CeaseFire Violence Interrupter Among Nearly 50 Arrested In Major Gang Probe
By Stephen Gossett in News on May 26, 2017 6:53PM
Photo: Scott Olson / Getty Images
Officials on Friday announced announced the arrest of nearly 50 members and associates of the South Side gang Two-Six—and one of those charged had apparently worked as a violence interrupter for the CeaseFire program.
The charges—against 45 people in total—were the result of a two-year sting, which acting US Attorney Joel Levin described as a "significant" joint investigation between federal and state law enforcement.
Called "Operation Bunny Trap"—in reference to the gang's symbol—the investigation confiscated 118 guns, including 20 rifles—15 of which were "assault-style" rifles, according to Levin and a U.S. Attorney’s Office
press release. Assault-style rifles were used in multiple high-profile shootings on the South Side in recent months. Several hundred grams of cocaine, fentanyl and crystal meth were also seized.
One of those arrested was 50-year-old Francisco Sanchez, a onetime violence interrupter for the CeaseFire, an anti-violence organization that engages people with criminal pasts to help de-escalate gang tensions. Sanchez, as the Sun-Times points out, was profiled by The Trace in February. The article outlines the extreme difficulty faced by the organization amid completely gutted state funding and the loss of a Chicago Police grant. Sanchez was charged with felony possession of a firearm, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
CeaseFire was the subject of the great Steve James/Alex Kotlowitz documentary The Interrupters, from 2011. A 2008 study by Northwestern University found that CeaseFire had significantly decreased shootings in several Chicago neighborhoods—even as tensions have been known to exist between interrupters and law enforcement.
Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson on Friday framed the arrests as a warning ahead of the long holiday weekend. "As we head into the Memorial Day weekend, we are sending a clear message to those driving violence. We will come at you with everything that we have to make our communities safe." said Johnson. Police are expected to outline details of beefed-up deployment for Memorial Day weekend on Friday afternoon.
Update:
Cure Violence, which now operates CeaseFire, said in a statement sent to Chicagoist:
"Violence interrupters make the most dangerous communities safer - with studies showing reductions in shootings and killings of up to 50%. To stop violence, we must engage with individuals most likely to commit violence by hiring people who have access and credibility with the population—a standard practice in health outreach programs including AIDS/HIV and substance abuse. Hundreds of interrupters in dozens of health departments and communities are helping to make our communities safer. Although relapses may occur, we need to see the bigger picture of the amazing work and great successes and contributions of interrupters in Chicago and around the country."