Bethesda homicide

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This statement is disgusting. Instead of apologizing to the community for their failure to adequately supervise there charges and therefore indangering the same community, she sticks her had out for donations. Just gross. This was the time to promise to do better.

I agree. Honestly, it’s displays a mentality that demonstrates that they have zero concerns about how this happened and how they plan to prevent this from happening in the future. If I was one of their direct neighbors I would go March up to the door and tell them to f$&: themselves after reading that. Especially their suggestion that somehow my own kids are potential violent murderers that I need to “talk to” (as if I don’t) like the kids that they are supposed to be in charge of. They also are lying because they are now deliberately obfuscating that they are taking these kids from DC and brining them to Maryland.

[Anonymous]

I live less than two blocks from Greentree and used to volunteer at this organization. They do a lot of good and I think the center has offered up some good suggestions of ways to help. Think about how much teens in MCPS in general are struggling, and the uptick in violence even among those students who have stable home lives and who aren't living in a new environment away from family where they likely feel like a fish out of water. There's a big divide between the background and advantages of a typical child who finds themselves needing to live at Greentree and the typical Whitman teen. This letter is less about the three teens implicated in this murder, and more about ways to help all the other kids, staff and families there who would benefit from support. I like the ideas of helping expand their extracurricular options, educate the kids there about possible careers or write a letter to staff or residents of Greentree. I'm not as comfortable with the in-person, eating oriented activity they suggested because of covid, but there are lots of other ways to help if someone is inclined to do so and/or has a special skill set or connections. You can be horrified by these specific individuals and the murder, and still want to help the other children there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live less than two blocks from Greentree and used to volunteer at this organization. They do a lot of good and I think the center has offered up some good suggestions of ways to help. Think about how much teens in MCPS in general are struggling, and the uptick in violence even among those students who have stable home lives and who aren't living in a new environment away from family where they likely feel like a fish out of water. There's a big divide between the background and advantages of a typical child who finds themselves needing to live at Greentree and the typical Whitman teen. This letter is less about the three teens implicated in this murder, and more about ways to help all the other kids, staff and families there who would benefit from support. I like the ideas of helping expand their extracurricular options, educate the kids there about possible careers or write a letter to staff or residents of Greentree. I'm not as comfortable with the in-person, eating oriented activity they suggested because of covid, but there are lots of other ways to help if someone is inclined to do so and/or has a special skill set or connections. You can be horrified by these specific individuals and the murder, and still want to help the other children there.

Well glad that you feel safe, but I live in close proximity and don’t. This murder has destroyed the entire premise of the GAP program, that giving kids therapy and putting them in a different environment would make a positive difference. In anything, what most likely happened is that the program induced this outcome by putting two impressionable kids in close contact with a third who seems to have been the ring leader and a sociopath. It’s hard to argue that they would not have been better off staying wherever they were. And it’s hard to argue that whatever NCCF was doing programmatically was not only ineffective but failed miserably.

Before I would ever entertain a suggestion from this group about providing them any support I want to hear from them about why they failed these kids and how they are and will change to prevent this from happening in the future.

If they cannot address that then they should just shut down because there is no point.

[Anonymous]

Seems like a change of leadership is in order. Does anyone have contact info for the board.

[Anonymous]

I wonder if the family of the deceased will sue the facility. I also wonder what options the community has for requiring more accountability there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if the family of the deceased will sue the facility. I also wonder what options the community has for requiring more accountability there.

Considering that they were all engaged in an illegal drug deal, probably not. But certainly this incident does raise other liability risks that I would expect to be reflected in their insurance premiums going forward.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live less than two blocks from Greentree and used to volunteer at this organization. They do a lot of good and I think the center has offered up some good suggestions of ways to help. Think about how much teens in MCPS in general are struggling, and the uptick in violence even among those students who have stable home lives and who aren't living in a new environment away from family where they likely feel like a fish out of water. There's a big divide between the background and advantages of a typical child who finds themselves needing to live at Greentree and the typical Whitman teen. This letter is less about the three teens implicated in this murder, and more about ways to help all the other kids, staff and families there who would benefit from support. I like the ideas of helping expand their extracurricular options, educate the kids there about possible careers or write a letter to staff or residents of Greentree. I'm not as comfortable with the in-person, eating oriented activity they suggested because of covid, but there are lots of other ways to help if someone is inclined to do so and/or has a special skill set or connections. You can be horrified by these specific individuals and the murder, and still want to help the other children there.

I agree. These NIMBY posters are gross. Have some humanity people.

Answer me this one question if you want the facility to move out of “your” community then where exactly should they go? Where would the appropriate community be found?

[Anonymous]

Farther from city issues as originally intended.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live less than two blocks from Greentree and used to volunteer at this organization. They do a lot of good and I think the center has offered up some good suggestions of ways to help. Think about how much teens in MCPS in general are struggling, and the uptick in violence even among those students who have stable home lives and who aren't living in a new environment away from family where they likely feel like a fish out of water. There's a big divide between the background and advantages of a typical child who finds themselves needing to live at Greentree and the typical Whitman teen. This letter is less about the three teens implicated in this murder, and more about ways to help all the other kids, staff and families there who would benefit from support. I like the ideas of helping expand their extracurricular options, educate the kids there about possible careers or write a letter to staff or residents of Greentree. I'm not as comfortable with the in-person, eating oriented activity they suggested because of covid, but there are lots of other ways to help if someone is inclined to do so and/or has a special skill set or connections. You can be horrified by these specific individuals and the murder, and still want to help the other children there.

I agree. These NIMBY posters are gross. Have some humanity people.

Answer me this one question if you want the facility to move out of “your” community then where exactly should they go? Where would the appropriate community be found?

It isn't NIMBY to ask that the program be operating safely. Nor should they operate without impunity. This incident, and others, warrant investigation, transparency, and a good bit of contrition to the community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seems like a change of leadership is in order. Does anyone have contact info for the board.

Curious as to why they would listen to you? Expect in the field? Big donor? Or just a random person asking them to change their leadership?

[Anonymous]

They need to figure out how these kids were outside without their knowing. They need to figure out how to stop that.

They need to show some data on their success stories.

Because the program itself is for the good of the community. It does have improved outcomes for kids who have been abused, neglected, and worse, making most of them much more productive, law-abiding members of society.

[Anonymous]

Geez. Everyone up in arms in Bethesda over a drug deal gone bad. Come over to Castle Blvd in SS where this stuff happens all the time!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They need to figure out how these kids were outside without their knowing. They need to figure out how to stop that.

They need to show some data on their success stories.

Because the program itself is for the good of the community. It does have improved outcomes for kids who have been abused, neglected, and worse, making most of them much more productive, law-abiding members of society.

Actually no, they do not. They are not accountable to you, for their successes. They do need to fire the idiot who was overseeing these 3 boys and put some better measures in place. Again, they have no obligation to share this info with the public. But it needs to be addressed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They need to figure out how these kids were outside without their knowing. They need to figure out how to stop that.

They need to show some data on their success stories.

Because the program itself is for the good of the community. It does have improved outcomes for kids who have been abused, neglected, and worse, making most of them much more productive, law-abiding members of society.

Actually no, they do not. They are not accountable to you, for their successes. They do need to fire the idiot who was overseeing these 3 boys and put some better measures in place. Again, they have no obligation to share this info with the public. But it needs to be addressed.

Actually...if they are taking public funds they are accountable to...the public.

[Anonymous]

On our local listserv (which covers the area where NCCF is located), someone said an elderly man living nearby was assaulted and robbed by one of the NCCF residents a few months ago.

So by my count, that's separate NCCF residents involved in serious crimes: the 3 who committed the homicide; the elderly assault; and the frying pan assault at Whitman.