MoCo

MCOT responses to behavioral health crises without police presence represent a significant change toward a civilian response. The civilian response is designed after the Crisis Assistance Helping Out on the Streets (CAHOOTS) model that has been successfully implemented in Eugene, Ore., for more than 30 years. In 2021, DHHS consulted with the White Bird Clinic (WBC) that runs the CAHOOTS model. Staff from WBC provided training to MCOT team members, homeless outreach workers, police, and other staff on de-escalation, scene safety, situational awareness, community engagement and trauma informed care. To request sign language interpreter services or other assistance to participate in this meeting, email Dorne Hill at [email protected] no less than five business days before the meeting date. For more information about the event, Dorne Hill at [email protected].


Health

Per the State of Maryland:

ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan and state health officials today encouraged Marylanders to get boosted between now and Monday, May 2, to qualify for next week’s VaxCash 2.0 $1 million grand prize drawing.


MCPS

Ten age-appropriate student focus groups at all three levels in February and March.

A series of youth-police dialogues with MCPS and police representatives in each of the 10 police districts in Montgomery County.


Gaithersburg

The United Stated Department of Justice announced on Monday that Junior Noe Alvarado-Requeno, 24, of Landover, was sentenced to life in federal prison for conspiring to participate in La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), and for three counts each of “murder in aid of racketeering and conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, as well as for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana and cocaine.”  Alvarado-Requeno was convicted of those charges on November 23, 2021.  According to a press release, the evidence showed that in June 2016, Alvarado-Requeno ordered members of the Sailors Clique to murder a suspected rival in the woods at Malcolm King Park in Gaithersburg.  Luring him with the promise of sex with a female MS-13 associate, the gang members ambushed the teenaged victim and stabbed him 153 times. It was later determined that the victim did not belong to any gang. You can view the original MCPD news release here.

According to the evidence presented at the four-week trial, between 2015 and 2018, Alvarado-Requeno and his co-defendant, Miguel Angel Corea Diaz, a/k/a “Reaper,” age 41, of Long Branch, New Jersey, controlled and operated the Sailors Locos Salvatruchos Westside (S.L.S.W. or “Sailors”) Clique through a pattern of racketeering activity, which included murder, extortion, drug trafficking, money laundering, and witness tampering.  Evidence showed that the gang ran a protection scheme in and around its home base in Langley Park, Maryland, and extorted local businesses by charging them “rent” for the privilege of operating in MS-13 “territory.”  The gang also trafficked in illegal drugs, including marijuana, heroin, and cocaine.  A large share of the proceeds of the gang’s illegal activities were sent to gang leadership in El Salvador to further promote the goals of the gang, using structured transactions and intermediaries to avoid law enforcement scrutiny.


MoCo Government

According to a report by the Washington Post, Montgomery County Council At-Large candidate Brandy Brooks said Monday that she has no intention of withdrawing from the upcoming election.  Brooks paused her campaign on April 13 after allegations came out that she sexually harassed a former campaign staff member.

I believe that accountability must be based in honest fact-finding with the goal of seeking the truth. For decisions about my character and leadership to be made with such prejudice prior to any process is the very opposite of justice, by any definition. I am very proud of what our team of supporters, volunteers, and advisors have been able to accomplish over the last 15 months. While I am taking a momentary break, the campaign is not ending. I remain committed to the vision we’ve been building for Montgomery County.


MoCo

Steve Solomon, former co-host of The MoCoShow podcast and The Steve Czaban Show, has announced his candidacy for District 6 in Montgomery County.  Issues Solomon is running on include economic development, infrastructure, school snow days, and deer management.

Solomon previously ran for County Council in 2018 and Board of Education in 2020.


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