The Wren Collective, a Texas-based group known for its strategic advising in criminal justice reform, has been significantly influencing Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales since his election, a recent investigation by KSAT Investigates has revealed. Records show the collective, founded by attorney Jessica Brand, began its advisory relationship with Gonzales' office in January 2019, coinciding with the start of his term.
Despite the Wren Collective presenting itself as a for-profit LLC since its inception in February 2020, the entity forfeited its tax certificate in June 2022. Nevertheless, its commercial web presence persists, with its .com website still listing it as an LLC. The organization's .org site features a donation link, which surprisingly directs donors to a PayPal account for Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE), a nonprofit based in California, the link was documented by KSAT.
SEE's historical connections trace back to fostering US-USSR cultural exchanges through films since 1987. Despite the Soviet Union dissolving in 1991, the organization, which evolved into SEE in the mid-1990s, has since redirected its focus towards supporting environmental and social entrepreneurship.
Across its digital platforms, The Wren Collective professes its mission to deliver "research, communications, and policy expertise to those organizations, individual activists, and elected officials who want to see transformational change in our system of justice and policing," as detailed by their profile on the Save Our Planet website. They emphasize their role in providing clients with valuable criminal justice system insight to enhance communication, policy, legislative, and campaign strategies.
