A convicted murderer-turned-activist claims to have the answer to the skyrocketing murder rate in Baltimore. However, his “solution” includes an outrageous demand for taxpayers. Most people probably won’t like it.
When Tyree Moorehead was just 15 years old, he was put away for 18 years in prison for second-degree murder. However, now that he is back in society, he is determined to advocate for those he believes are the most oppressed by the climbing homicide rate. No, not the deceased victims — the murderers.
Moorehead says he came up with the solution to cutting the violent crime rate in Baltimore while sitting behind bars. However, his plan not only rewards those who would commit such heinous crimes but also penalizes law-abiding taxpayers as well as the victims of such violence.
Moorehead is calling on Baltimore city officials to use taxpayer money to pay killers to stop killing. He claims that most of the violent crime and homicides, which have seen a steady increase over the years, are simply because the offenders need some spending cash. If they are given free money, he insists that they’ll stop their murderous ways.
“I can relate to the shooters, guess what they want? They want money,” Moorehead told FOX 45.
After spending more than a decade in prison, Moorehead decided to dedicate his time to activism. As such, he launched an initiative called the “No Shoot Zones,” which are merely graffitied sections of the street with messages demanding the violence end. Of course, this campaign has done nothing to curb shootings, so the problem-solver has moved to plan B — advocating for the ones doing the shooting.
“I’ve talked to these people, I’ve seen the shooters, it’s a small city, I know who the hustlers are,” he said.
As Moorehead’s idea gains traction among fearful locals, former Baltimore Police spokesman T.J. Smith panned the proposal. While he agrees that something must be done, he believes that paying criminals not to offend is dangerous and could easily backfire if the recipients choose to use their checks to pay for weapons.
“It speaks to the desperation that we all have,” said former Baltimore Police spokesman T.J. Smith. “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.”
Despite concerns, Moorehead isn’t giving up on his proposition. While he admits that no amount of money will completely abolish violent crime, he still believes that providing offenders with extra welfare benefits will reduce their desire to take the property and lives of others.
“I can’t stop the shootings, no one in this world has proven to stop the shootings not even the church but what we can do is put them in compliance,” he said.
Although the media are claiming that a similar initiative was implemented in Richmond, California, resulting in the lowest amount of violent crime in more than 30 years, the claim is dishonest. The city doesn’t pay criminals money but instead launched a program to target those who are at higher risk of committing crimes.
The preventative program paired at-risk teens with mentors and paid them an allowance for as long as they succeeded in staying out of trouble and keeping their commitments. Just a few years after implementing the program, homicides were reduced to the lowest in decades.
While funding programs that provide at-risk youths with communal support is an initiative that benefits everyone, what Moorehead is proposing is ludicrous. It is the extortion of citizens and only creates a deeper divide.
Rewarding criminals while punishing law-abiding taxpayers is not only dangerous but also immoral. Sending the message that crime pays will only create more criminals.
