The light turns red at President and Pratt streets in Harbor East and a half dozen teenagers in T-shirts, jeans, and unlaced high tops spring from the grassy median, holding up Windex spray bottles in one hand and gas station-style squeegees in the other. Two skinny younger boys jump into the street first. A couple of older kids shout and laugh at each other over the idling traffic. It’s a clear, bright Sunday in May. The school year is almost over.

They try to make eye contact through rolled up windows.

“I got you,” says one of the teenagers, leaning over the hood of a Honda, spraying a dab on the windshield.

“How are you?” a kid says to another driver. “What’s up?”

“I got you.”

A second teenager sprays a shot of soapy water on a windshield, trying to drum up business. The woman behind the wheel simply continues to stare at her phone.

To still another driver: “You look good, bro. You look sharp. You wanna wash?”

A 40ish white man in a Range Rover frantically waves his arms. “No, no, no! Don’t touch my car.”

A young woman in a Honda Accord smiles as she shakes her head toward James, the self-possessed 16-year-old high school student who serves as this group’s informal crew chief. “I don’t have any money,” she says. But then she offers him her French fries, which he accepts. Before the light changes, four drivers get quick windshield wipes. They appear happy, at least content, to hand over a buck or two for a slightly better view of the world. An equal number of drivers appear annoyed. The rest look relieved they avoided the kids’ face-to-face pitch.

It’s such a familiar scene by now in Baltimore, the two-minute productions play out like a choreographed dance. “The overall reaction? I’d say 50-50,” James says as he steps back to the median as cars begin rolling again. “Some people definitely resent you. Hey, I get it. You’re walkin’ up on their car. Other people tell you they’re glad you’re out here making an honest dollar.

“Most of the time,” James continues, “it’s not even about us. Everybody’s bringing their own stuff they got going on and it gets directed at you.”

Baltimore’s “squeegee kids” have been a source of hot, racialized debate, law enforcement confusion, and political puzzlement for decades. In 1985, the City Council voted 11-7, splitting along white-black lines, to ban the practice and call for arrests. Black council members saw the proposal as racist because the young entrepreneurs the legislation targeted were almost exclusively black. Congressman Parren Mitchell, the first African-American to represent Maryland, decried the hysteria around the squeegee kids in his regular column in The Afro. So did former Sun columnist Roger Simon, generating a maelstrom of letters to the editor.

Then-police chief Bishop L. Robinson, the City’s first black police commissioner, sought the ban because some drivers had complained they felt threatened by the youth and because he was concerned about the squeegee kids’ safety. (Indeed, a 14-year-old was killed the next year by a tractor-trailer.) Facing backlash, Mayor William Donald Schaefer sought time to study the issue. Ultimately, the law went into effect with a compromise—the removal of the threat of incarceration—and stands to this day. None of this flap and fury makes sense to Derrick, who is two years younger than James and has been working a squeegee alongside him since they were 10 and 12, respectively. He says after all this time he still can’t get his head around the daily gamut of responses he receives, and endures, from adult drivers.

“Honestly? It’s confusing,” the 14-year-old says. “Someone will give you a $10 bill and thank you, and the very next person will cuss at you.” Derrick and James, like most of the teenagers hustling at this end of I-83—built, of course, in the 1960s to ferry suburbanites in and out of the city—live in the Douglass Homes housing project near The Johns Hopkins Hospital. “How do you make sense of that when you didn’t do one thing different?”

“What do you want us to do for money?” James says. “Cut grass? That’s a white people thing. There ain’t no grass around here.

-J.M. Giordano

Ever since the battle lines were drawn in the ’80s, the squeegee controversy has risen and fallen every few years, typically driven by outrage from white commuters following a fresh report that someone near a squeegee location grabbed a wallet off a car seat, kicked a door, or hurled a water bottle at a vehicle. Each episode inevitably casts everyone with a squeegee in hand in the same dark light. (When a husband who killed his wife falsely claimed last year that a panhandler had stabbed her to death at an East Baltimore intersection, the initial blowback wasn’t only felt by panhandlers, but squeegee youth, too. None other than Oprah said she’d think twice before ever rolling down her window again.)

In 2017, after renewed complaints—BPD fields multiple calls daily that report squeegee workers soliciting in traffic—former Mayor Catherine Pugh launched a “Squeegee Corps” initiative. Her office, estimating there were about 100 squeegee kids they could help get off the street, put together car washes outside City Hall and elsewhere. However, a sustainable program was never put in place.

Last fall, the cycle started again. A driver in Federal Hill accused a black male (whom he later admitted was older and not part of the regular squeegee group with which he was familiar) of shattering the rear window of his SUV, posting a video of the encounter to a South Baltimore Community Facebook page, which went viral. A week later, Downtown Partnership announced plans to place unarmed security guards at intersections to “monitor” the actions of the squeegee kids at a cost of $3,000 per week.

 

“What do you want us to do for money? Cut grass?”

 

Two weeks later, a 10-year-old squeegee kid was nearly killed in a terrifying crash—also caught on video—after being struck by a car at President and Pratt streets.

Shortly afterward, Pugh vowed to create a $2-million annual effort, with at least some of the money coming from private sources, to “address the squeegee problem” and develop the next iteration of the Squeegee Corps to move the kids off the street corners. Following Pugh’s resignation, that plan is now up in the air.

“Look, I’m probably more liberal in my views than most of my counterparts,” says Major Richard Gibson. “To me, this is a social problem. It’s similar to the panhandlers, sex workers, and homeless. People complain, it’s illegal solicitation like panhandling, so we deal with it. You get them to move off the intersection. But these aren’t really law enforcement issues unless they do something that’s legitimately criminal.”

A former high-ranking police official, who did not want his name used because of his current job, was more adamant about getting the squeegee kids off the street, similarly lumping them with panhandlers, sex workers, drug dealers, the dirt bike-riding 12 0’Clock Boys, and the homeless—as well as the large groups of youth who from time to time have stirred tensions with the police at the Inner Harbor. “They are a part of what people see as the chaos of Baltimore when they drive into the city,” he says.

The squeegee kids don’t see themselves that way at all.

“Everybody got a reason to be out here, or they wouldn’t be here,” James says later in the afternoon. “Not everybody has two parents at home or people looking after them the way they should.”

Derrick uses some of the money he earns—$100-$150 after six to seven hours on a busy weekend—to help his mother pay rent. “I’ve got four siblings,” he says. “I come out before school some mornings to have money in my pocket and get something to eat after. Who else is going to help us?”

Donovan, 19, wearing a Ravens cap, is among the oldest here—most are between 10 and 18—and knows firsthand the other alternatives to making money for black males growing up in poverty in Baltimore. He got caught selling drugs when he was younger. “I’ve seen friends die and go to jail with long sentences,” he says. “I’ve seen some pretty terrible stuff, and I don’t want that.” He picked up a squeegee a year ago, even though police do charge squeegee workers with aggressive panhandling and illegal solicitation from time to time because “I’m my only source of income,” he says. Young guys like Derrick and James are actually positive role models to the boys in their neighborhood, Donovan adds, because they aren’t selling drugs and have their own money to buy shoes and clothes, as well as the occasional soda for an 8- or 10-year-old. That said, Donovan adds, they get profiled regularly in public places.

“If we go to eat at a restaurant after being out all day, what we get is, ‘No, no, no. Too many of you,’” he says. “And we got money. That doesn’t happen if you’re white. Same when it comes to using the bathroom. Can’t use the bathroom even when we are buying something. Same at the mall, security following you around. Secret shoppers, following you around. You’ve got have your money out when you’re in a store or you get chased out.”

Personable and thoughtful, Donovan says he plans to go back to school and would like to learn how to buy and invest in real estate. James, who’s adding a job washing dishes, wants to own a car wash after he graduates and employ some of his cohorts.

“Instead of them experiencing unfair treatment for bringing income into their homes, they would benefit from more outreach support—school and career counseling and other services, ” says India Bell, a Baltimore social worker and former resident advisor with the Department of Juvenile Services who regularly engages the young men along Martin Luther King Boulevard near Route 40. “Things have fallen apart in this city, in this country. We have long incarcerated black males at disproportionate rates, and that has impacted the families and neighborhoods where these kids are from. As well as segregation, redlining, and disinvestment. I know—I’m from one of those neighborhoods.

“The bottom line,” Bell adds, “is that kids shouldn’t have to spend their childhoods out in the street earning money.”

Baltimore author D. Watkins, editor at large for Salon, went from dealing drugs to a career as a teacher and writer. He spends a lot of time in local schools and knows some of the same squeegee workers that Bell does along MLK Boulevard, including a former high-school student he taught at the Friendship Academy. Watkins also made a few dollars as a squeegee kid in the late ’80s and early ’90s. “A lot of people don’t understand the perspective of these kids,” Watkins says. “They are scared to interact with them and a lot of people get frustrated with them. Everybody is scared of everybody and nobody is talking to each other. Meanwhile, the former mayor initiated the Squeegee Corps, and that went away and she kind of abandoned them.”

 

“People sell drugs on the corner every day. I got no interest. Not for me.”

 

Kaye Whitehead, who teaches at Loyola University and hosts a WEAA talk show, echoes Bell and Watkins. “If this was a lacrosse team in the street raising money with buckets for a trip to play in a tournament, no one would have an issue,” she says. “We as a city need to lean in and find ways to support them. The folks who were doing this 40 years ago have grown up, but this generation is running up against the same problems.”

Bell stresses that no one believes it’s a good idea for children and teenagers to be bouncing through traffic at stop lights. But in a sense, she says, the squeegee corners are “safe spaces” for many kids. “They have a measure of independence, they can act like 15, 16, 17-year-olds. In their neighborhoods, there’s always a lot of trauma and stress, and they feel like they have to keep their guard up and watch their back.” In fact, one 14-year-old squeegee kid mentioned the threat of getting robbed by older teens and young men walking back to his own neighborhood in the evening with squeegee money in pocket.

Local business owner Chris Wilson, who did 16 years in prison for a crime committed while a juvenile, sees himself in the young men wielding squeegees. “I tell every single one of them I respect the hustle and I respect them trying to make a living,” says Wilson, author of The Master Plan: My Journey from Life in Prison to a Life of Purpose. “They’re doing all the things an entrepreneur does. They’re calculating how much cleaning supplies to buy, how much water to buy if they’re selling bottles of water, what’s the best time to work, the best location, how much they need to make. The next step is setting longer-term goals. Nobody teaches them how to set goals, make a plan, and then walk down that road.”

To Wilson’s point, some of the kids, concerned about public relations, have begun leaving soapy hearts on women’s windshields.

Nate, a lanky, charismatic 19-year-old who lives in the McCulloh Homes housing project in West Baltimore, says he had a job at Walmart at the Golden Ring Shopping Center, but the bus rides and taxes left him with little time and money to show for his effort. He started squeegeeing two-and-a-half years ago, trying to do both for a period, along with his friends Carlose, 22, Antoine, 17, and Derwood, 20, who was also hawking bottles of cold water for $1 on a recent Monday afternoon. He readily acknowledges quitting school in 10th grade was a mistake and wants to earn his GED. “You need school, and you need that degree,” says Nate. “When I quit, I couldn’t even have told you why I quit other than I was bored. But I realize I wasn’t getting what I needed from school, either.”

“I’d like to own my own business,” he continues. “Maybe start a small clothing line or open a food truck. Even a car wash down at the Rite-Aid parking lot,” he says, gesturing down the street, “would be a start and better than minimum wage. People sell drugs on the corner every day in Baltimore, and I got no interest. Helicopter surveillance, drama, and violence. Not for me. I don’t like it. We’re in entirely different lanes.”

Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh announced Monday that she will be taking a leave of absence, citing her health. A number of city and state politicians have expressed growing concern and distrust in her holding the office at all.

According to a press release yesterday afternoon from the mayor’s office, she has been “battling pneumonia for the past few weeks.” Physicians have advised her to take time to recover and focus on her health. According to The Sun, Pugh will continue to be paid her $185,000 salary.

“At this time, with the Mayor’s health deteriorating, she feels as though she is unable to fulfill her obligations as Mayor of Baltimore City,” reads part of the release. “To that end, Mayor Pugh will be taking an indefinite leave of absence to recuperate from this serious illness.”

The Baltimore City Charter states that if the mayor is unable to fulfill her obligations as mayor of Baltimore City, the President of City Council is to step in as ex officio mayor. As such, City Council President Jack Young will take over during the interim of Pugh’s absence. Young has said he has no plans on running for mayor in 2020 and intends to run for City Council President again.

Pugh is currently under fire after revelations of a $500,000 children’s book deal with the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS). Pugh served on the UMMS board while receiving payments for book orders, tallying a $20,000 net profit from each deal. She has since resigned from the board.

Pugh also recently gave back $100,000 from a 2018 book deal with UMMS. The order for 20,000 copies from the mayor’s Healthy Holly children’s series had not yet been filled due to the illustrator suffering from illness.

The Sun reported that Kaiser Permanente also paid Pugh more than $100,000 to purchase copies of her books from 2015 to 2018. Pugh oversees and controls the city’s spending board, and awarded the health insurer a $48-million contract to provide health insurance to city employees from 2018 through 2020, with options to renew.

The announcement from the mayor’s office came hours after Gov. Larry Hogan asked the office of the state prosecutor to begin a criminal investigation into the allegations against Pugh.

There have also been calls for Mayor Pugh to resign among growing scandal. State Comptroller Peter Franchot, City Councilman Zeke Cohen, and City Councilman Ryan Dorsey have all expressed these sentiments. Congressman Elijah Cummings, who supported Pugh in her election campaign, said he supports the investigation into her book deal with UMMS. As does Baltimore City’s senate delegation in the General Assembly.

“Baltimore City is more than just one person, or one mayor,” the city senate delegation wrote in a statement. “We, as Baltimoreans, first and foremost, must hold our City’s officials to the highest standard. Our state cannot sustain any further erosion of trust in our institutions.”

Pugh was elected mayor in 2016—winning the Democratic primary by securing 37 percent of the vote—and would be up for reelection in a Democratic primary next year.

Although marijuana is illegal in the state of Maryland, Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced on Tuesday that her office will no longer prosecute marijuana possession cases within Baltimore City limits, regardless of amounts or criminal history. Mosby is also seeking to vacate nearly 5,000 prior convictions following a nationwide trend of prosecutors minimizing manpower used on marijuana prosecutions.

“We need to get serious about prioritizing what actually makes us safe,” Mosby said in a statement. “And no one who is serious about public safety can honestly say that spending resources to jail people for marijuana use is a smart way to use our limited time and money.”

Mosby cited the trends of disproportionate marijuana enforcement—between 2015 and 2017, 90-percent of citations were black residents—as her reason for making such a “monumental shift.”

“The effects of these failed policies have been especially dire for cities like Baltimore where for decades we have criminalized what is now nationally considered a public health crisis,” she said. “The statistics are damning when it comes to the disproportionate impact the war on drugs has had on communities of color.”

The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), a Washington, D.C.-based organization for marijuana reform, applauded Mosby for her decision and is hopeful that the rest of the state will follow her lead. Currently, district attorneys in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Albany County, and Philadelphia have adopted similar policies, not to mention the 10 states and D.C. that have legalized marijuana for adults 21 and older.

“Nationwide support for legalizing marijuana for adult-use is higher than ever,” Olivia Naugle, legislative coordinator for MPP, told Baltimore. “State’s Attorney Mosby made the fair and just decision to no longer prosecute marijuana possession, and has set an example for the rest of the state of Maryland to consider a safer and more just approach.”

Mosby believes that jailing people for marijuana possession is a misuse of the city’s already limited resources that should be used for prosecuting violent offenses that are a threat to public safety. In the past three years, homicides have increased while homicide arrests have decreased to 30 percent—much lower than the national average of 60 percent. Mosby says that her plan is a “common sense move” to solve this problem.

“Ask any mother who has lost a son to gun violence whether she wants us to spend more time solving and prosecuting her son’s killer or to spend time on marijuana possession,” she said. “It’s not a close question.”

Under Mosby’s new rules, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute will be prosecuted if sufficient evidence is presented, and all first-time offenders will be referred to a diversion program to assist with securing a job. The completion of the program will also result in the expungement of the record and legislation is even being proposed that would allow prosecutors to vacate prior convictions.

The state’s attorney is also calling for support from law enforcement to help with her vision for the city, but interim commissioner Gary Tuggle says that he will still instruct his officers to make arrests for possession of marijuana “unless and until the state legislature changes the law regarding marijuana possession.”

“We need leaders here in Baltimore who are actively working toward a vision of safety that makes all of us more secure in our great city,” Mosby said. “That can’t happen when we’re focused on marijuana possession cases instead of solving and prosecuting more murders.”

Mayor Catherine Pugh released a statement showing support for Mosby’s decision, but also believes that more needs to be done about drug prosecution. She urges the state legislature to analyze the issues and come to an agreement with the state’s attorney’s office for best practices in an effort to help the community.

“We need to commit our full efforts and resources to get violent criminals off our streets,” Pugh said. “It’s important that we look at common sense approaches to laws governing personal possession of marijuana . . . But at the same time, we also need to understand that those who deal illegal substances fuel criminality in our neighborhoods, which leads to violence.”

On Tuesday, Governor Larry Hogan announced that he will be implementing several new initiatives to target violent crime in Baltimore City, citing the increasing violence as “completely unacceptable.” Hogan plans to open a Violent Crime Joint Operations Center in the city that will have 200 “strike force” officers from 16 federal and local agencies to fight crime and gangs.

“Citizens across the state are outraged by the daily headlines of this rampant gang violence,” Hogan said at the press conference. “They don’t feel safe in their own neighborhoods . . . They’re crying out for somebody to do something to stop these killings.”

For the last four years, the city has exceeded more than 300 homicides. Hogan said that “enough is enough” and that he will use every resource available to curb the amount of violence in Baltimore, including providing additional funding to the Baltimore Police Department for signing bonuses to attract more recruits, as well as $50 million to fund every request received from victim service providers across the state.

“All of these efforts won’t be enough if we can’t keep these repeat offenders off the streets,” he said. “According to the BPD, 60 percent of those convicted of gun crimes in Baltimore City do not serve any real time and are released back onto the streets to commit violent felonies again and again. This is completely unacceptable.”

The governor will fund the expansion of Project Exile, a federal program that targets repeat offenders and have them charged under federal laws and courts that may lead to longer sentences. Hogan also said he would introduce legislation at Maryland’s General Assembly session, which begins today, that would increase the mandatory minimum sentence for repeat gun offenders.

“The federal mandatory sentences are 10 years. If we can process them on federal gun crimes and federal courts, we can put them in jail rather than a slap on the wrist with Baltimore City judges and without mandatory sentences with prosecutions here in the city,” Hogan said. “They are not enough prosecutors to handle all these cases, and we ask them, ‘How could they do more of them,’ and they said they need more manpower, so we’re paying for them.”

Hogan believes that there has been too much focus on the misconduct of the BPD and not enough on the violent criminals plaguing the city, pointing the finger at the consent decree that was implemented in 2017.

He also said that permanent leadership is vital to make this all work expressing his frustration at the vacancy of the position for the past seven months. This comes just one day after Mayor Catherine Pugh announced New Orleans Superintendent Michael Harrison as commissioner-designate.

“There’s been a whole lot of focus on the consent decree, that’s all people have been talking about,” Hogan said. “I think it’s out of balance. We’re going to focus on getting the criminals off the street.”

Since being appointed in 2015 by former police commissioner Kevin Davis, T.J. Smith, who has been known for his blunt, straight-to-the-point approach, resigned effective immediately on Wednesday as the chief spokesman of the Baltimore Police Department.

“Dear Baltimore. It’s time,” Smith said in his letter to the city. “Goodbye for now and thank you for letting me be me.”

Citing an “unstable environment” and “political turmoil” as the cause for his departure, the Baltimore native believes that the city still has “historically and disproportionately been plagued with social ills, guns, violence, and drugs” long before the Freddie Gray riots.

“Everything’s happening at one time—this is a battleship we’re turning around,” Smith told us in a recent podcast interview about the police department. “But we’re turning it around in a canal.”

The BPD said on Wednesday that Smith’s duties will fall to Matt Jablow, a former WBAL-TV reporter and police spokesman who returned to serve as the department’s chief of strategic communications earlier this year.

In his farewell letter, Smith divulges his experiences growing up in West Baltimore, corruption inside the BPD, and the effect it has had on the community.

As a former director of media relations for Anne Arundel County Police, Smith had an unorthodox way of delivering the harsh news. Pulling no punches and sparing no feelings, he knew the community well and it was evident the way he would show up at crime scenes and beg for tips from the public.

“I’ve spoken to families who have been deeply affected by the violence,” Smith said. “And as fate would have it, I too, faced the devastation of a personal loss when my little brother, Dion, was killed . . . Prior to being affected by violence directly, I chose to speak on behalf of everyone’s loved one with the same level of passion and humanity.”

While working under Davis, Smith played a very prominent role in the community. The then commissioner trusted Smith to respond to public crises in a way that the public would understand. He had a way of making sure that the people were listening to him.

“He was beyond a media relations chief to me—he was a close adviser on anything and everything, and I relied heavily on his opinion,” Davis told The Sun. “He’s developed not only into the face and voice of the BPD, but the conscience of the BPD.”

Smith’s departure comes as Mayor Catherine Pugh prepares to name a new police commissioner by the end of this month. Interim commissioner Gary Tuggle—the fourth since Smith joined the BPD—was being considered but withdrew his application earlier this week.

Although he no longer works for the police department, he still considers himself a champion for the city. He’s not sure what he will do next, he writes, “Hmmm, consulting, teaching, media stuff, and maybe, just maybe a book and politics.” But he knows that he plans to continue to play his role in helping to heal Baltimore.

“I love this town,” he said. “And despite its flaws, this city possesses great beauty, is rich in history, and exudes promise. However, the last few years have cast a spotlight on our city’s urban, gritty landscape; from scandals, corruption, murders, riots, and more. Through it all, I walk all over the city and people approach me offering ideas, prayer, and hope. That’s Baltimore, my Baltimore, a deeply resilient town.”

A 13-time Pro Bowler, two-time defensive player of the year, Super Bowl 35 MVP, and the only player in NFL history to produce at least 40 sacks and 30 interceptions is none other than Baltimore Ravens’ Ray Lewis. He also holds a Ravens’ franchise-record of 2,643 career tackles, including a single-season best of 225 stops in 2003. With a resume like that, it’s only fitting to celebrate his induction into the 2018 NFL Hall of Fame with a parade through the city.

“For 17 years, we could point to No. 52 and tell the other players, ‘Follow his lead,” said Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome, who drafted Lewis. “It was our privilege to have him as a Raven. We are all better for having him here. His play on game days speaks for itself. When you talk about the great players of all time, no matter the position, he is among the greatest of the great.”

On Saturday, September 22, Mayor Catherine Pugh will hold a parade to honor the Ravens’ latest inductee. Beginning at 10 a.m. on Key Highway near Rash Field, the parade will travel through downtown and end at City Hall where both Pugh and Lewis will speak.

The team that Lewis called home for nearly 20 years will honor him during Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos. Prior to the game, too, fans will get the chance to snap a few pics with his Hall of Fame bust on RavensWalk. There’s also a giveaway of a commemorative Ray Lewis Hall of Fame coin upon entry.

Just before kickoff and after player intros, Lewis will take the field—perhaps we will get to see the squirrel dance at M&T Bank Stadium one last time? At halftime, Lewis will be presented with his Hall of Fame ring in an on-field ceremony. No long speeches this time though, the game must go on.

The only thing that would make this weekend better is if the Ravens get a win. After last week’s game—they struggled on both sides, especially defensively when linebacker C.J. Mosley was carted off the field—the fans could use a W. An iconic, inspirational locker room speech from Lewis might just do the trick.

After being sheltered in a former car dealership underneath the Jones Falls Expressway for more than 40 years, the Baltimore Police Department‘s mounted unit of horses was introduced to its future home Tuesday morning.

Mayor Catherine E. Pugh and officials from the B&O Railroad Museum joined to break ground on the First Mile Stable, a modern equestrian facility which will house the mounted unit’s draft horses.

“We should be glad that we are preserving this unit and, more importantly, that we are making a home that will be lasting and one that we all can be proud of,” Pugh said.

The Baltimore Police mounted unit was founded in 1888 and is the oldest continuously operated mounted unit in the U.S.

“[This is] more than just about building a stable for horses,” Interim Baltimore City Police Commissioner Gary Tuggle said. “This is continuing a legacy.”

First Mile Stable, which will be accessible via a short train ride from the B&O Railroad Museum, will sit on a 2.4-acre plot of museum property. Museum board chairman Francis Smyth said project construction will begin within the month and is expected to be completed in approximately nine months. The stable is slated to open in spring or summer 2019.

The facility will represent a significant upgrade to the previous living arrangements for the mounted unit’s horses. It will include 12 double stalls (which are twice the width of a normal horse stall) and an outdoor paddock for grazing and exercise, an amenity the current location lacks.

“These horses are exceedingly well cared for,” said Kris Hoellen, the executive director of the B&O Railroad Museum. “But, obviously, they are going to have an even better quality of life when they are looking up at the skies rather than the underside of a bridge.”

The stable will also include an educational community center for tourists and inner-city school groups to interact with the officers and horses and learn about the mounted unit’s history and role in public safety.

“The mounted unit plays the same role it did since its founding with patrol as its first priority,” said Sgt. Russell “Russ” Robar, the commander of the mounted unit.

During an August 2017 press conference, Pugh, along with other city officials, announced plans to fundraise for and build First Mile Stable.

The First Mile Stable Charitable Foundation, which was established for the purpose of designing, constructing, and maintaining the new stable for the mounted unit, has already raised more than $1 million of the $2.5 million project goal. The foundation also launched a public fundraising campaign today to continue to support the newest stable.

Additionally, Smyth announced that the museum and First Mile Stable Charitable Foundation together will provide the mounted unit with two additional horses.

The mounted unit currently consists of six horses, although Robar noted the unit has authorization for funding up to 10. He said the mounted unit’s horses allow the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) to survey areas in the city that aren’t always accessible by car, such as tight alleys and fire escapes, and are effective at assisting officers on the ground for occasional crowd control purposes.

“The horses are the most important part of the unit,” Robar said. “They can handle what is asked of them and still be able to focus, listen, and remain calm.”

However, the horses also serve to improve the chances of civilians interacting with patrol officers.

“We look at ourselves as ambassadors for the city and what the BPD is about,” Robar said. “[The horses] help us to engage the community while on patrol. People are more likely to approach a horse than a patrol officer in a car.”

Robar said the stable’s location will promote a “continued and unique interaction” between officers and the Southwest Baltimore community.

“Most local jurisdictions don’t have horses and kids in the city don’t see horses on a regular basis,” Robar said. “The horses break down barriers to help reach kids and the community better. Anyone who has served in this unit knows how special our role is.”

Pugh and the BPD in the past have emphasized creating more opportunities for the city’s youth to engage with its officers.

“For many of these children, [field trips to the First Mile Stable] will be their first interaction with police officers, and it will be a positive one,” Smyth said. “We feel that this is a game changer.”

Multiple construction signs barricading the Central Avenue Bridge on the corner of Lancaster Street and South Central Avenue were officially removed this morning, making way for pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles to easily travel back and forth between Harbor East and Harbor Point.

“This is a really important corridor for us,” said Mayor Catherine Pugh at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “It’s providing opportunities for our community to engage from one section of the city to another. These are the kinds of great developments that say, ‘Baltimore is moving forward.’”

Construction work to connect the two areas began in January of 2017, and currently, the bridge offers two driving lanes, as well as bike lanes, and pedestrian walkways connecting to Lancaster Street. The new pathway is part of a larger initiative by the city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) to accommodate increased traffic and improve the streetscape along Central Avenue from Baltimore to Lancaster streets.

“What we’re doing here is creating a brand new connection to this part of our city,” said DOT director Michelle Pourciau, mentioning that, until now, the only way to enter Harbor Point was on South Caroline Street. “This project adds safety, roadway capacity, accessibility, mobility, and, more than anything else, it adds a nice aesthetic and visual connection.”

Come September, the completed bridge will extend all four lanes of Central Avenue to Beatty Development Group’s Harbor Point. The 27-acre peninsula houses the Exelon headquarters and Sandlot recreation space, as well as other retailers like West Elm, Ceremony Coffee Roasters, CorePower Yoga, Plantbar, and Honeygrow.

“We’re happy that the neighborhood has finally been connected to the rest of the city,” says Honeygrow’s general manager Mike Wainwright. “A year ago, people didn’t know what Harbor Point was, and now it’s part of a lot of people’s routines as they’re walking through the city.”

Now that the bridge has made the development more accessible, Wainwright is looking forward to introducing the wholesome salads and noodle bowls to patrons coming from all over the city.

“I’m a little nervous about how busy it’s going to be,” he admits. “But we’re excited to get more people to come over this way. It’s pretty cool that it’s not just a peninsula anymore. Now it’s part of the route of traffic along the water.”

At Plantbar, the Belvedere Square business that opened a second location at Harbor Point in May, staffers are eager to serve the shop’s cold-pressed juices to more customers as the sweltering summer weather continues.

“It’s kind of confusing right now with all of the different construction going on,” says Plantbar employee Meg Neale. “From a visibility standpoint, it’s going to make it a lot easier for people to get here. All of these businesses are going to be a lot more successful.”

In addition to increasing foot traffic to the businesses at Harbor Point, Beatty Development is passionate about fostering a closer connection to the waterfront for residents and tourists alike. The bridge’s opening now makes it possible for pedestrians to walk along the water from Harborview in Federal Hill, all the way to Canton.

“Some of the things that make our city so great are the passion, people, and our waterfront,” said Jonathan Flesher, vice president of development for Beatty Development Group. “But it isn’t just any other waterfront—we have an accessible waterfront. This bridge will finally allow us to connect the promenade to Harbor Point and beyond.”

On the Harbor East side, construction barriers that once detoured traffic on Lancaster Street have been removed, making it easier for diners to get to neighborhood restaurants like Gordon Biersch and Ouzo Bay. At the press conference Monday morning, officials made a point to thank the local businesses on both sides of the bridge for their patience throughout construction.

“Bridges unite people,” summed up Tim O’Donald, president of Harbor East Management and Waterfront Partnership chairman. “They break through natural barriers and connect areas that were once isolated from each other. Our hope is that this bridge will stand long and bring our city closer together.”

Last week, it was revealed that Baltimore City police commissioner Darryl De Sousa failed to file federal taxes for three years. Federal prosecutors have charged him with three misdemeanor counts for failure to file for 2013, 2014, and 2015. De Sousa faces up to one year in prison and a $25,000 fine for each count. Upon learning the news, Mayor Catherine Pugh expressed her support for the commissioner, but later placed him on paid administrative leave.

Today, Pugh released a statement announcing the resignation of Chief De Sousa from his position as police commissioner after less than five months.

“I want to reassure all Baltimoreans that this development in no way alters our strategic efforts to reduce crime by addressing its root causes in our most neglected neighborhoods,” she said in a statement. “This broad-based, grassroots approach—underpinned by the utilization of new crime-fighting technology—is working and will continue to be effective as indicated by the downward trend in violence.”

The mayor has also said that she is actively searching to find a replacement, but Deputy Commissioner Gary Tuggle—who was named acting commissioner on May 11 following De Sousa’s suspension—will serve in the interim. 

“The Baltimore Police command staff is fully committed to bringing about the reforms to the practices and culture of the department that we are implementing, and which are vital to ensuring the trust and confidence of all our citizens,” Pugh said. “As mayor, I will not let up in pursuing my top priority of making our city safe and our neighborhoods worthy of the lives of all residents.”

This afternoon, Tuggle sent an internal memo to the BPD staff to thank them for their professionalism and to reinforce his focus on crime and the well-being of the city during his interim. 

“The sworn and civilian staff here have done a great job and the results of your hard work continues to show as we have seen across the board reductions in violent crime,” he said. “We have a long way to go, but I know you are all up for the challenge. Thank you for your professionalism during these tough times. We will succeed because you all are the professionals who keep our agency moving forward.”

The information about De Sousa’s taxes is causing the public to wonder why this wasn’t detected during the city council’s confirmation hearings last February following his appointment as police commissioner on January 19, the same day Pugh terminated then-police commissioner Kevin Davis citing increased spikes in crime. 

“One of the lessons that we’ve learned clearly is that Baltimore City and this administration needs to be bit more invasive in examining candidates for high level, highly responsible positions,” city solicitor Andre Davis told The Sun. “We’re going to ask more questions, more pointed questions, more focused questions and we’re going to broaden the areas into which we make inquiry.”

Two other officials under Pugh recently resigned after questions were raised about their backgrounds. In March, her spokesman Darryl Strange quit just hours after being introduced due to three lawsuits filed against him when he was a police officer. Earlier this month, the city’s new deputy civil rights director, Charles G. Byrd Jr., also resigned amidst questions about his disbarment last year.

De Sousa admitted on Twitter that he willingly failed to file his federal and state taxes for three years and is currently working to satisfy his past requirements.

“While there is no excuse for my failure to fulfill my obligations as a citizen and public official,” he said. “My only explanation is that I’ve failed to sufficiently prioritize my personal affairs. Naturally, this is a source of embarrassment for me and I deeply regret any embarrassment it has caused the police department and the City of Baltimore.”

Although the position of police commissioner has a historically high turnover rate in Baltimore, De Sousa’s is one of the shortest tenures. Due to his long career in the city, he had support of many community organizations and city leaders. Councilman Brandon Scott, who supported De Sousa’s hiring, was disappointed when he learned of the charges but says the city can’t “afford those types of distractions.”

“We don’t need any distractions away from reducing the violence in the city and from reforming the police department,” he said. “This is a perfect time for increased community oversight of the police department and its policies. This just shows that we should have done this a long time ago.” 

The P.A. announcer called Ray Glasgow III’s name and number during pregame introductions, but his black, orange, and white No. 10 jersey rested over the back of the metal bench at the Poly-Western High instead.  

It was Monday night, almost exactly 48 hours since the 17-year-old City College boys’ lacrosse team captain was shot and killed a few miles away in what police are calling a case of mistaken identity. And it was time for the city title game that he’d been looking forward to so much. “He was ready for this championship,” teammate and City College sophomore Makai Cummings said. “That’s all he ever talked about.”
 

He should have been there, leading his teammates with his gregarious personality on the sideline and on the field like he’d done all spring, but around 6 p.m. Saturday an unknown gunman stepped out of what police believe was a white Nissan Altima on the 100 block of S. Eden St. and opened fire with a rifle on four friends sitting inside a parked car.  

An 18-year-old was injured, and Glasgow was killed, the city’s 95th murder this year, a week after the well-liked junior football and lacrosse player (“He was the most genuine person you’d ever meet,” said senior Malik Hamm) had just attended prom in a light blue suit. He also recently toured historically black Hampton University in Virginia with his father, where he hoped to play lacrosse for Baltimore native and former Morgan State player Lloyd Carter.  

“It’s just too much,” Mayor Catherine Pugh said. “We spoke to the family and they are grieving. So are the children, and so is this city.”

In their grief, Glasgow’s teammates decided via group text that they would still play in Monday’s championship game against Mervo, whom they’d faced for the title the previous two seasons. “It was hard,” Hamm said. “At first, you want to play because you know Ray would have wanted to win this game, but then throughout the game, it gets on a lot of people’s minds and they want to do too much.”  

City started a symbolic man down on defense, Glasgow’s position, the emotion clearly raw, and jumped to a 2-0 lead, but Mervo scored nine of the game’s next 12 goals to take a 9-5 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Glasgow’s friend Charles Pitt Jr., who switched his own jersey to No. 10 in tribute, scored four times and had two assists, and Mervo won 9-7.  

“It took a lot of guts for you guys just to come out here,” City coach Anthony “Merc” Ryan told the 12 distraught players gathered around him afterward, and then began talking to local reporters about gun violence in the city, and another young man gone because of it. Memorial services will be held this weekend.  

“Just his presence,” Ryan said of what he missed about Glasgow. “Forget about the fact that this guy is an outstanding lacrosse player. His presence when we’re down and need a push and need that leader on the sideline and the field that’s going to ignite the team, Ray is that guy.”  

After arriving toward the end of the first quarter, Glasgow’s father wore his son’s jersey on the sideline, next to his mourning mother and determined yet distracted teammates. A poster present on Monday signed by City College students included messages of love and support with #LongLiveRay and one of his nicknames, “RGIII.”    

Earlier in the day, students at City Springs Elementary School, where Glasgow attended and near where he was killed, held a ceremony in his honor that Pugh and police commissioner Darryl De Sousa attended. The pair also spoke to local media at halftime of Monday’s game, with the commissioner saying he believed none of the people in the car were intended targets, that detectives found seven .233 rifle casings at the scene, and asked for anyone with information on the shooting to come forward.  

“This is a redball case for us,” De Sousa said, which is maybe why City junior defenseman Tim Dunnock said this to a friend before leaving Poly’s field for the night: “Stay safe out there.”

On Monday morning, Mayor Catherine Pugh and Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen announced a new initiative to combat the opioid epidemic in the city. The Levels of Care initiative involves identifying best practices for responding to the opioid epidemic and will be based in 11 Baltimore hospitals included Bon Secours, Mercy Medical Center, St. Agnes, University of Maryland, and Johns Hopkins Bayview. 

“Among Baltimore’s greatest assets is Baltimore’s unparalleled hospital system which, arguably, is the finest in the world,” Pugh said in a statement. “I am calling on the leaders and medical professionals of our hospitals to join us in fighting the opioid crisis, which continues to claim far too many lives not only in our community, but across our nation. This is a national health crisis and it needs to be treated with the advanced medical resources that we know can be effective and which for sure will save lives.”

The levels of care were developed with input from hospital administrators and will be based on criteria like a hospitals’ ability to provide treatment to patients who screen positive for addiction, distribute overdose medication naloxone to patients, connect patients with peers or other support services, and educate how doctors prescribe opioids. The levels will range from one to three—with one being the highest—to rate a hospital’s comprehensive response to opioid treatment. Currently, the levels of care are open to the public for comment until May 31 and will be finalized this summer.

“We are in the midst of the deadliest drug epidemic in American history,” Wen said in a press conference. “And Baltimore City—with the highest age-adjusted overdose fatality rate of any metropolitan county in the United States—is one of its epicenters.”

The initiative is based on a similar program in Rhode Island, one of the only places in the country where overdose deaths decreased last year. Dr. Wen and the health department have been approaching the opioid crisis in Baltimore aggressively since the number of opioid-related deaths have increased each year. As of June 1, 2017, legislators enacted a standing order for a blanket prescription of naloxone at all pharmacies in the city.

In the spring of 2019, the Baltimore City health department will also open the state’s first-ever Stabilization Center for those under the influence of drugs to receive short-term medical and social interventions as part of the city’s plan to create a 24/7 behavioral health emergency department. Services provided will include medical screening and monitoring, connections to behavioral health and social services, and buprenorphine induction to treat opioid addiction. The Stabilization Center will be located in the Coppin Heights/Rosemont community.

“We are leading the nation to provide evidence-based treatment for the disease of addiction,” Wen said. “The only way to combat it is to ensure that resources and treatment are available.”

What exactly does it mean to be woke? The urban dictionary defines it “as being aware of the social, and political environments regarding all demographics and socio-economic standings.” For the second year in a row, Essence magazine is using the term as inspiration for their “Woke 100 Women” and Baltimore’s own mayor Catherine Pugh has made the list.   

“Being woke is to be focused, to be attentive, to recognize your purpose,” Pugh says in the article. “What matters is that we create a society that is more equal and more just.”

The May issue—with Kerry Washington on the cover—will be available on April 27 and it includes a list of women who are “proven change agents, shape-shifters, and power players” across the world. Pugh is among a list of women who represents a wide spectrum of distinction from #MeToo movement founder Tarana Burke to Emmy-award winner Lena Waithe. 

In addition to Mayor Pugh, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Bladensburg, MD Mayor Takisha D. James, Edmonston, MD Mayor Tracy Farrish Gant, Colmar Manor, MD Mayor Sadara Barrow, and North Brentwood, MD Mayor Petrella Robinson made the list as well.

“From corporate women shattering glass ceilings to the countless women dismantling white supremacy,” the article reads. “These women consistently leave their mark on the on their respective communities and industries.”

In recent months, there has been a trend around the country of young people taking matters into their own hands. Most notably, the students of Parkland, Florida, led the charge for harsher gun laws and students from around the country joined in solidarity for the March For Our Lives rally.

Similarly, in Baltimore, students are looking for platforms to express how the state of the country and the city have affected their lives. Mayor Catherine Pugh and her team at CharmTV—the city’s news station that launched in 2014—came up with the idea for a television program featuring Baltimore youth. 

The Avenue will be solely run and operated by Baltimore City high school students under the direction of CharmTV’s general manager Tonia Lee and will debut on April 21 at 11 a.m. The 30-minute show will discuss topics chosen by students, including violence in Baltimore, entrepreneurship, philanthropy, as well as lighter topics like fashion and entertainment.

“There was clearly a void of platforms for young people to talk about what’s going on in the world,” Lee said. “We really felt like bringing this type of concept, particularly to Baltimore, was a tremendous way to further engagement and allow young people in this city to really express their views.”

The program will feature in-studio interviews, news packages, and roundtable discussions. It will air on Saturdays at 11 a.m. and will re-air on Saturdays at 2 p.m. and Mondays and Wednesdays at 7 p.m.

Run by six students with two of them hosting and the other four splitting various production roles, the show put students through auditions and casting calls in order to be selected. Lee says that this is considered work-study and the plan is to recast the students each year to open up the opportunity to other young people in the city who have an interest in broadcast journalism. In addition to discussing relevant news topics, the students will also be trained in all aspects in media production, pre-production, writing, shooting, and, editing.

“I think it’s a wonderful opportunity to engage our young people in the city,” Lee said. “We can not only reach young people, but also provide them with skills that they could viably use moving forward in their careers.”

Baltimore School for the Arts senior Kyla Jackson and Kamari James, a senior at the Seed School of Maryland, are The Avenue’s current hosts. Jackson, who will be studying broadcast journalism in the fall at Drexel University, says she’s excited to have the opportunity to share her views with not just other youth, but everyone in Baltimore. 

“This type of programming is important because we really need to have something for the youth to share their opinions,” she said. “We are going to talk about a lot of things that people wouldn’t expect. We always hear about people dying, but we want to talk about the survivors in the city.” 

An aspiring filmmaker, James loves that the entire show is youth-led and says the show has taught him about accountability. He’s proud of the work that he and his fellow production team have developed.

“We’re all bringing fresh ideas to the table,” he said. “We’ve all heard about the different conflicts in Baltimore told from an adult’s perspective, but it’s not really heard from youth, the people who are going through it the most.”

Last night, Mayor Catherine Pugh appeared on Fox News’s conservative program, “The Ingraham Angle” hosted by Laura Ingraham to discuss her plans for transporting Baltimore City school students to the “March for Our Lives” anti-gun rally in Washington D.C. on March 24. The first two minutes of the interview went smoothly as Pugh detailed her reasons for getting involved and the passion of the students who participated.

It all went downhill from there.

In a combative eight-minute conversation—that was cringe-worthy to say the least—Ingraham and Pugh took turns talking over one another in what could best be described as unintelligible babbling. With Ingraham throwing statistics at Pugh about the $130-million school budget deficit and Pugh’s snide rebuttals such as, “You should get your facts straight, love,” it became unbearable to watch.

After what felt like a never-ending debate about Baltimore’s financial problems, Ingraham went in for a final punch by saying that liberals like Pugh are the reason for the city’s problems. As Pugh continued to defend her decision to bus the students to the rally, Ingraham continued to throw shade by saying: “OK well if you want to be safer, don’t spend a lot of time late at night on the streets of Baltimore.” 

The split screen disappeared and left only an image of Ingraham with a look of victory on her face. 

On Friday morning, Mayor Catherine Pugh announced that she would be replacing Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis with 30-year BPD Deputy Commissioner Darryl D. DeSousa effective immediately. Pugh asserted that the crime in Baltimore needs to be eradicated at faster and Davis is simply not getting the job done.

DeSousa will assume the responsibilities for the police department immediately as the city’s 40th police commissioner, and following appropriate measures, his appointment will be made permanent.   

“My decision is because I’m impatient,” Mayor Pugh said at a press conference Friday morning. “And we need to get these numbers down now. The fact is, we are not achieving the pace of progress that our residents have every right to expect in the weeks since we ended what was nearly a record year for homicides in the City of Baltimore. As such, I have concluded that a change in leadership is needed at police headquarters.”

Commissioner Davis, who was made aware of his dismissal Friday morning, was appointed to his position in 2015 after then Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake fired Commissioner Anthony Batts in the wake of rioting that flooded the city’s streets during the Baltimore Uprising.

“I am grateful to Commissioner Davis for all that he has done to implement the initiatives underway to address violent crime at its root causes,” Pugh said. “I speak for the entire community in expressing our admiration and gratitude for his service to Baltimore and for his leadership of the women and men who put their lives on the line to serve and protect our citizens.”

DeSousa, a New York City native, came to Baltimore in 1983 to attend Morgan State University and joined the Baltimore Police Department in 1988. Since joining the force, he’s held many positions with the department over the years, including Area Commander of the Neighborhood Patrol Division, and Chief of Patrol. He was appointed Deputy Police Commissioner in 2015.

“I am deeply honored by the Mayor’s confidence in me at this critical time in the life of our city,” DeSousa said. “Baltimore has long been my home and I’ve spent my career on its streets and in its neighborhoods to address problems and bring about solutions that are meaningful for the people we serve. I am committed to this important work more than ever and look forward to validating the trust of Mayor Pugh, my fellow officers, and most importantly, the citizens of Baltimore each and every day.”

Commissioner-Designate DeSousa has already begun working in his new position. As of 9 a.m. Friday, a new initiative that places uniformed police officers on the streets hourly has unrolled. The officers have been placed in strategic locations with high violence and will patrol the areas until midnight. The patrol-focused DeSousa assures that this type of “proactive constitutional policing” will help to accelerate the reduction of violence around the city.

“There’s a lot of work that needs to be done,” he said. “Violence reduction is the first priority, the second priority, and the third priority. We are focused on the repeat offenders and the trigger pullers—we know who they are and we’re coming after them.”

Mayor Catherine Pugh announced today that the City of Baltimore would be partnering with Roca—an anti-violence, nonprofit program based in Massachusetts—to connect with high-risk young adults by finding jobs and keeping them out of jail as part of her plan to reduce crime.

“We believe the approach to violence is holistic,” Pugh said at today’s press conference. “As we continue to look at the best practices among the nation, this is one of them. This will head the city in the right direction.”

For nearly 30 years, Roca has helped thousands of young men between the ages of 17 and 24 to transform their lives. Roca’s philosophy is that, with positive relationships, job training, and education, at-risk young adults can change their behavior “to disrupt the cycle of poverty and incarceration.” The CEO and founder of Roca, Baltimore native Molly Baldwin, began this program in hopes of working with a demographic that she says is being left out and believes that “the timing makes sense” for this to be instituted in the city. 

“They are a small group that causes a huge impact,” Baldwin said. “We are here to work with those young people who are not yet ready to show up and be the productive citizens they should be.”

The mayor’s office has been working with Baldwin and her team for the past five years to bring the program to Baltimore. Roca’s unique approach, which they call “relentless outreach,” uses data to target individuals with high recidivism and dropout rates—providing them with two years of intensive services and relationship building, as well as two years of follow-up and evaluation.

“This is data-driven and focused for those most at risk for violence,” said Drew Vetter, who heads the Mayor’s Office Of Criminal Justice. “It is something that is proven to work and we are optimistic that it will be successful here in our city.”

In Baltimore, the four-year interventional program will partner with local organizations like Baltimore Safe Streets and the Baltimore Police Department to develop the best practices. Baldwin has even gone so far as to temporarily live in Baltimore to get the program off the ground.

“We know that change is possible,” she said. “It’s an enormous responsibility to work with people at this level, but we believe that even the highest-risk young people belong, and that each one of them can succeed. And we have the data to show that.” 

As Baldwin affirmed, the data speaks volumes. Of the more than 850 participants in 2017, 84 percent had no new arrests. The program shows similar results in job retention with 76 percent of participants maintaining employment for at least three months. But this programming doesn’t come cheap and will cost the city $17 million.

Mayor Pugh is currently seeking funding from the state but is still awaiting response for her request to finalize a four-year funding plan for Roca. In a press conference last week, Governor Larry Hogan said he did not consider educational and job training programs to be part of an immediate crime fighting strategy. 

Philanthropic groups like Harry and Jeanette Weinberg, the Annie Casey Foundation, and the Abell Foundation have pledged to step in a pay for a portion of the program. The Baltimore-based money management firm T. Rowe Price Foundation, The Johns Hopkins University, and BGE are also among companies in the private sector stepping up to fund the program.

In Baltimore, juvenile crime rates follow an overall pattern in the city and violent crime has surged since the 2015 riots with homicide rates surpassing 300 for the third consecutive year. Data from the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services show overall juvenile arrests in Baltimore are down 11 percent, but are up in certain neighborhoods.

“It’s so tragic,” Baldwin said. “It’s heartbreaking, but we have a lot to learn. We’re going to dig in over the next few months and look at what interventional efforts work best in Baltimore that will effect change.”

Update December 13: Mayor Catherine Pugh announced today that the annual MLK Day Parade will continue after receiving complaints from residents and community leaders. 

“I’ve heard from residents who’d like to continue the tradition of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade & those who’d like to participate in a Day of Service,” she said in a tweet. “Why choose—we can do both!”

For the past 17 years, Baltimore has celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with a parade through the streets of downtown. But this coming January, Mayor Catherine Pugh has decided to honor his legacy by encouraging others to emulate how he lived his life by hosting a Day of Service in partnership with United Way of Central Maryland.

While many residents and local organizations have practiced a day of service over the years to celebrate the Civil Rights leader’s life, Mayor Pugh believes that the city can make a larger impact if its residents come together

“Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a public servant who devoted his life to the advancement of civil rights and equality,” she says on her website. “Building on this momentum, Baltimore begins a new tradition to honor this commitment and to encourage community-based organizations to organize and submit service projects that welcome volunteers of all-ages.” 

In lieu of residents lining the street that bears his name to see marching bands, steppers, and floats, residents are encouraged to volunteer in their communities as Dr. King once did. Organizations like Civic Works have already begun accepting volunteers to work on different community lots in East Baltimore to clean up and plant gardens. Many more organizations are expected to follow suit in the coming weeks.

In years past, the event has attracted hundreds of spectators from all across the region to participate in the festivities. On average, more than 50 groups have participated in the event each year ranging from high school and community bands to color guards, fraternities and sororities, dance squads, and civic organizations.

The East Coast Westsiders marching band has been performing in the parade since its inception 17 years ago. For Marvin McKenstry, Jr., the COO of the band, the parade means just as much to him as the celebration of Dr. King himself. He can’t imagine one without the other. 

“Being able to march down Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd is very special and exciting,” he said. “We don’t care about being out in the cold because we know what this holiday represents and what Dr. King represented—we want to celebrate that.”

Though the parade is clearly an important aspect of celebrating the holiday locally, Pugh insists that this new tradition will appropriately honor Dr. King: “Our communities grow stronger when we all choose to serve.”

On Sunday, Mayor Catherine Pugh announced that she would expand the Baltimore City Police Department’s technologies in an effort to address the city’s increasing violence. The new investments are made possible through a $5 million grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies and come on the heels of another deadly weekend that puts the number of homicides in Baltimore over 300 for the third year in a row.

“Equipping our police officers with the tools they need to fight and solve crime is a critical component of our violence reduction strategy,” said Mayor Pugh in a statement. “This grant will help provide state-of-the-art equipment to our police force to ensure the safety of our city’s citizens and visitors.”

The new tech will beef up Baltimore’s existing Citiwatch program—a public-private partnership that allows residents to directly share information with the BPD to catch criminals—and will include 60 additional CCTV cameras, 25 additional license plate readers (LPRs), and gunshot detection software that will alert the BPD in real-time.

The additional CCTV cameras will be added to the already 750 cameras currently affixed to light poles around the city. They will be placed in targeted areas with a history of violent crimes and act as a deterrent for criminal activity.

“The expansion of the Citiwatch program is tremendously beneficial to the city of Baltimore,” said BPD spokesman TJ Smith in an email. “It will allow us to strategically deploy additional cameras to areas that currently have no coverage. Baltimore already has one of the largest networks in the country and this will only enhance it.”

The LPRs will be installed on patrol cars and will enable real-time notifications to officers to help identify stolen vehicles and other vehicles of interest. The gunshot detection coverage will be expanding upon an existing pilot program with the state to include 10 additional square miles to improves response times for shootings and making police aware even if 911 is not called.

“One of the most common requests I receive from my constituents is for more vigilance in our neighborhoods,” said City Council President Jack Young in a statement. “I’m extremely pleased to see the city directing resources to tools that have demonstrated success in keeping communities safe.” 

Michael Bloomberg has often made donations to Baltimore institutions—including more than $1.5 billion over the years to his alma mater, The Johns Hopkins University. Along with Goldman Sachs, he also gave a $10 million donation to fund a small-business initiative in Baltimore for the next five years. That came after a three-year, $1.5 million grant to City Hall to help reduce violence in Baltimore.

Vice chair of public safety councilman Brandon Scott is hopeful that this new technology will be a positive push towards safer neighborhoods in the city as long as it is implemented properly and “consistently monitored.” 

“These granted items can be a force multiplier for us,” he said. “This is $5 million that the city does not have to spend and should result in a matching investment from the city into public health approaches to reducing violence.”

The purchase of the new tech is underway and will be deployed to the BPD and rolled out in the beginning of 2018. Smith said he’s unsure of exactly which neighborhoods the new cameras will be located in, but says the increased numbers will benefit local residents.

“Citiwatch cameras are popular among the various communities,” he said. “We expect that they will be glad that additional technology has been allocated for the purposes of assisting in with public safety.”

Mayor Catherine Pugh announced last week that the City of Baltimore would increase its support to provide legal representation to immigrants facing deportation. This effort is just one part of the Safe City Baltimore Fund launched in April with Open Society Institute (OSI) Baltimore to protect the city as a whole. 

“Providing legal representation to those facing deportation maintains trust in law enforcement and our local institutions and keeps us all safe,” Mayor Pugh said in a statement. “If our residents don’t feel safe, all of us are at more risk.”

Baltimore is now one of 11 locations around the country that are a part of the SAFE (Safety and Fairness for Everyone) Cities Network, a group that is funded by the Vera Institute of Justice and devoted to protecting immigrants. Prince George’s County was the only other Maryland jurisdiction chosen for the initiative.

Under the program, the city is required to invest public dollars that are then matched by the SAFE Cities Network to provide legal counsel to detained Baltimore City residents facing deportation. Catalina Rodriguez-Lima, director of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant and Multicultural Affairs (MIMA), said the city plans to invest $100,000 that will be supplemented by the catalyst fund from the Vera Institute, which combined will be enough to help 40 residents attain legal assistance.

“The great thing about partnering with Vera is that they will be providing technical assistance to our offices,” Rodriguez-Lima said. “Also, as part of the project, they’ll be collecting data on the cases—everything from the impact on the families to the impact of the city’s economy.”

The catalyst fund from the Vera Institute will be dedicated solely to residents who have been detained. But now, under the Safe City Baltimore initiative with OSI, there is additional funding to help those individuals seeking an attorney who have not yet been arrested. Tracy Brown of OSI Baltimore said that more than $500,000 was raised to address the growing need for training and coordination of pro bono attorneys, as well as education on basic rights.

“The risks of deportation are so huge,” Brown said. “When you think about how difficult it is for an immigrant to assert legal rights in that kind of high stakes position without an attorney, it’s really an insurmountable burden.”

On Wednesday, Rodriguez-Lima announced that four nonprofit organizations in Maryland would receive funding from the combined fund: the Catholic Charities Esperanza Center, the Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland, the University of Maryland Carey School of Law, and the Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights (CAIR) Coalition, which will handle the defense for detained residents facing deportation.

“They all have a separate service that we believe combined can really have an impact in the City of Baltimore,” Rodriguez-Lima said. “So having the multi-prong approach, that can target populations at various levels in the immigration process, we can help approximately 900 people.” 

All services will be free to Baltimore City residents who meet the income requirements. Rodriguez-Lima says the typical deportation defense is challenging and requires a lot of money and effort to yield positive results. She believes that MIMA’s partnership with OSI Baltimore and the Vera Institute is a step in the right direction. 

“It’s really about basic fairness—it’s a due process issue,” she said. “I think as a city, that’s the minimum we can do. By doing that, we can protect children and keep families together.”

On Wednesday, Sagamore Development announced that global investment firm Goldman Sachs would commit $233 million to the Port Covington redevelopment. The 235-acre, mixed-use project on Baltimore’s waterfront is a move that Goldman Sachs’ Urban Investment Group (UIG) has been eyeing since 2016.

“This is not only an opportunity to invest in infrastructure and lay down the framework for what will be millions of square feet and dozens of buildings, said managing director for Goldman Sachs UIG Margaret Anadu, “but do so in a way that’s really going to benefit Baltimore residents.”

The $660 million tax increment funding (TIF) that Sagamore received last year from the city is cited as a key factor in the UIG’s decision to invest. Anadu said the TIF signified the project was supported by the city and displayed strong public-private partnerships 

“With the approval of the TIF, that said the city and state were behind this,” she said. “Then you have Sagamore as the quarterback—they are relentless.”

A key factor in the collaboration between the private and public sectors was the Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) signed last year between Sagamore, the city, and SB7—an organization that represents the South Baltimore communities of Brooklyn, Cherry Hill, Curtis Bay, Lakeland, Mt. Winans, Westport, and Port Covington. The agreement ensures that the communities in South Baltimore continue to thrive culturally, economically, educationally, and socially during the 20-year redevelopment process of Port Covington.

The $233 million investment will uphold the promise made in the CBA to invest in infrastructure—roads, utilities, and parks for the community—during all phases of the project. Goldman Sachs said they wouldn’t play a huge role in the planning process beyond the monetary impact.

“We will have a voice in the direction of the project,” Anadu said. “But we will primarily serve as investors, leaving day to day on-the-ground execution to the Sagamore team.”

Plank Industries CEO, Tom Geddes, said the project would bring thousands of new jobs to the city, nearly 1.5 million square feet of office and retail space, a 200-room hotel, and apartments.

Of the 235 acres, a portion will remain untouched during the redevelopment, and that includes Under Armour’s 50-acre headquarters, as well as City Garage, Nick’s Fish House, Sagamore Spirit Distillery, and the newly opened Rye Street Tavern. 

“You won’t see a lot of activity on the site over the next 12-18 months,” Geddes says. “But there will be a tremendous amount of behind-the-scenes work on planning and design going on getting the site shovel ready.”

The prospects of this new investment have Mayor Catherine Pugh optimistic about the new partnership and what it means for the city’s residents. 

“This investment, especially from such a prominent partner as Goldman Sachs, means more jobs, more opportunity and more economic growth for Baltimore City,” she said in a statement. “Investors are seeing what we already know about Baltimore—we’re a city on the rise, and an economic hub with a strong, diverse workforce.”

This move comes as Sagamore is in the process of drafting a proposal to Amazon to move a second headquarters to the Port Covington development. Last week, the online retail giant released a statement requesting bids for the new location by October 19. If selected, it would bring 50,000 new jobs and a $5 billion investment in office space to Baltimore.

“We think Port Covington would be a phenomenal location for Amazon,” Geddes said. “Having the vote of confidence of an institution like Goldman Sachs is nothing but helpful.”

Geddes is hopeful that the new partnership represents progress for Port Covington and delivers on the commitment made to bring outside investments to the city.

“We could not be happier that we have Goldman Sachs as our partner,” Geddes said. “It was important to us to find an equity partner that shared our common vision for urban economic growth, job creation, and local workforce development here in Baltimore City.”

Update September 5: On Tuesday, President Trump announced, via Jeff Sessions, that the DACA program would be suspended.

“I am here today to announce that the program known as DACA that was effectuated under the Obama administration is being rescinded,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. 

The Department of Homeland Security will cease processing new applications for the program effective Tuesday, however the administration plans to continue to renew permits for those expiring in the next six months. No one’s status will be revoked before it has expired and many applications received on Tuesday will still be processed.

The move to end the program puts Congress on a deadline to come up with a solution that will protect DACA participants who—under this new ruling—begin losing their status March 5, 2018. 

If Congress does not act, nearly 300,000 people would lose their DACA status in 2018 and more than 320,000 more in 2019. 

President Donald Trump is expected to dismantle a program put in place by former president Barack Obama that allows hundreds of thousands of children brought to the U.S. illegally to live and work without punishment.

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program has been under scrutiny since its creation in 2012 by members of the GOP. For weeks, President Trump has been deciding whether to continue the program or face legal reprimand from several Republican attorney generals who deem the program unconstitutional. 

A decision is expected to come as early as today—four days before the September 5 deadline set by the attorney generals. If Trump opts to terminate the program, he will let active DACA cardholders remain in the U.S. until their work permits expire, allowing him to fulfill his campaign promise to terminate Obama’s signature initiative while also keeping his inauguration pledge to “show great heart” to the young immigrants in the program.

In Baltimore, Mayor Catherine Pugh and Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz have joined more than 100 civic leaders across the country in a Cities for Action campaign calling for President Trump to continue the program until a legislative solution is found.

“In Baltimore County, we are embracing the children who came here as youngsters, grew up as Americans, and are now contributing to the American dream,” Kamenetz said in a letter to the president. “We urge the President to continue our country’s support of America’s Dreamers.”

A September 2016 report by the Migration Policy Institute recorded approximately 17,000 DACA participants in Maryland. Catalina Rodriguez-Lima, director of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant and Multicultural Affairs (MIMA), says that there are currently 34,000 eligible DACA applicants waiting for entry to the program if it is not terminated.

“Our role in the mayor’s office is to use her platform to urge the president to continue DACA,” she said. “For us, it doesn’t only go against our most resilient professionals and students, it’s also an attack on our economy. A lot of these people have bought homes, go to school, are nurses, are lawyers, are business owners—they create jobs.”

All current participants of DACA have already been subjected to extensive background checks and pay income taxes. Without them, the economy would lose more than $460 billion from the national GDP and more than $24 billion from Social Security and Medicare contributions.

Hundreds of national business leaders—including Facebook, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and nearly 400 other companies—have also signed an open letter to Trump calling for him to preserve the program. 

“Unless we act now to preserve the DACA program, all 780,000 hardworking young people will lose their ability to work legally in this country, and every one of them will be at immediate risk of deportation,” the executives wrote. “With them, we grow and create jobs. They are part of why we will continue to have a global competitive advantage.”

“Trump must end DACA,” wrote the editors of the National Review. “If we are going to amnesty an entire class of people, it should obviously be done through the democratic process and, in our view, happen only in exchange for reforms to the immigration system. DACA contravenes the elementary principle that the legislative branch ought to pass laws and the executive branch ought to enforce them.” 

As the country awaits the president’s decision, Rodriguez-Lima and MIMA are encouraging local DACA cardholders to be proactive in the event that the program is suspended. She recommends applying for other immigration release programs besides DACA and consulting with legal professionals. 

“My hope is that if the program is terminated, congress can come together to develop a solution for these students who were brought to this country not knowing they were undocumented,” she said. “They shouldn’t be punished but accepted. The U.S. is the only home they’ve ever known.” 

Early last week, rumors swirled around the possible closure of the iconic West Baltimore gathering place Shake and Bake Family Fun Center. A disconnected phone number and inactive website added to public speculation that the doors would be shuttered forever.

The rumors were confirmed when Mayor Catherine Pugh announced earlier this month that Shake and Bake would be closing temporarily on September 1.

“After a preliminary engineering report, we discovered several dysfunctional health and safety conditions including core systems such as heating and cooling, roofing, and plumbing,” Mayor Pugh said in a statement. “With the support of the community, when it reopens, our goal is to re-launch with sound and infrastructure and robust recreational programming for all ages.”

The scheduled renovations include replacing the HVAC system, bringing the facility up to safety codes required by the state, and improving infrastructure like the bathrooms and sound system. Although the closure is temporary, the city is not yet able to provide an estimated reopen date.

“In order for us to do this right, we’ve got to fix the building,” said Paul Taylor, director of the mayor’s office of minority and women-owned business development. “We have to make sure that the building is safe for the community and make some adjustments that will increase the utilization of the building.”

Shake and Bake was first opened in 1983 by former Baltimore Colt Glenn “Shake and Bake” Doughty as a community recreation center on Pennsylvania Avenue with 40 bowling lanes and a roller-skating rink.

“He knew that the community needed something,” Taylor said. “So he led the effort, financially, to open Shake and Bake.”

Doughty struggled to sustain the center financially and transferred ownership to Baltimore City Department of Parks and Recreation just two years after opening. Over the years, the facility has experienced financial difficulties, but has managed to stay afloat servicing more than one million people.

In 2011, former Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake awarded a five-year operating contract to long-time Shake and Bake employee Anthony Williams, Sr. and his company, Kingdom Managed. Although Williams’ contract expired last year, the city continued to allow his firm to manage the property. The recent visit and walkthrough by the mayor led to the termination of the agreement with Williams and the eventual closure for repairs.

As part of the planning process, the city has been in talks with Upton community leaders to ensure that the new and improved facility will be a viable resource for residents.

“When you talk to a lot of people in Baltimore, they all say the same thing—they enjoyed the facility years ago,” he said. “They want to see it come back in that similar form or fashion.”

Since the announcement, patrons have echoed those same sentiments on social media.

“Shake and Bake was more than just a skating rink for me,” Vito Cash commented. “This was one of the few places that I could go and just be a ‘kid’ during those tough times. I got to meet all types of people, and learn some very important life skills along the way like responsibility, timeliness, and team building.”

“I used to go there back in the day,” Natiya Grady Cissé commented.  “Shake and Bake was and is a neighborhood and cultural landmark for generations.”

Some even experienced pivotal moments in their youth at the neighborhood meet-up spot.

“My first date was at Shake and Bake,” Ebony Lloyd. “That was a perfect place to go because there was a chance that you would run into more of your friends there if it was a bad date.”

Kierra Laster-Roberts recalled a more embarrassing memory at the rink: “I remember getting my name called on the overhead speaker by my mom when it was time to go—it was so humiliating.” 

Beyond first dates and family outings, Shake and Bake has clearly been an icon for community building for the past 34 years. Taylor said the decision to close might seem difficult for the public to understand, but that it’s smart for the long term.

“It wasn’t a decision we made lightly,” he said. “That building is an iconic structure in the community and it can be enhanced and programmed properly.”

Herds of people flocked to Wyman Park this afternoon to snap a photo of the stone block that once housed the Lee-Jackson Confederate monument. Now all that remains is the memory of what was, and an adjacent 400-pound sculpture by artist Pablo Machioli, of a pregnant Black woman with her fist raised in an expression of protest.

Shortly before midnight, crews hired by the city removed the statues of Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson on Wyman Park Drive, Confederate Soldiers and Sailors in Bolton Hill, Confederate Women near the Johns Hopkins University Homewood campus, and Roger B. Taney in Mt. Vernon from the stone slabs they’ve rested on for decades.

The removal comes on the heels of Monday’s city council unanimous vote to immediately destroy the statues, as proposed by Councilman Brandon M. Scott. In a statement on Tuesday, Governor Larry Hogan also ordered the immediate removal of the Taney statue in front of the state house in Annapolis stating, “It’s the right thing to do.”

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In an effort to prevent future protest and vandalizing of the monuments, Pugh invoked her rights as mayor to “protect her city” and proceeded with the removal despite not receiving the approval of the Maryland Historical Trust Easement Committee.

“I thought there’s enough speeches being made,” she said in Wednesday’s press conference. “I’m not a person that takes a long time to get things done. Get it done.”

This afternoon, crowds at Wyman Park had a mix of relief, closure, anger, and appreciation in reaction to the absent statue. A young mother with her two children stood at the base of the pedestal with reflective stares as she explained the significance of the statue and its removal. 

Clarinda Harriss, a 78-year-old Baltimore native and ancestor of Confederate soldiers, wrote a letter to Mayor Pugh and the city of Baltimore showing her appreciation for the removal, recalling a significant childhood memory at the Lee-Jackson monument.

“Sixty-nine years ago, when I was nine years old, I was dressed up in a yellow, polka dot dress and led up to the pedestal of the Lee-Jackson memorial to place a bunch of yellow roses there during the monument’s dedication,” Harriss says in the letter. “Today, I place roses on the pedestal in in praise of the city of Baltimore for its wise and discreet action last night in removing the statue. It was necessary . . . I am proud of Baltimore today.”

Pugh said that she did not know where the statues were moved to or where they would end up, but suggested that plaques should be installed to describe “what was there and why it was removed.”

*Update following the August 14 Baltimore City Council meeting: Councilman Brandon M. Scott introduced a measure to have all Confederate-era monuments throughout the city destroyed. The council unanimously voted to adopt Scott’s resolution calling for the immediate destruction of the monuments.

“We should not have these here for public display,” Scott said during the meeting. “We should not move them somewhere else for public display because it is still disrespectful.”

Despite the decision made by the city council members, Mayor Catherine Pugh is still taking the necessary steps to remove and relocate the statues to Confederate cemeteries in Hagerstown and Scotland, Maryland. 

This past weekend, violent clashes at a white nationalist rally to protest the removal of Confederate monuments in Charlottesville, Virginia ended with three deaths and 19 people injured. Baltimore is no stranger to this issue and the events further ignited local residents in the effort to cut ties with the city’s Confederate roots.

In an effort organized by Baltimore Bloc, more than 1,000 people marched in a peaceful protest from Wyman Park to Charles Village and back on Sunday to denounce the violence and bigotry represented in Charlottesville, as well as protest various Confederate monuments throughout the city.

Mayor Catherine Pugh said that she has reached out to contractors to have the monuments of Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson on Wyman Park Drive, Confederate Soldiers and Sailors in Bolton Hill, Confederate Women near the Johns Hopkins University Homewood campus, and Roger B. Taney in Mt. Vernon removed.

“It is my intention to move forward with the removal of Baltimore City’s Confederate statues,” Mayor Pugh said in a statement. “I have read the recommendations of the task force set up by the previous administration which were reported in January 2016.”

The recommendations made by seven commissioners, appointed by former Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, was a 34-page report detailing the history of each statue, concluding that two of the monuments—the Lee-Jackson statue and Taney bust—should be removed instead of destroyed.  The commission also voted to keep, but add context to, the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors and Confederate Women’s monuments.

Councilman Brandon M. Scott has also called for the Confederate-era memorials to be destroyed. He plans to introduce new legislation at today’s city council meeting for the immediate destruction of the monuments.

“There’s no need to even discuss whether we should have a Confederate monument in the city of Baltimore,” Scott said. “Why are we honoring traitors? They should have never been erected. We should destroy them now.”

Before Rawlings-Blake left office last year, signage was placed at the Confederate monument sites stating, in part, that the memorials were “part of a propaganda campaign of national pro-Confederate organizations to perpetuate the beliefs of white supremacy, falsify history, and support segregation and racial intimidation.”

Opponents of the monuments’ removal include the Maryland chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV). Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. John Zebelean and SCV member last year referred to the local and national effort to remove Confederate statues as “a veritable tsunami of anti-Confederate vitriol . . . In Baltimore, the mayor plans for a commission to advise her on what to do with the Confederate monuments, most of which have been there for more than a century.”

For its part, the national chapter of the SCV denounced the actions of the white supremacist groups in Charlottesville this past weekend. “I condemn in the strongest possible way the actions, words, and beliefs of the KKK and white supremacist groups,” said SCV’s chaplain-in-chief. “These groups are filled with hatred and bigotry. They do not represent in any way true Southern heritage.”

As for Baltimore, Mayor Pugh has suggested taking steps beyond what the original monument commission recommended, although her plans come with a substantial price tag. After meeting with Mayor Mitch Landrieu of New Orleans, who removed four Confederate monuments in May, Pugh learned that the cost for re locating four statues totaled $2.1 million, which included the actual removal, police overtime, and storage cost.

“I have taken steps to appoint a working group to lead the process for removing the confederate monuments,” she said. “I am adding two members from the private sector to help us with the fundraising. Anyone wishing to contribute can forward their contribution to the Baltimore City Foundation/Confederate Monument Removal.”

Pugh has also formally requested approval from the Maryland Historical Trust Easement Committee to remove the Lee-Jackson monument, as well as identify Confederate cemeteries in Maryland that would be willing to accept the monuments upon removal. She plans to provide a public update after receiving reports from the task force and contractors. At that time, she will also announce a timeline for the removal of the monuments.

“A decision will be made at an appropriate time,” her spokesman, Anthony McCarthy, said in a statement. “She wants to do what serves the best interests of the citizens of Baltimore.”

The Baltimore AFRAM festival, formally known as the African-American Heritage Festival, is now in its 41st year and will kick off at Druid Hill Park on August 12. Since 1976, the free festival has been a weekend filled with family fun, food, and performances from nationally acclaimed artists, but this year’s event will be much different.

Mayor Catherine Pugh made an announcement in May that provided minimal details regarding the event, but disclosed that the traditionally two-day event at Camden Yards had been reduced to a 10-hour celebration at Druid Hill Park.

“AFRAM started in Druid Hill Park,” said the mayor’s director of communications Anthony McCarthy in an email. “It seemed a more appropriate venue given this year’s focus.”

Unlike other local events like Pride and Artscape, the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts (BoPA) has no role in AFRAM—the mayor’s office handles all planning and promotion.

Under former Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, the annual event was organized by greiBO Entertainment and boasted a large budget of more than $500,000 that supplied days of entertainment from nationally acclaimed acts. However, greiBO’s contract ended in December placing full responsibility on Mayor Pugh, who plans to reduce the costs while focusing on making this year’s event “a local celebration” featuring all regional entertainment, vendors, and city agencies.

“In a city that’s mostly African American, the African-American festival is the only one to be dwindled down to save money,” a Facebook user commented. “What sense does that make? What does it say to our children about who and what this city values?”

Although Pugh’s Facebook page has been overflowing with opposition for her decisions, some understand her vision and are pleased with the changes.

“I love that AFRAM is back in the community! Druid Hill Park is perfect for family, it offers a lush green environment and easy access to the people who live in Baltimore,” one resident commented. “Bringing AFRAM back into the city reminds our young people of the rich heritage they have, placing the celebration right in their neighborhood. Great choice Mayor Pugh.”

Another person echoed similar thoughts: “Maybe she wants to redirect the trillions of dollars that were spent at Camden Yards and bring it back to the community. I believe that there is a method to this madness.”

Amidst the backlash and concerns with the new location—current reconstruction, lack of parking, and minimal access to public transportation—the mayor’s office released the less than star-studded artist lineup for the event on August 8. In a shift from recent years with acts like Common and Fantasia, this year’s main stage will feature local artists like singer London Savoy and Baltimore rappers YBS Skola and Tate Kobang.

The celebration, albeit different, will remain the same in many ways—there will still be a health pavilion with free health screenings, an innovation village, a kids’ village with games and face painting, and the Enoch Pratt Free Library book mobile and employment center.

“AFRAM is more than a festival,” Pugh said in a promo video. “It is celebration of African-American life, music, and culture.”

The Potomac Street bike lane in Canton will remain intact after cycling advocates and city officials reached an agreement Tuesday evening.

Local bike advocacy group Bikemore filed a suit against the city after the plans to completely remove the bike lane in Canton citing that the lanes did not allow sufficient room for emergency vehicle passage.

Bikemore and Canton residents Marisa Saville and Stephen Iannelli—led by the legal team of Mark Edelson and Mark Stichel­—were granted a temporary restraining order on June 9, two days after Pugh’s announcement, that prevented the city from making any changes to the street until a hearing was held to discuss it.

Saville and Iannelli could not be reached for comment.

“We believed that removing the lane was losing ground and really setting a dangerous precedent for how we make decisions in the city,” said Liz Cornish, executive director of Bikemore. “We have to decide what the future of transportation looks like in Baltimore.”

The hearing was set to begin on Wednesday. Instead, members and advocates of Bikemore passed out donuts and coffee in front of the courthouse on Wednesday morning as a thank you to supporters.

“We are confident this modified plan will preserve a high quality all ages protected two-way bike facility on Potomac Street, as well as safeguard public safety and accommodate emergency vehicles,” the Bikemore website said.

The lawsuit came about after some residents expressed concerns when the construction began in April. The mayor then halted the process and proposed a redesign that Bikemore and its supporters opposed. Unable to come to an initial agreement, the city made the decision to completely remove the lane.

“We didn’t have any clarity from the city whether that meant federal funding was threatened, or if we had to give back what we already used for the current construction in place,” Cornish said. “The bike lane was already about 75-percent complete.”

Now that the two parties have come to a compromise, they will meet and finalize the designs for Potomac Street. There was no deadline given for the planning, but once the plans are complete, the public will have a two-week period to review and make suggestions. A stipulation of the settlement states that there will be no changes made to the current street plan during the two-week window. After that allotted time, the city will review the suggestions from the public will begin construction.

Cornish said she’s not commenting on specific designs and plans because she wants this to rest solely on the public’s opinion as it rolls out without giving anything away.

“We are focused on partnering with the city,” she said, “and ensuring that we have a plan for installing safe, protected bike facilities around Baltimore.”

On June 20, Attorney General Jeff Sessions introduced the National Public Safety Partnership (PSP) to combat violent crime in 12 U.S. cities. Baltimore residents and local officials were stunned to realize that Baltimore was not on the list.

“I’m feeling deprived and disappointed,” said Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis. “Because the criteria, as it was explained to me, really epitomizes the crime challenges that exist right now in a city like Baltimore.”

The PSP was created in response to President Trump’s executive order in February to “reduce crime and restore public safety.” The selected cities—Birmingham; Indianapolis; Memphis; Toledo, Ohio; Baton Rouge; Buffalo; Cincinnati; Houston; Jackson, Tennessee; Kansas City; Lansing, Michigan; and Springfield, Illinois—will receive enhanced federal support to identify and prioritize resources to combat crime in their cities.

The support includes structure, leadership, and crime analysis, training development, and expedited delivery of assistance with gun violence and criminal justice from the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Councilman Brandon Scott of Baltimore City’s District 2 and vice chair of public safety, was less surprised to learn that Baltimore was overlooked.

“We know that [President Trump’s] administration is known for talking about cities like Baltimore and Chicago, but they have not lifted a finger to help,” he said. “We need to step up locally, the first thing we need to do is hire a director for the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOJC).”

The MOJC was established to reduce crime, gang activity, and drug trafficking, however, the director seat is currently vacant. Scott attributes the increase of violence in the city to that vacancy.

“We need to develop a complete and comprehensive public safety strategy or gun violence reduction strategy for the city of Baltimore,” Scott said. “We have to do that, not just from a policing lens, but also through the lens of public health because violence is a disease, and we should treat it as such. We should stop treating it like it’s just one symptom of the problem.”

According to Commissioner Davis, there should be an announcement regarding the vacancy in the near future. Baltimore reached out to the mayor’s office for comment, but did not receive a response.

“The mayor is working very hard to build her office of criminal justice,” Davis said. “She’s been very thoughtful and deliberate about building the very best team for the crime fight.”

According to the DOJ, the PSP cities are selected through a process that compares the level of violence in a city to the national average, and the city should also have crime reduction strategies currently in place. Those criteria led Davis to believe that Baltimore was a shoe-in for the program.

“What we have been doing for the last couple of years with the crime fight, reform efforts, and the consent decree, has been at a breakneck pace,” Davis said. “When the Attorney General identified jurisdictions that would benefit from enhancements, we just think that Baltimore is right at the top of the list.”

Recently, the BPD has been taking the necessary steps to ensure that officers are properly trained before hitting the streets. Davis said they have doubled the number of required training hours from the state’s obligatory 40 hours to 80.

The department has also instituted a new type of training, integrated communication and tactics (ICAT), that focuses on communication with suspects. In addition, BPD is a part of law enforcement assisted diversion for crisis intervention, which is only being used by a handful of departments around the country. 

“It’s a blended approach with police officers and mental health professionals to deal with people in a mental health crisis,” Davis said.

Early this month, there were two separate quadruple shootings within two days that caught the attention of the entire city and caused Commissioner Davis and Mayor Pugh to react. Davis placed his entire foot patrol, detectives, and sworn administrative staff on 12-hour shifts to patrol the streets for a week.

“That convinced me of a couple things. Number one: More police officers in the community matter,” he said. “Number two: As police department and a community, we continue to feel the impact of having 500 fewer police officers in 2017 than we had in 2012.”

Davis said the acts of violence needed to be addressed immediately, but the increased foot patrol and mandatory overtime comes with a hefty price tag and this strategy is not feasible.

“We had to assure the community that their police department was paying attention,” he said.   

In Attorney General Sessions’ June 20 announcement, he reassured the public that more cities will be added to the PSP moving forward, but did not specify an exact date or hint at what cities may be included. Until then, Davis said that Baltimore would continue to fight to combat the violence with the current resources.

“We are taking steps, and that’s why my disappointment was tempered,” he said.  “But when an additional opportunity arises like that, one that can sharpen us just a little bit more, we’re always interested.”