the Bee reported that Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester routinely flew first class or business class to attend 10 conferences during one year ending in December 2024. She used taxpayer money to stay in hotels, costing as much as $855 per night and often, for ground transport, used Uber Black, which provides luxury sedans and is at least twice as expensive as lower-cost options.
When the city tells youth violence advocates that there isn’t any money to give out, yet the police chief is putting the city on the hook for fancy convention getaways, they are abusing their power.
The youth in Sacramento are the seeds that will grow a better tomorrow for this city. When they do not get the nourishment they need, they wither away.
We cannot let that happen, and the city council must show that they care about youth violence prevention and not just say it.
