Fiasco as PGCPS Youth Violence | PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY PARENTS, MARYLAND BLOG

*Delbert Del McFadden, executive director, Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (DC.gov)*

Washington DC: (Reform Sasscer) – The D.C. leader in charge of one of the mayor’s key anti-crime initiatives has abruptly resigned after recent out of control violent crime in the District of Columbia involving Prince George’s county Public Schools (PGCPS) youth.

Delbert “Del” McFadden stepped down as executive director of the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONSE).

The office is charged with overseeing violence interrupters, the Safe Passage program aimed at getting youth safely to and from school and implementation of the Neighborhood Engagement Achieves Results (NEAR) Act, which addresses crime as a public health emergency.

Several sources familiar with the matter told the press that McFadden’s resignation came as a surprise to Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office.

The mayor did not immediately comment on the resignation, which comes days after Bowser launched another anti-crime initiative involving Prince George’s county Executive Angela Alsobrooks due to the recent out of control violence involving PGCPS youth inside the District of columbia.

McFadden was appointed in October 2017 and has spent 20 years “advocating for disadvantaged youth and reducing criminal elements in targeted communities,” his bio says. “Director McFadden is a community organizer and educator with experience in implementing evidence-based violence prevention and intervention programs across the city. During a long career at Collaborative Solutions for Communities, located in Ward 1, Mr. McFadden served as coordinator for numerous intervention programs, including Weed and Seed, Project Safe Neighborhood and the Citywide Coordinating Council on Youth Violence Prevention,” the city government website says.

Early this month, Government and law enforcement leaders in the District and Prince George’s County joined forces to combat the recent rise in carjackings and other violent crimes that have occurred in both jurisdictions.

On Feb. 2, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee III joined Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and her police chief, Malik Aziz joined forces, to announce the joint partnership at the Marvin Gaye Park located in Northeast.

“We are focused in both jurisdictions on collaborating to make our communities safer for all people,” Bowser said. “We are particularly focused on how we reach our young people and engage them so they don’t get involved in violent activity, how we hold them accountable when they do and how we get them on a more productive and positive path forward.”

The issue of carjackings in the region became even more pronounced on Jan. 15, following the attack of a D.C. Council (D) at-large candidate at a gas station located in Northeast. After contacting the police, Nate Fleming talked about the crime on social media and the story went viral.

On Jan. 30, D.C. police announced a 17-year-old District Heights, Md. resident had been arrested in connection to the crime. Contee said the arrest resulted from collaborative efforts led by D.C. and Prince George’s County police. Fleming expressed satisfaction following the arrest.

“I’m pleased to see that MPD has made an arrest of one of the suspects in this incident,” Fleming said. “We know that in the majority of these carjacking, juveniles are the assailants. We need to attack juvenile violent crime comprehensively both in the short-term and long-term. In the past two weeks, there have been numerous carjackings throughout the District, including another one at the same gas station where I was carjacked and several carjackings in the blocks nearby. Urgent action is needed.”

In 2021, youth made up 85 of the 132 people arrested in the District for carjacking while in Prince George’s, 86 out of the 152 arrested consisted of minors.

Bowser said many of the young carjackers cross the District-Prince George’s County border to commit their crimes. Realizing many of the youth lack a strong direction in their lives, the mayor said the city offers activities that can distract them from crime such as sports, afterschool programming and employment opportunities.

County Executive Alsobrooks has implored the community to come together to “disrupt the cycle of violence that is growing again.”

According to Alsobrooks, for example, there have been 162 carjackings in Prince George’s County. She acknowledged on Tuesday first half of January and said that juveniles are responsible for 96 of them.

“And so this tells us a lot about where we’re headed. And we must do something right now to disrupt it,” Alsobrooks said.

Dr. Monica Goldson a CEO for PGCPS who was selected through public corruption has never spoken publicly about the out of control fights and public corruption sweeping quietly through the school system. These willful violations include closing down schools ready for real estate option, paying off lawyers, siphoning money off to friends and family etc. Prince George’s county citizens must raise up and demand answers without delay. These out of control fights and other purposeful disregard are not fair to county residents, their families and United States.

To be effective, violence prevention programs require community-wide collaborative efforts led by school system leader that include students, families, teachers, administrators, staff, social and mental health professionals, law enforcement, emergency response personnel, security professionals, school board members, parents and the businesses. The school system leader takes an active role to effect change and not hide in the closet and wish these problems away. Dr. Monica Goldson “Goldson” has failed to provide proper leadership and it’s time for her to go due to corrupt leadership style!

Stay with Reform Sasscer Movement for more details on this developing story.