Animanialmanac t1_j9p8tbe wrote
Reply to comment by maiios in If someone says “the most effective nonprofit (or community group) in Baltimore” - what groups do you think of? by caseyswatts
I work with lower income victims of violence and accidents in Baltimore City and County. Over the years I’ve heard multiple stories involving out of line behavior by Safe Streets workers that cause harm to young men and women. I wish Baltimore had a better way for victims to report intimidation and harassment, then the issues with Safe Streets might be more widely known.
I’ve treated enough patients to not have any trust in Safe Streets or the people who manage it. It’s not a good organization
DONNIENARC0 t1_j9pohup wrote
Yeah, one of their employees got popped by the feds for using it to run a heroin distribution ring ~2 years ago
> Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III sentenced Ronald Alexander, age 50, of Baltimore, Maryland to 135 months in federal prison, followed by eight years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, heroin, and powder and crack cocaine. While he was participating in the narcotics conspiracy, Alexander was employed by “Safe Streets,” an organization whose purpose is to reduce violence and crime in Baltimore through intervention. While he was engaged in the distribution of fentanyl and other dangerous narcotics, Alexander used his affiliation with Safe Streets to evade law enforcement in Baltimore, including on one occasion to avoid arrest when police seized from him a large quantity of fentanyl.
The internal review they ran recently found the program lacks oversight, and many of the employees are untrained subjected to some pretty bad shit, too:
> An internal review of Baltimore’s Safe Streets anti-violence initiative found the program lacked oversight, and half of the workers described their training as inadequate. City officials announced the findings Wednesday, along with a $10 million investment to improve program operations and establish a “community violence intervention ecosystem.”
> Meanwhile, 63% of employees said they had been traumatized by their work mediating conflicts, 60% reported having been direct victims of gun violence themselves, and 67% said they frequently worried about losing their jobs over funding shortage
Sounds like a more comprehensive review is coming out shortly, though, and that might finally shed some light on efficacy.
Animanialmanac t1_j9prz0j wrote
I’m not surprised by this, I hope the new report shows enough evidence to fix or stop the program. From my experience I believe it does more harm than good.
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