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FBI raids Baltimore's 'Safe Streets' office in Belair-Edison

Councilmembers seek details into unanswered questions about program's issues

FBI raids Baltimore's 'Safe Streets' office in Belair-Edison

Councilmembers seek details into unanswered questions about program's issues

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROGRAM. AS THE FBI CONFIRMS TO 11 NEWS AGENTS CONDUCTED A RAID AT THE SAFE STREETS BEL AIR EDISON SITE ON BEL AIR ROAD EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. THEY WOULD ONLY SAY IT WAS COURT AUTHORIZED AND THEY’RE SUPPOSED TO KEEP THE COMMUNITY SAFE AND KEEP EVERYBODY ORGANIZED. THAT’S WHAT I UNDERSTAND ABOUT THEM. SAFE STREETS, BEL AIR. EDISON IS ONE OF TEN SITES IN BALTIMORE WITH VIOLENCE PREVENTION WORKERS WHO GO OUT INTO COMMUNITIES AND TRY TO KEEP CONFLICTS FROM TURNING INTO DANGEROUS AND VOLATILE SITUATIONS THAT END IN SHOOTINGS OR LOSS OF LIFE. WE’VE LEARNED TWO OTHER SEARCH WARRANTS WERE ALSO EXECUTED. IN A STATEMENT, LIFEBRIDGE HEALTH TELLS 11 NEWS. TWO OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS HAVE INDICATED THAT FEDERAL AGENTS SHOWED UP AT THEIR RESIDENCES. WE ARE TREATING THIS INCIDENT SERIOUSLY AND COMPLYING WITH REQUESTS FROM AUTHORITIES. IT JUST BLOWS MY MIND. THE WORST SAFE STREETS AND YOU GET RAIDED. IT DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE TO ME. WHAT’S THE USE IN HAVING A PROGRAM IF Y’ALL ARE GOING TO BE DOING THE SAME THINGS TO PEOPLE IN THE STREETS IS DOING, BUT Y’ALL SUPPOSED TO BE TRYING TO HELP US. CONCERNING THE RAID AT THE BEL AIR EDISON LOCATION, THE MAYOR’S OFFICE OF NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY AND ENGAGEMENT SENT US THIS STATEMENT. MONZIE IS AWARE OF THE SITUATION INVOLVING FBI LAW ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITY. WE ARE IN CLOSE COMMUNICATION WITH LIFEBRIDGE HEALTH’S CENTER FOR HOPE, MAYOR BRANDON SCOTT MONZIE AND OUR PARTNERS AT LIFEBRIDGE HEALTH HAVE REPEATEDLY MADE CLEAR THAT ANY STAFF FOUND GUILTY OF WRONGDOING OR WHO DO NOT LIVE UP TO THE VALUES OF OUR PROGRAMS WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE ACCORDINGLY. I’M SHOCKED, DISMAYED, APPALLED. FURIOUS AND JUST DOWNRIGHT SAD. JUST I’M JUST SAD ABOUT THE WHOLE SITUATION. ON SAFE STREETS, VIOLENCE REDUCTION COORDINATORS ALSO WORK WITH NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS. THE PRESIDENT OF THE BEL AIR EDISON COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION REACTS TO THE RAID. IT HURTS. IT REALLY DOES. YOU KNOW, WE LOOK TO THEM TO PROTECT US, KEEP US SAFE. AND NOW WE HAVE THIS INVESTIGATION GOING ON. SO I DON’T LIKE ANYTHING THAT’S GOING TO MAKE MY COMMUNITY LOOK BAD. I REALLY DON’T. NOW, THE FBI TELLS US IT DID CONDUCT OTHER RAIDS, BUT IT WILL NOT CONFIRM IF THOSE RAIDS ARE IN ANY WAY RELATED TO THE ONE THAT HAPPENED HERE.
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FBI raids Baltimore's 'Safe Streets' office in Belair-Edison

Councilmembers seek details into unanswered questions about program's issues

A Safe Streets office in northeast Baltimore is subject of a search by FBI agents. A spokeswoman from the FBI Baltimore Field Office told 11 News that the FBI conducted "court-authorized law enforcement activity" Thursday at the Safe Streets office in Belair-Edison in northeast Baltimore. As of Thursday afternoon, it remained unclear what agents were searching for or whether anything was removed from the office.LifeBridge Health, which manages the site, sent a statement to 11 News, saying: "The FBI this morning enacted a search warrant at the Belair Safe Streets site managed by LifeBridge Health. Two of our staff have indicated that federal agents showed up at their residences. We have no other information at this time. We are treating this incident seriously and complying with requests from authorities."Safe Streets Belair-Edison is one of 10 sites in across the city, where violence interrupters go into communities and try to keep conflicts from turning into dangerous and volatile situations that end in shootings or loss of life."They are supposed to stop people in the community from fighting and with the drug situation in the community. I don't know. This is definitely amazing today. I heard it all," said A.J. Gary, a Belair-Edison resident. "It doesn't make any sense to me. What's the use of having the program if y'all doing the same thing people in the streets are doing, but y'all supposed to be helping us?"The FBI told 11 News that agents did conduct other raids, but they would not confirm whether those raids were related to the one at the Safe Streets office.Safe Streets violence reduction coordinators also work with community groups."I'm shocked, dismayed, appalled, furious and just downright sad about the whole situation," said Rita Crews, president of the Belair-Edison Neighborhood Association. "It hurts, it does. We look to them to protect us, keep us safe and now we have this investigation going on. So, I don't like anything that's going to make my community look bad. I really don't."The Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement released a statement, saying: "MONSE is aware of the situation involving FBI law enforcement activity. We are in close communication with LifeBridge Health's Center for Hope. Mayor (Brandon) Scott, MONSE, and our partners at LifeBridge Health have repeatedly made clear that any staff found guilty of wrongdoing or who do not live up to the values of our programs will be held accountable accordingly."In a subsequent post on X, formerly known as Twitter, MONSE wrote: "Any malfeasance of anyone involved in this activity does not and should not diminish the work that Safe Streets Baltimore staff do on a daily basis -- putting themselves in harm's way to mediate conflicts before they escalate into incidents of gun violence."City Council members call transparency into questionThe raid has become the latest chapter in the sometimes controversial program funded under MONSE.Baltimore City Council members don’t have details behind the raid, but some told 11 News the Belair-Edison site has had issues in the past."There have been some questions on some accounting and also some investigation of some of their members in the past at just this site. It has not been the case at other sites," said Councilwoman Odette Ramos, D-District 14."It's not surprising at all. We've been -- myself and a couple of my colleagues -- very vocal on just standard accountability and transparency, and we've gotten none of that," said Councilman Isaac "Yitzy" Schleifer, D-District 5.Schleifer and others have come under fire for asking questions about the Safe Streets program. Schleifer said the raid validates his concerns."When you have this degree of lack of transparency and you have to go to such an extent to try to silence anybody who is asking questions, it begs the question of why? What are you hiding? What do you know that you don’t want other people to know?" Schleifer said.Ramos isn't ready to condemn the entire program."It's working in other parts of the city. It's had great impact, so I don't think the mismanagement of one site should impact the rest of the sites," she said.Both councilmembers agreed that the City Council will undoubtedly inquire about details of the raid and investigate how deep the issues go."Obviously, we have to ask the tough questions, and I'm sure we will as a council, because we want to make sure public dollars are used efficiently and effectively," Ramos said."I think the key thing here is what are we actually funding? We like to understand what the program is, to understand what return there is on the money that's going there, and we have yet to get those answers," Schleifer said.

A Safe Streets office in northeast Baltimore is subject of a search by FBI agents.

A spokeswoman from the FBI Baltimore Field Office told 11 News that the FBI conducted "court-authorized law enforcement activity" Thursday at the Safe Streets office in Belair-Edison in northeast Baltimore.

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As of Thursday afternoon, it remained unclear what agents were searching for or whether anything was removed from the office.

LifeBridge Health, which manages the site, sent a statement to 11 News, saying: "The FBI this morning enacted a search warrant at the Belair Safe Streets site managed by LifeBridge Health. Two of our staff have indicated that federal agents showed up at their residences. We have no other information at this time. We are treating this incident seriously and complying with requests from authorities."

Safe Streets Belair-Edison is one of 10 sites in across the city, where violence interrupters go into communities and try to keep conflicts from turning into dangerous and volatile situations that end in shootings or loss of life.

"They are supposed to stop people in the community from fighting and with the drug situation in the community. I don't know. This is definitely amazing today. I heard it all," said A.J. Gary, a Belair-Edison resident. "It doesn't make any sense to me. What's the use of having the program if y'all doing the same thing people in the streets are doing, but y'all supposed to be helping us?"

The FBI told 11 News that agents did conduct other raids, but they would not confirm whether those raids were related to the one at the Safe Streets office.

Safe Streets violence reduction coordinators also work with community groups.

"I'm shocked, dismayed, appalled, furious and just downright sad about the whole situation," said Rita Crews, president of the Belair-Edison Neighborhood Association. "It hurts, it does. We look to them to protect us, keep us safe and now we have this investigation going on. So, I don't like anything that's going to make my community look bad. I really don't."

The Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement released a statement, saying: "MONSE is aware of the situation involving FBI law enforcement activity. We are in close communication with LifeBridge Health's Center for Hope. Mayor (Brandon) Scott, MONSE, and our partners at LifeBridge Health have repeatedly made clear that any staff found guilty of wrongdoing or who do not live up to the values of our programs will be held accountable accordingly."

In a subsequent post on X, formerly known as Twitter, MONSE wrote: "Any malfeasance of anyone involved in this activity does not and should not diminish the work that Safe Streets Baltimore staff do on a daily basis -- putting themselves in harm's way to mediate conflicts before they escalate into incidents of gun violence."

City Council members call transparency into question

The raid has become the latest chapter in the sometimes controversial program funded under MONSE.

Baltimore City Council members don’t have details behind the raid, but some told 11 News the Belair-Edison site has had issues in the past.

"There have been some questions on some accounting and also some investigation of some of their members in the past at just this site. It has not been the case at other sites," said Councilwoman Odette Ramos, D-District 14.

"It's not surprising at all. We've been -- myself and a couple of my colleagues -- very vocal on just standard accountability and transparency, and we've gotten none of that," said Councilman Isaac "Yitzy" Schleifer, D-District 5.

Schleifer and others have come under fire for asking questions about the Safe Streets program. Schleifer said the raid validates his concerns.

"When you have this degree of lack of transparency and you have to go to such an extent to try to silence anybody who is asking questions, it begs the question of why? What are you hiding? What do you know that you don’t want other people to know?" Schleifer said.

Ramos isn't ready to condemn the entire program.

"It's working in other parts of the city. It's had great impact, so I don't think the mismanagement of one site should impact the rest of the sites," she said.

Both councilmembers agreed that the City Council will undoubtedly inquire about details of the raid and investigate how deep the issues go.

"Obviously, we have to ask the tough questions, and I'm sure we will as a council, because we want to make sure public dollars are used efficiently and effectively," Ramos said.

"I think the key thing here is what are we actually funding? We like to understand what the program is, to understand what return there is on the money that's going there, and we have yet to get those answers," Schleifer said.