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Manhattan DA Probing City Anti-Violence Program Staffed by Ex-Gangsters

By Jeff Mays | April 13, 2015 7:37am
 The Manhattan District Attorney's office is investigating the shooting of a former employee at a Harlem anti-violence program that uses ex-gang members to halt gun violence.
The Manhattan District Attorney's office is investigating the shooting of a former employee at a Harlem anti-violence program that uses ex-gang members to halt gun violence.
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DNAinfo/Jeff Mays

MIDTOWN — The Manhattan District Attorney's office is investigating the shooting of a former employee of a Harlem anti-violence program that uses ex-gang members to halt gun violence, DNAinfo New York has learned.

The investigation comes as Mayor Bill de Blasio and the City Council are spending nearly $13 million to expand the effort to 14 neighborhoods suffering from high rates of gun violence.

Shawanna Vaughn, a former worker for Harlem SNUG, detailed allegations that the program, run by the Mission Society of New York City, was filled with active gang members who were recruiting from within the group, as DNAinfo New York first reported.

The DA is also investigating allegations that drugs were being sold by workers.

Vaughn said the Feb. 20 shooting of the ex-employee was swept under the rug by the Mission Society after she visited the former worker in the hospital as part of her duties.

Several SNUG workers feared for their safety after the shooting because the former employee allegedly felt someone at SNUG was responsible and made threats against the program.

The District Attorney's office is investigating if someone from SNUG was involved in the incident at West 142nd Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem.

Further details were not immediately available.

When she complained to SNUG management and the mayor's office, Vaughn said she was fired.

Vaughn, who said she was in fear for her life, was put under police protection and has been relocated.

A spokeswoman from the Manhattan District attorney's office declined comment.

"The health and safety of the community is at risk," Vaughn said.

Both the Mission Society and the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice have acknowledged problems with the program's hiring practices but have pledged to move forward with the effort.

The Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice did not respond to a request for comment about the investigation.

In a statement, the Mission Society, which operates three SNUG sites in Harlem and The Bronx, said its "senior leadership" has not been made aware of any illegal activities by any current or former employees.

The group also said it was unaware of any current investigations but would "fully cooperate in any legal investigation of criminal activity."

"The NYC Mission Society upholds and enforces our policy that any employee who engages in any criminal activity, including drug dealing or gang activity, will be terminated immediately. We do not and will not condone or tolerate any form of criminal activity," read the statement.

A recording of a meeting with senior SNUG supervisors obtained by DNAinfo New York reveals employees explaining how they believe there were active gang members in the organization and how they were in fear of violence erupting as a result of the shooting.

Multiple ex-gang member SNUG employees said they feared they might have to return to their old lifestyles to protect themselves and their families.

The Mission Society acknowledged that "an internal review identified areas for improvement in the program’s management and delivery of services, and noted a lapse in protocols," according to a statement from Mission Society President Elsie McCabe Thompson.

Several longtime SNUG employees were fired in the shakeup.

A spokesman for the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice said there have been meetings with Mission Society leaders to "ensure appropriate hiring practices are in place."

SNUG is modeled after Ceasefire Chicago, which uses former gang members to serve as "violence interrupters" in that city.

Based on the Cure Violence model, which treats gun violence as a disease such as tuberculosis that can be treated, the workers serve as "credible messengers" because of their backgrounds, to prevent shootings by encouraging mediation of disputes.

Some workers visit shooting victims in city hospitals. They also try to convince active gang members to leave the lifestyle behind.

That mission was jeopardized at Harlem SNUG because there were active gang members employed who were recruiting others and engaging in illegal activities, Vaughn said.

"I definitely believe I did the right thing and if I had to do it over again I would," she added.