Ex-Con Hired by D.C. as Violence Interrupter Arrested, Charged with Murder

[IceWizard]

Ex-Con Hired by D.C. as
Violence Interrupter
Arrested, Charged with Murder







DECEMBER 08, 2020
|
JUDICIAL WATCH








In a curious twist, a “reformed” criminal hired by the
District of Columbia’s chief legal officer to help curb
violence has been arrested and charged with murder.
The case involves a taxpayer-funded public safety
program known as Cure the Streets launched by
D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine to reduce gun
violence by treating it as a disease that can be
interrupted and stopped from spreading. Cure the
Streets typically hires men and women with criminal
histories as violence interrupters because they
know first-hand about the challenges that residents
of crime-infested communities live with. Racine,
who was reelected to a second term in 2018, says
the transformed criminals hired by his program
perform community-driven public safety work that
can avoid using police.

Here is how they carry out the task, according to
Racine’s office: By interrupting potentially violent
conflicts because they have relationships and influence
within targeted neighborhoods. Violence interrupters
“engage with the community to learn about brewing
conflicts and resolve them peaceably before they erupt
in violence,” the program’s website states. Violence
interrupters also identify and treat individuals at high
risk for involvement with violence by meeting with them
and implementing individualized risk reduction plans.
“They also help connect participants with needed services,
such as housing, counseling and employment assistance,
and develop action plans for a positive future.” Finally,
the D.C. Attorney General claims violence interrupters
mobilize communities to change norms by engaging
residents, local businesses, community leaders and faith
leaders to work with high-risk individuals to reduce violence.
“CTS works with these partners to organize forums and
public events where residents can gather and interact
safely without fear of conflict and violence,” the
D.C. government website claims. It is not clear what
impact Cure the Streets is having on violent crime in the
District, but the Metropolitan Police Department reports
that homicides are up 20% from last year.

The program operates in notoriously high-crime sections
throughout D.C., which are broken down by wards. They
include Eckington/Truxton and Trinidad in Ward 5,
Marshall Heights/Benning Heights in Ward 7 and Bellevue,
Washington Highlands, and Congress Heights in Ward 8.
The Cure the Streets employee recently charged with
murder was a supervisor who led a team of six violence
interrupters and outreach workers. His name is
Cotey Wynn, an ex-con with an extensive rap sheet
who served a decade in prison before D.C.’s chief legal
officer hired him. Wynn’s record includes felony murder,
first degree murder, possession with intent to distribute
crack cocaine, and distribution of a controlled substance,
according to the Metropolitan Police Department. On
December 4, the agency’s Capital Area Fugitive Task Force
arrested the 39-year-old Wynn and charged him with
second degree murder while armed. At the time of his
arrest Wynn was under the supervision of the Pretrial
Services Agency for the District of Columbia, a federal
agency that believes preventative detention should only
be a last resort for defendants, who should live in the
least restrictive conditions while awaiting court.

Police say Wynn fatally shot a 53-year-old man named
Eric Linnair Wright in 2017 near the Trinidad neighborhood
in Northeast Washington. The violence interrupter was
identified by multiple witnesses after viewing security
camera footage from nearby homes, according to police.
Authorities also tracked Wynn’s cell phone to the location
of the crime. In a statement issued to local media,
Racine’s spokesperson said this: “The Office of the
Attorney General is aware of Mr. Wynn’s arrest for a
homicide he is alleged to have committed in 2017, prior
to his employment with Cure the Streets. This case will
now proceed through our criminal justice system where
Mr. Wynn is presumed innocent. We are confident that
justice will be served once this process is complete.
Our hearts go out to the family of Mr. Wright, the victim
in this case, and to the affected members of the community.
The important work of the Cure the Streets team will continue.”

It was not that long ago that the same office, charged
with enforcing D.C. laws and protecting the interest of
its citizens, bragged about what a great guy Wynn is.
In a profile posted on the Attorney General’s website
over the summer, Wynn was portrayed as somewhat
of a saint. “When observing Cotey at work, you see a
respected professional, a loving father, a devoted friend,
and a pillar of the community,” according to the piece
which includes a photo of the accused murderer delivering
resources to D.C. residents during COIVD-19. The story
also reveals that Wynn could not find a job after a
decade in prison since “the damage to his reputation
made it hard for him to find employment” so D.C.
government hired him as a violence interrupter for
Cure the Streets.