DC Council considering changes to violence interrupter programs
Major changes set for DC's violence interrupter programs
Two "violence interrupter" programs could be merged in Washington, D.C. amidst criticism that both are ineffective.
WASHINGTON - A major pivot came Wednesday night as D.C. councilmembers waged a mini-war over taxpayer-funded programs to help reduce violent crime in the city with so-called violence interrupters.
This is all about reducing gun violence and violent crime across D.C. and steering those at risk of falling into that lifestyle into programs that will help keep them out of trouble.
What we know:
At issue was a proposal, two years in the making, to consolidate the two violence interrupter programs in D.C.
One of them is under the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONSE). The other, called "Cure the Streets," is under the Office of the D.C. Attorney General.
The plan as of Monday was to merge the programs under the OAG’s authority and stop funding for ONSE. But under pressure on Wednesday, the D.C. Council’s Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety reversed course and adopted legislation to send to the full council to kill "Cure the Streets" and funding only ONSE, under the Mayor’s authority.
D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto is chair of the Council’s Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety.
"We have to do better. It’s not working as well as it should be. One of the elements that I have believed is that we should have a merged program, which is what this committee report recommends," Pinto said. "We shouldn’t have two distinct entities in the District managing violence interruption. There’s actually some evidence to suggest that could increase violence by not having them work together in a coordinated fashion."
"In order for me to feel comfortable doing so—because I don’t think the agency has been operating to the highest standards that they could be—I worked with the Mayor to secure a five-page agreement of assurances that will yield to better operations from the agency. Benchmarks, reporting metrics, more training," Pinto went on to say.
Dig deeper:
Both of the District’s violence interrupter programs have been criticized as ineffective and caught up in controversy. Former D.C. Councilmember Trayon White is facing a federal bribery charge involving ONSE. And a violence interrupter working for "Cure the Streets" is facing a murder charge.
But D.C. Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie says the work of the violence interrupters is helping make the city’s streets safer.
"There are bad apples in every agency across government across America. Show me a government anywhere in the United States that doesn’t have some degree of fraud, waste, and abuse. It is the job of legislatures like the council in the District of Columbia and legislatures across the country to ferret out those bad apples wherever they are," McDuffie says.
The at-large councilmember continues: "It’s not my position, nor should it be anyone’s position who cares about preventing violence in the District of Columbia, that you jettison a program that has demonstrated some success."
What they're saying:
DC’s Attorney General Brian Schwalb sent FOX 5 a statement Wednesday afternoon, saying:
"The proposal simply eliminates Cure the Streets. Not only is it not a merger, it funds ONSE at even lower levels than last year. Despite more than a year and a half of studying and exploring a potential merger, there is no plan for consolidating the staff and resources of the two programs. I am concerned that this rushed proposal will not result in effective violence interruption in the District, with the rigorous oversight that is critical to both improving public safety and ensuring tax dollars are being used effectively."
And from DC’s Deputy Mayor Lindsey Appiah:
"Through a comprehensive approach across our entire public safety ecosystem, including police enforcement, violence interruption, and statutory changes to strengthen accountability, we have significantly reduced gun violence in our city, with a 27% reduction year-to-date. We believe the Committee’s proposal will help streamline violence prevention programs that are currently dispersed among various agencies. We are committed to working with Council as the budget is finalized."
What's next:
The Council’s Judiciary and Public Safety Committee has also forwarded legislation that includes more money for victim services and for the city to hire more police officers.