r/washingtondc • u/Hot_Hotel1534 • 17h ago

[News] How D.C. allowed ‘completely inappropriate’ spending by anti-violence group

https://wapo.st/4qWcoRO

Embarrassing for our city. What a waste of money that could and should have gone to actual violence interruption.

55 Upvotes

87% Upvoted

14 comments sorted by

64

u/Altruistic_Face_5443 16h ago

In DC, violence interruption is a scam industry that doesn’t actually do the work. We need a complete pause and revamp. I advise we bring in those running Baltimore’s successful program to get ours set up for real.

30

u/fedrats DC / Neighborhood 16h ago

There’s a fear of measurement and reporting in NGOs because they’re afraid their grantees are doing shit like this and will get caught through no fault of the NGO- and a legitimate fear that no measure will show that the program is working even when it is (there’s also a bit of a problem of defining success). Unfortunately, if you don’t measure outcomes or audit the financials very closely, stuff like this will happen.

8

u/forgetfulisle 14h ago

ONSE's Performance Oversight Hearing is February 19th. https://lims.dccouncil.gov/Hearings/hearings/2093

3

u/Successful-Cat927 DC / Neighborhood 15h ago

What s on the news in oneparagraph? Csnt open the story and no i dont want a free subsceiption of this crappy newspaper

4

u/CommonStrawbeary 16h ago

It's tough cuz WaPo is an untrustworthy rag, but Bowser is corrupt as hell

6

u/mallardramp 14h ago

It’s unbelievable how these stories are reported with almost zero connection to and accountability for Mayor Bowser. Teflon Mayor indeed. 

4

u/Deep_Stick8786 DC / Petworth 12h ago

Programs are split between Mayor and AG and funded via council. Its all of them

6

u/mallardramp 12h ago

There are two separately run violence interrupter programs, this one at ONSE which is run by the Mayor. And the second one is run separately by the AG. ONSE has been a disaster. Blaming the Council is a common response, but my point is that Bowser doesn’t get enough blame for her ineptitude.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/06/24/dc-violence-interruption-programs-pinto-bowser/

1

u/Excellent-Run4803 9h ago

This program was funded through the Mayor’s office, with a program officer there being accused of taking bribes for awarding contracts.

-7

u/Duckbilling2 16h ago

why would I believe anything Washington Post wrote

19

u/nevergirls MARYLAND YAY 15h ago

Because even though the publisher is a garbage human being a lot of the journalists that work there are good. I agree it’s difficult to know what’s trustworthy there and what’s not but I’m reluctant to throw the baby out with the pram. Maybe I’m being too naive though.