{"id":2074,"date":"2026-06-16T05:37:48","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T05:37:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=2074"},"modified":"2026-06-16T05:37:48","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T05:37:48","slug":"defund-baltimores-shady-ineffectual-violence-reduction-programs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=2074","title":{"rendered":"Defund Baltimore\u2019s shady, ineffectual \u2018violence-reduction\u2019 programs"},"content":{"rendered":"
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OPINION:<\/strong><\/p>\n

If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results each time, then Baltimore is certifiable.<\/p>\n

Read more Is removal of Trump\u2019s name from Kennedy Center a metaphor?<\/a><\/p>\n

The city, like many other Democratic-run urban centers, seems to believe that if something is not working, it just needs more money. That is how nearly $1.2 million in federal funds is making its way into Baltimore\u2019s coffers to fund a twice-failed \u201cviolence reduction\u201d program.<\/p>\n

In May, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Maryland Democrat, presented a gigantic check to Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott to expand the 4-year-old Group Violence Reduction Strategy.<\/p>\n

The program identifies people at greatest risk of committing violent offenses and then, as Jason Johnson, a former Baltimore police deputy commissioner, put it, tells them \u201cthe consequences of continued involvement in criminal activities and ways to get out.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mayor\u2019s office bills it as a \u201cproven plan\u201d to reduce shootings and homicides.<\/p>\n

Yet it may not be doing either and warrants a closer look, as do at least two other mayor\u2019s office endeavors.<\/p>\n

Launched in 2022, the Group Violence Reduction Strategy was preceded by two similar anti-violence programs that both tanked.<\/p>\n

In 1998, Baltimore started Operation Safe Neighborhoods to target \u201cviolent groups in a drug market area,\u201d according to a paper from Arizona State University. It was \u201cdismantled due to political infighting, resistance to operational changes, and obstruction by some of the partnering agencies.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2014, the city tried again. In Operation Ceasefire, \u201cwhen outbreaks of gang-involved shootings erupted, a working group concentrated its enforcement capacity on holding the offending groups accountable,\u201d and outreach workers tried \u201cto convince gang members to stop shooting and take advantage of available services and opportunities,\u201d according to a new National Bureau of Economic Research paper.<\/p>\n

That would be a wise strategy if the top obstacle to violence reduction were a lack of logically persuasive argumentation, but it is not. Operation Ceasefire also collapsed, \u201camid missing components, fractured leadership and poor coordination,\u201d according to Vital City.<\/p>\n

Read more B-52 bomber crash kills 8 at Edwards Air Force base in California, military officials confirm<\/a><\/p>\n

Baltimore would have you believe the current initiative is working. Homicides in the city were down approximately 60% from 2022 to 2025, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research paper\u2019s widely heralded findings.<\/p>\n

Yet that is not the whole story. The same paper found that \u201cthe [program\u2019s] effect on violent crime arrests, on its face, appears to be very large, but this estimate must be interpreted in light of the fact that \u2026 few of these crimes are cleared, and so the base rate is very low. \u2026 The effect of GVRS on violent crime clearances is best thought of as large in percentage terms but nevertheless as only a modest change in the probability that a violent crime is solved through an arrest.\u201d<\/p>\n

The paper also attests to criminals\u2019 behavioral changes to evade the program\u2019s attention. \u201cAfter learning that they were \u2019on the radar\u2019 for GVRS attention, interview subjects reported quickly changing their normal routines to evade possible law enforcement surveillance.\u201d<\/p>\n

In July 2024, approximately 7.5% of the 160 participants in the Group Violence Reduction Strategy had recidivated over the previous 2\u00bd years, according to Fox 45. One was charged with homicide, another with home invasion, three others with using a firearm in the commission of drug trafficking and six others with illegally possessing a firearm.<\/p>\n

Yet the Group Violence Reduction Strategy is not the only problem program under Mr. Scott\u2019s purview. In December, Ivan Bates, the Baltimore city state\u2019s attorney, announced that his office was cutting ties with the Mayor\u2019s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, which oversees the Group Violence Reduction Strategy and other \u201canti-violence\u201d campaigns.<\/p>\n

Mr. Bates cited a \u201cveil of secrecy\u201d surrounding the Mayor\u2019s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement\u2019s Safe Streets program, which uses \u201cviolence interrupters\u201d to stop crime. He said there is \u201cno oversight with respect to the funding and operational spending associated with\u201d it.<\/p>\n

Last week, a \u201cviolence interrupter\u201d was arrested after reportedly shooting a man. Antoine Burton has a criminal record that includes 11 convictions, and he was on probation at the time.<\/p>\n

Yet the Mayor\u2019s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement is requesting a 37% federal funding increase for fiscal year 2027, a jump of more than $8 million that would bring its budget to more than $30 million.<\/p>\n

Federal funding to the Mayor\u2019s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement and its programs should be frozen immediately, and the stalled inspector general\u2019s investigation should be restarted. No more taxpayer money for shady, ineffective undertakings, period.<\/p>\n

Read more Student wins $95K settlement after suing school for painting over Charlie Kirk tribute<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results each time, then Baltimore is certifiable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2073,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54,30],"tags":[353,1417,1416,1418],"class_list":["post-2074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorials","category-opinion","tag-baltimore","tag-brandon-scott","tag-chris-van-hollen","tag-group-violence-reduction-strategy"],"yoast_head":"\nDefund Baltimore\u2019s shady, ineffectual \u2018violence-reduction\u2019 programs - Home Buyer Relocation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=2074\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Defund Baltimore\u2019s shady, ineffectual \u2018violence-reduction\u2019 programs - 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