Legal/Law/Criminal Justice and Reform

Lib Mayor Defends ‘Violence Intervention’ Activists After Yet Another Gets Arrested

Kat Wilcox, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Democratic Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said Monday that a taxpayer-funded “community violence intervention” activist’s arrest in a shooting does not mean that such programs are failing.

Baltimore police announced Monday they arrested 51-year-old nonprofit leader Antione Burton over the nonfatal shooting of a 40-year-old on Sunday. Scott expressed outrage that Burton allegedly dishonored his title working for the city’s multi-million-dollar “Safe Streets” initiative designed to address crime — while urging continued support for the program.

Please see my statement on the arrest of Safe Streets worker Antoine Burton. We will continue to hold our Safe Streets teams to the highest standards for conduct, and they will continue their lifesaving work to prevent violence and uplift our communities. pic.twitter.com/uiHK2T76Dz

— Brandon M. Scott (@MayorBMScott) June 8, 2026

“This individual’s actions are a disgrace,” Scott said. “He has failed to live up to our standards for frontline community violence intervention staff and violated the trust that is at the very core of what makes violence intervention work overwhelmingly successful. Nobody should ever resort to violence to resolve conflict, especially someone tasked with promoting peace.”

“To be clear: this was an isolated incident and should not be used to undermine the proven work that Safe Streets does each and every day,” Scott added. “As this individual answers for his personal actions, we will continue to hold our Safe Streets teams to the highest standards for conduct, and they will continue their lifesaving work to prevent violence and uplift our communities.”

Burton is president of We Our Us, a Baltimore-based charity that received more than $1.2 million in government grants in 2024 alone, according to tax filings. The filings also list Burton as a pastor. We Our Us did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

Police arrested Burton “without incident” on Sunday shortly after the shooting, and he faces attempted murder and weapons charges, according to the Baltimore Police Department. Maryland’s court database does not yet show his case or an attorney.

The activist is the latest of several so-called violence prevention workers charged with a crime after liberal, police-skeptical cities promoted their unconventional neighborhood outreach as crucial to public safety.

Maryland awarded $6 million to We Our Us in August despite Burton owing more than $200,000 in late tax payments, WBFF reported.