Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, City Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young, neighborhood leaders, clergy, and representatives from Sagamore Development announced Thursday what elected officials called a precedent-setting community benefits commitment as part of the proposed Port Covington development plan.

Reached after 10 days of intensive negotiation, the agreement in principal includes more than $100 million in community commitments for Baltimore by Sagamore—the development arm of Kevin Plank and Under Armour.

The deal also increases and solidifies the affordable housing, workforce development, minority business, and local hiring commitments for the massive project.

The memorandum of understanding, according to a statement from Sagamore officials, was the result of work with Baltimore City officials, the coalition known as the South Baltimore Six—representing the communities of Westport, Cherry Hill, Lakeland, Brooklyn, Curtis Bay, Mount Winans—and Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development (BUILD). It also reflects, Sagamore officials said, cumulative meetings with dozens of other groups, including workforce training providers, faith leaders, housing and education advocates, and neighborhood activists.

“Thanks to the historic agreement reached between the City, developer, and community members, Baltimore’s workforce is positioned to benefit from employment opportunities that will stretch across a generation,” Young said at an afternoon press conference at the Sagamore-owned City Garage in South Baltimore. “In addition to providing meaningful jobs, the benefits agreement pumps tens of millions of dollars into programs to support workforce development initiatives, education programs, college scholarships, and improvements to recreation facilities.

“Port Covington will serve as a true model for economic development throughout our region and nation,” Young added.

Pending final vote by the City Council, the agreement would open the door for Sagamore to use up to $660 million in taxpayer-backed bonds—known as TIFs—to fund infrastructure improvements, including roads, sewage and water lines, as well other utilities and public amenities. Sagamore will be required to pay back the taxpayer-backed bonds with future property taxes.

The City Council’s Taxation, Finance and Economic Development committee is now expected to approve the authorization of tax increment financing package at its scheduled hearing this evening.

Councilman Eric Costello, whose South Baltimore district includes the Port Covington area, said with committee approval this evening, the financing and development proposal is likely to come before the entire City Council for its first vote Monday.

In an open letter to The Baltimore Sun this week, Plank wrote that Sagamore is planning to spend $5.5 billion to redevelop land in the Port Covington area, creating a mixed-use community as well as a 50-acre campus for the growing athletic apparel giant.

Plank also announced the donation of $1 million to Baltimore Catholic schools last week.

The citywide benefits commitment by Sagamore includes, among other items:

• $39 million in direct benefits to the six surrounding communities of Port Covington—Brooklyn, Curtis Bay, Westport, Cherry Hill, Lakeland, and Mount Winans
• $55 million in other direct citywide benefits including workforce development initiatives, education programs, college scholarships, recreation facilities and youth summer jobs

• $6.5 million in incremental costs for prevailing wages agreed to by Sagamore

“The citywide community benefits commitment sets forth an unprecedented agreement to grow Baltimore, and ensures that Port Covington’s development is a success for surrounding communities and our city at-large,” Rawlings-Blake said.

Approximately $20 million of the benefits agreement is projected to be paid out in the first five years following TIF authorization, according to Sagamore.

In terms of local hiring, Sagamore agreed to a mandate that 30 percent of all on-site infrastructure and construction work be performed by Baltimore City residents. Additionally, 51 percent of all new, non-construction labor is required to go to Baltimore City residents.

In relation to inclusionary housing, Sagamore has doubled its affordable housing commitment, agreeing to provide income-restricted residential units equal to 20 percent of all residential units at Port Covington, including units for very-low income households with incomes at or below 30 percent of area median income.

In their remarks at the press conference, Miles and another BUILD leader, Rev. Glenna Huber, praised Sagamore representatives for their willingness to listen to neighborhood and city activists, while developing relationships with local communities. Huber said the agreement marked “a brand new day” and even sang a few lines from the ’70s song by the same name before addressing the press conference.

“They realized we were serious about negotiations—that we weren’t looking for something to benefit BUILD, but would benefit the citizens of Baltimore and started listening,” Miles said. “The city hadn’t demanded enough. Sagamore said so themselves.”

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The Baltimore mayor, who serves as secretary of the Democratic National Committee, took over for party chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who resigned from her chairmanship after a massive DNC email leak. WikiLeaks published thousands of internal emails showing DNC officials giving preference to presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the primary election.

For her part, however, Mayor Rawlings-Blake released a statement, saying she “is honored to participate in the historic Democratic National Convention as the party prepares to confirm its 2016 presidential nominee, Hillary Rodham Clinton.”

Following a performance by the Mother Bethel AME Church choir of Philadelphia, Rawlings-Blake came out and announced that she was “the mayor of the great city of Baltimore and the temporary secretary of the Democratic National Convention.”

Wearing a celadon sheath dress made by Timonium-based designer Ella Pritsker, she continued: “It’s an an honor and pleasure to welcome . . . all of our honored democrats and other guests here in Philadelphia . . . I hereby call the 47th quadrennial Democratic National Convention to order.”

This is a historic time for our nation as @thedemocrats prepare to confirm its 2016 #presidentialnominee #Hillary #honored 2 gavel in
— Mayor Rawlings-Blake (@MayorSRB) July 25, 2016

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At a press conference in the middle of North Stricker Street in the Sandtown neighborhood where Freddie Gray’s arrest and subsequent fatal injuries occurred while in police custody, Hogan and Rawlings-Blake officially launched a multi-year partnership aimed at demolishing thousands of vacant properties and replacing them with green space.

The effort, called Project CORE, or Creating Opportunities for Renewal and Enterprise, will provide $75 million in state funds over the next four years for demolition efforts, plus in-kind contributions from Baltimore City equivalent to $1 for every $4 allocated by the state. The demolition of the 1000 block of N. Stricker began immediately after Hogan and Rawlings-Blake’s announcement.

In addition, Hogan said that the state Department of Housing and Community Development will offer more than $600 million in private financing opportunities for redevelopment in the demolished areas, including more than $150 million in 2016.

Since assuming office last year, Hogan and Rawlings-Blake have clashed at times, most notably over the Republican governor’s controversial cancellation of the Red Line mass transit project, which would have served West Baltimore, and the release of $68 million in public school funding. But on Monday both politicians appeared to be on the same page, describing the joint partnership, in which the Maryland Stadium Authority will serve as project manager, as transformative—not just for the targeted neighborhoods where the work will be done—but the city as a whole.

“Fixing what is broken in Baltimore requires that we address the sea of abandoned, dilapidated buildings infecting entire neighborhoods,” Hogan said. “The city of Baltimore will always be the core of the state,” Hogan added. “And the core of our state’s economic development.”

Rawlings-Blake said that transforming vacant homes and vacant buildings into welcoming green spaces and livable developments is a critical step in her oft-stated goal of attracting 10,000 new families to Baltimore. She used the occasion to tout her administration’s ongoing Vacants to Value initiative, which uses a variety of tactics, including the demolition and rehab of blighted properties, to tackle the problem of blighted properties.

“The governor’s commitment of new state dollars will enable us to accelerate the progress we have made through our nationally recognized Vacants to Value program,” Rawlings-Blake said. “I welcome this significant new commitment from Gov. Hogan.

“Essentially, this will help us put demolition on steroids,” Rawlings-Blake said.

Not everyone on hand Monday was impressed by the plan, however. Several local residents said they wanted to see the city and state invest more in rehabilitating homes in the neighborhood rather than just creating a grassy knoll where a block of houses previously stood.

“A lot of these houses could be fixed up and resold with that money,” said Calvin Jones, 50, who lives in the 900 block of N. Stricker Street. “We have a lot of people in this city who need a place to live.”

“I don’t see how making one block a ‘green space’ is going to change anything,” said Ron Johnson, 50, who also lives in the 900 block of N. Stricker St.

Kevin Simmons, who rehabbed a home in the 900 block of N. Stricker, gave the effort a mixed review. “We all own property here and we’re not going anywhere, but I wish they’d do something else rather than just put ‘green space’ in place of what they’re knocking down,” Simmons said. “It might be better than what’s there now, but that’s about it. I wish they’d do something more.”

Marvin “Doc” Cheatham, former president of the Baltimore chapter of the NAACP and current president of the Matthew A. Henson Neighborhood Association in nearby Winchester, and Monica Cooper, co-founder of the Maryland Justice Project, both said that city and state officials haven’t reached out to people in the community about their plans.

“I heard about this [the press conference and plans to demolish the 1000 block of N. Stricker St.] on WBAL,” Cheatham said. “How do you say you are going to do something about vacant homes in the Sandtown-Winchester community and not talk to the community association? I live 10 minutes away. I walked here. We have 300 vacant homes in the Matthew-Henson community and I have not heard a word from anyone.”

Launched in 2010 by Rawlings-Blake, the city’s Vacants to Value program garnered cautious support in a recent report by The Abell Foundation.

That study showed that, despite the Vacants to Value initiative, the number of vacant buildings continued to increase over the program’s first four years, growing by more than 600 properties to a total of 16,765 vacant homes and buildings in the city by August of 2015.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the total number of vacants in Baltimore is actually higher, at roughly 23,000. Despite the shortcomings of the Vacants to Value initiative, the Abell Foundation concluded that the program remains “the city’s most ambitious blight-elimination effort in 40 years.” It concluded that while the program needed more funding, it is showing “signs of success in rejuvenating neighborhoods that were long neglected, like Oliver, McElderry Park, and Greenmount West.”

Overall, the city reported that 1,585 vacant properties were renovated in the Vacants to Value program’s first four years and that another 1,800 vacant and abandoned properties have been razed or slated for demolition.

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The announcement of her 2016 campaign “and vision for Baltimore” took place at City College high school at 10:30 a.m. A Twitter account, @Embry4Baltimore, and website, EmbryForBaltimore.org, has already been launched.

“And so, because I am not a politician, you may not know my name yet; you may not know my story yet; but you will. And that starts today,” she announced this morning, before going into her stance on criminal justice. “Public safety does not require mass arrests or zero tolerance . . . The war on drugs is too often, and for too many, a war on drug addicts.”

Embry, who has long been rumored to run, is currently the director of the criminal division in the Office of the Attorney General, headed by Brian Frosh. She is the daughter of longtime Abell Foundation president Robert Embry.

The Yale and Columbia University graduate previously served as acting director of the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice in Baltimore and as deputy for policy and planning in the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office.

Embry has been an assistant solicitor in the Baltimore City Office of Law and was a felony prosecutor in the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office.

Embry joins a seemingly ever-growing field, which expanded earlier this week with the addition of venture capitalist and philanthropist David Warnock.

“Never more than now has our city needed a leader who puts the people of Baltimore above all else, who has a clear vision and real solutions to get the city running again and the experience and energy to get the job done,” Embry told The Sun in a recent interview.

In September, in the ongoing wake of Freddie Gray’s death, a spike in homicides in the city, and the departure of former police commissioner Anthony Batts, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who announced in September that she is not be running for re-election.

City Councilman Nick Mosby, former Mayor Sheila Dixon, City Councilman Carl Stokes, and State Sen. Catherine Pugh—already in the race. Other Democratic candidates that have filed include, in alphabetical order: Richard Black, Mack Clifton, Joshua Harris, Mike Maraziti, and Calvin Young III.

One Republican, Brian Charles Vaeth, has also filed to run, and two Green Party candidates, Bonnie Renee Lane and Emanuel McCray. One Independent Party candidate, Collins Otonna, and one unaffiliated candidate, Connor Meek, have also filed.

Early voting in the 2016 Maryland primary begins April 14, 2016. Primary election day is April 26, 2016.

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David Warnock, a managing partner at the private equity firm Camden Partners involved in several nonprofit organizations, including the Center for Urban Families, announced Tuesday that he is candidate for the city’s highest office.

Warnock plans to hold a formal campaign kick-off event Nov. 23, spokeswoman Krishana Davis said, the details of which have not yet been formalized. Warnock, Davis added, will file candidate papers this afternoon at the Baltimore City Elections Board office.

The 57-year-old, who has never held public office, joins a plethora of elected Democratic officials—City Councilman Nick Mosby, former Mayor Sheila Dixon, City Councilman Carl Stokes, and State Sen. Catherine Pugh—already in the race. Other Democratic candidates that have filed include, in alphabetical order: Richard Black, Mack Clifton, Joshua S. Harris, Mike Maraziti, and Calvin Allen Young III.

One Republican, Brian Charles Vaeth, has also filed to run, and one Green Party candidate, Bonnie Renee Lane. One Independent Party candidate, Collins Otonna, and one unaffiliated candidate, Connor Meek, have also filed.

In making the announcement, Warnock, a Grand Rapids, MI native who earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Delaware and came to Baltimore in 1983 to began his financial career at T. Rowe Price, touted his successful business background. “I’ve been a Baltimore success story,” he told the Baltimore Business Journal. “I think Baltimore likes winners.”

In 2010, Warnock co-founded the 650-student Green Street Academy charter school, which recently moved into the former Gwynn Falls Park Junior High in West Baltimore. He serves as the co-chair of the school’s Board of Trustees.

In our September “Conversation Issue,” Warnock sat down for a discussion with Rev. Donté L. Hickman Sr., pastor at East Baltimore’s Southern Baptist Church, around the city’s ongoing struggles, touching on economic, criminal, social justice, and political topics (photo below).

“In the wake of Freddie Gray, one of the things I think we as citizens of Baltimore, particularly as opinion leaders in Baltimore, have to do is talk about what’s really great in Baltimore,” Warnock said at the time. “What are the things that pull us together—not divide us? And people of means need to understand that you can’t harvest the fruit of the city without planting seeds in different parts of the city.”

Warnock, according to a Sun story today, has three children and lived in Baltimore in the 1980s and 1990s before moving to Baltimore County. He moved back to Baltimore in December, purchasing a $1.7 million condominium at the Ritz-Carlton Residences.

“I think David’s decision to get in the race for mayor is a phenomenal testament to the passion for and potential of our city,” Hickman said in an email. “Mr. Warnock is a proven leader that brings a wealth of leadership and wisdom with his candidacy for mayor of our city. And I look forward to discerning through this process the leader that we will eagerly work with to transform our beloved Baltimore.”

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Jealous, who authored the report, is one of the co-conveners of the Baltimore-based Campaign for Justice, Safety and Jobs coalition, which formed in April to address systemic issues around the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray from injuries sustained while in police custody.

Among the recommendations is a greater focus on the quality of arrests over the quantity of arrests, an end to the city’s gag order on victims of police misconduct, and a commitment to get body cameras on the street within one year.

The Baltimore City Police Department did launch a pilot body camera program Monday—testing devices from three different vendors— with more than 150 officers in the east, west, and central districts this week. Policy guidelines released Tuesday for the 54-day pilot program call for cameras to be activated “at the initiation of a call for service or other activity that is investigative or enforcement in nature” and “during any encounter that becomes confrontational.”

Also Tuesday, Baltimore Sgt. Robert Messner, a 34-year veteran of the city police department, was charged with second-degree assault and misconduct in office, following an internal affairs division investigation after a cellphone video appeared to show him spitting on a man in handcuffs in the area of Old York Road Oct. 12.

Full implementation of any new body camera program is expected to take at least two years, however. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake vetoed a body camera bill late last year.

“With the national spotlight on Baltimore, the city’s elected and appointed officials will need to respond to the long-standing demands of the community,” says Jealous, whose coalition includes the ACLU of Maryland, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1199, the Baltimore Algebra Project, Casa de Maryland, the Maryland State Conference NAACP, Bmore United, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Jews United for Justice, Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, CitiBloc, the Southern Engagement Foundation, the Freddie Gray Project, Pleasant Hope Baptist Church, and the Empowerment Temple, among other groups.

Produced in conjunction with the Center for American Progress, where Jealous is a senior fellow, the report’s six broad recommendations are:

1. Fire police officers that have demonstrated corruption or unnecessary violence.

2. Remove the gag order on victims of police misconduct.

3. Distribute body cameras to all police officers within one year and ensure that the public has access to footage.

4. Improve community policing by prioritizing, measuring, and incentivizing problem solving and community satisfaction.

5. Publish all Baltimore Police Department policies online.

6. Ensure that every police officer is trained in de-escalation techniques.

The report was formally released at a rally outside City Hall with several dozen youth leaders in attendance alongside Jealous.

“Black and brown youth in Baltimore have the most to gain and the most to lose in this election cycle,” said Makayla Gilliam-Price, a student activist with CitiBloc and one of the demonstrators who recently staged an overnight sit-in at City Hall to protest the City Council’s approval of new police commissioner Kevin Davis. “We need real police reform and honest dialogue with youth and community. We are organizing and registering youth voters across the city and will be a powerful voice at the ballot box this year.”

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Davis, a former deputy to past commissioner Anthony Batts, had previously served as chief of police in Anne Arundel County and assistant police chief in Prince George’s County. He has been working as interim commissioner since Batts was fired on July 8 by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. Davis earned degrees Towson University and Johns Hopkins University after graduating from DeMatha High School.

Only Councilman Carl Stokes, who has announced that he is running to replace Rawlings-Blake, who will not seek re-election, and Councilman Nick Mosby, who has indicated that he’s considering a bid for mayor, voted against Davis’ confirmation. Both have raised issue with the $150,000 severance package that Rawlings-Blake has said she will offer Davis, whose tenure will include employment under a new mayor after next year’s election.

Last week, police arrested more than a dozen mostly young protesters who occupied City Hall after hours following a City Council hearing supporting Davis for promotion to the full-time position. That demonstration was followed with more protests yesterday at City Hall, and later, on downtown streets by activists alleging that Davis is not committed to protecting the right of peaceful protests.

Activists known as Baltimore Bloc, along with the Baltimore Algebra Project, Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, and City Bloc, among other local groups, recently drafted a 19-point plan designed to ensure free speech rights for public protestors as the trial dates for the six police officers charged in the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray approach.

Although Davis said he and the police department have “taken steps to ensure a better flow of communication” with protestors, City Bloc organizer and City College high school senior Makayla Gilliam-Price told The Real News that the new commissioner hasn’t promised accountability, in terms of protecting demonstrators’ safety.

Baltimore had recorded a relatively low number of homicides (65) prior to Gray’s death in mid-April. Afterward, however, a four-decade high of 42 murders in May was followed with 45 killed in July—the month Batts was fired—once again placing Baltimore among the most dangerous cities in the country.

Councilman Brandon Scott, who earlier this year opposed naming Davis to replace Batts, said while promoting him may not be the most popular decision right now, “confirming Davis is the best decision for Baltimore.”

“I understand the concerns that many have about appointing a new commissioner when we know a new mayor will take office next year,” Scott said in a statement. “However, with the violence that is occurring in our city right now I believe that we cannot afford to have the department operate without a permanent leader.”

Scott added that he believes that the city leaders should begin having conversations about how Baltimore police commissioners are hired, noting that he has introduced a council resolution asking that the General Assembly and governor of Maryland no longer require that Baltimore police commissioner terms be six years in length.

Davis recently told Baltimore magazine at a Western District public safety that it’s his hope that 2015 will mark a turning point in relations between the police department and aggrieved communities—and the city as a whole.

Eugene O’Donnell, a John Jay College of Criminal Justice professor and a former New York City police officer, has called the challenge facing Davis, “the toughest job in the United States at the moment.”

The Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 3, “the voice of the active and retired officers of the Baltimore City Police Department,” immediately tweeted their support for Davis last night:

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Sophisticated and well produced, Dixon calls Baltimore a tough but “loving city” in a voice-over. “Here’s the thing about Baltimore,” Dixon says early into the 93-second spot, obliquely referencing her past legal troubles. “When you get knocked down, somebody is there to help you back up. This is a city of second chances.”

Dixon, of course, was forced from office after taking gift cards donated to the poor. After a jury convicted her of misdemeanor embezzlement, she added a guilty plea in a perjury case and then, as part of a deal with prosecutors, resigned. Her 2010 departure led to then-City Council president Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s succession to the office.

Dixon announced her intention to run for the city’s top office in July. City Councilman Carl Stokes and state Sen. Catherine E. Pugh both announced last week that they would be among the suddenly growing number of candidates (with more expected) entering the fray.

Rawlings-Blake announced Friday that she will not seek re-election, but will focus on governing Baltimore through the next 15 months as the city tries to stem the recent tide of violence and works through the six police officer trials related to the death of Freddie Gray in April.

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“It will allow us to focus on healing the city,” Rawlings-Blake said. “By healing, I mean continuing the work we are doing to reform the police department.” She added that the “healing” process also includes working with federal Department of Justice investigators who are looking into the civil rights patterns and practices of the department as well as building better relationships between police and the communities they serve.

Rawlings-Blake was joined at the City Hall press conference by interim police commissioner Kevin Davis, who was present at today’s peaceful demonstration outside the Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. Courthouse. Davis stressed his department’s preparedness for handling potential chaos around the protests since the pre-trial motion hearings began last week. He said he heard some of the protestors chanting “Commissioner go home!” but added that he’d rather hear those chants than ‘Commissioner, where are you?”

Davis said he has met privately with protest groups in recent days, passing along his cell phone number to protest leaders and agreeing to stay in communication as the six cases move forward. Davis said one arrest was made Thursday outside the courthouse—but by the Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office—not the Baltimore City Police Department.

The most pointed moment of the news conference came when Rawlings-Blake was asked about the City’s recent $6.4 million wrongful death settlement with Gray’s family and, specifically, remarks by Lt. Gene Ryan, president of Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge #3, about the deal.

Ryan has called the decision by city officials “obscene and without regard to the fiduciary responsibility owed to the taxpaying citizens of the City.” He said in a statement that the settlement “threatens to interrupt any progress made toward restoring the relationship between members of the Baltimore Police Department and the Baltimore City government.” He called the move to settle “ridiculous” before any guilt has been determined in the case and told The Baltimore Sun that he was concerned the payout would prejudice jurors.

In response, Rawlings-Blake blasted Ryan, saying, “he either doesn’t understand” the distinction between a civil settlement and a criminal case or his reaction is “a demonstration of his willingness … to mislead the rank and file.”

She referred to his comments as the “trash he is spewing to his membership.”

Beyond defending her administration’s efforts to settle with Gray’s family as the fiscally prudent course for the City, Rawlings-Blake made the case that the settlement also benefits the six charged officers, who are now protected from personal litigation suits from Gray’s family as part of the negotiated deal. She also said the officers have the right to “opt out” of the settlement agreement with Gray’s family, but none have chosen to do so.

“The only thing he [FOP president Ryan below] should be saying is ‘Thank you,’ Rawlings-Blake said.

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Williams rejected pre-trial motion arguments by defense attorneys that their clients would be unable to get a fair trial in city. Defense attorneys argued that media coverage, statements by Baltimore state’s attorney general Marilyn Mosby, the riots that broke out after Gray’s death, a leak of the medical examiner’s report, as well as the City’s recent $6.4 million civil settlement with Gray’s family, had prejudiced the city’s 622,00 residents—and potential 275,000 jurors—against the six police officers to the point where impounding impartial juries was impossible.

Williams said the defense team’s argument—made by attorney Ivan Bates, representing Sgt. Alicia White in the case—“did not carry the day” and did not reach the burden requiring a change of venue set forth by Maryland’s state constitutions and U.S. Supreme Court.

The Baltimore People’s Power Assembly, which has protested in the past against police brutality, demonstrated in front of the Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. Courthouse on North Calvert as they had before last week’s hearing.

After the ruling, exuberant demonstrators, a relatively small but vocal group numbering in the dozens shouted, “That trial stays here! The trial stays here!”

Earlier, interim Baltimore City police commissioner Kevin Davis showed up at the peaceful protests at the courthouse. Some demonstrators were not happy to see Davis, chanting, “Commissioner go home!”

“This is Baltimore’s time to get it right. Citizens ought to be able to look into the eyes of the defendants,” said Rev. C. D. Witherspoon. “It’s important that it stays in Baltimore. Just as it was important that Marilyn Mosby be allowed to continue in the case; just as it was important that the charges be allowed to stand.”

University of Maryland law professor Douglas Colbert noted that moving jurisdictions is “rarely ever done.” He called the ruling “critical.”

Prior to the hearing, Colbert said removing the case to another jurisdiction “would almost be an insult to residents of the city.”

“I believe in our jury system more than any other part of our legal system,” Colbert said.

Those sentiments were echoed by Michael Schatzow, the chief deputy state’s attorney for Baltimore City, in rebutting the defense team’s effort to remove the case from the city’s jurisdiction.

Schatzow also noted that an “incredible amount of discretion” remains in the hands of the trial judge as part of the jury selection process.

“It would be insulting to the citizens of Baltimore [to remove the case to another jurisdiction],” Schatzow argued. “We have a very large, diverse citizenship.”

In making his ruling, Williams essentially concurred with Schatzow, saying, “the citizens of Baltimore are not a monolithic group” and had “the integrity and intellect” to form their own opinions—outside of those expressed by city leaders, clergy, and others.

“To presume prejudice is not fair to the defendants, who have a right to be tried in the jurisdiction where the event occurred,” Williams said.

The pre-trial motion hearing today came one day after mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s administration and the City Board of Estimates approved the wrongful death payout to Gray’s family. That move was praised by some for avoiding potentially even costlier and divisive litigation—and criticized as premature by others—who said the settlement would affect jurors and impact the officers’ ability to receive a fair trial in Baltimore.

In a statement released after the wrongful death settlement was announced, Lt. Gene Ryan, president of Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge #3, called the decision by city officials “obscene and without regard to the fiduciary responsibility owed to the taxpaying citizens of the City.”

Ryan also said the settlement “threatens to interrupt any progress made toward restoring the relationship between members of the Baltimore Police Department and the Baltimore City government.

Rawlings-Blake said the settlement agreement “should not be interpreted as a judgment on the guilt or innocence of the officers facing trial.” She also said that along with potentially saving taxpayers money, the settlement would avoid “protracted litigation that would only make it more difficult for our city to heal.”

A trial date in the Gray case has been set for Oct. 13, though it likely will be pushed back after Williams’ ruled against a motion by prosecutors to try three of the officers together last week.

The six officers are currently set to be tried separately. None have been required to be in attendance at the pre-trial motion hearings.

Baltimore police officer Caesar Goodson faces the most serious charge—second-degree “depraved-heart” murder—in the death of Gray, who was fatally injured while being transported in a van driven by Goodson. Lt. Brian Rice, Sgt. Alicia White and officer William Porter face manslaughter charges. All six of the officers, who also include Edward Nero and Garret Miller, have been charged with second-degree assault, misconduct and reckless endangerment.

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The current plans call for at least 250 bicycles at 25 stations around Baltimore with $2.8 million in seed money already in place, according to city officials. Similar to car-sharing programs like Zipcar, bike-sharing infrastructure offers low-cost memberships for short trips and commutes, typically in high-density residential and commercial areas.

By any comparison, Baltimore’s plans are modest: Boston’s Hubway bike-share system, launched in 2014, hosts more than 1,300 bikes. Pittsburgh started its bike-share program this summer with 50 stations and 500 bicycles.

To date, bike-share programs are operating in more than 50 U.S. cities, with many more in the “pre-launch” phase. Worldwide, some 855 bike-sharing systems are now functioning, according to the Washington Post. Capital Bikeshare, considered the most successful programs—and one of the first in the U.S. when it began in 2010—now has more 3,000 bikes at 355 stations in D.C., Arlington County, Alexandria, VA, and Montgomery County, adding up to nearly 11 million trips since its start.

The announcement by Rawlings-Blake marks the fourth time that the city has tried get a bike-sharing program off the ground over the past four years. In 2011, Rawlings-Blake announced the approval of an exclusive negotiating contract between the City and B-cycle to develop a bike-sharing program in Baltimore—an effort that ultimately failed when B-cycle was unable to secure enough corporate and private institutional support.

In May of 2013, as part of Martin O’Malley’s “Cycle Maryland” initiative, the city’s bike-sharing plans were revived when the state provided a grant of $881,300 to fund the majority of the start-up costs a new program. But that effort failed as well when Bixi, the Canadian company contracted to supply the bicycles and equipment, filed for bankruptcy.

Then, in February 2014, Barry Robinson, then-Baltimore City’s transit and marine services chief, told Baltimore magazine at Bike Maryland’s annual state symposium in Annapolis, that the city had selected Social Bikes, a New York-based company bicycle supplier, to replace Bixi. That plan fell apart when the State Highway Administration and Maryland Department of Transportation required the city’s DOT to put forward another Request for Proposal (RFP) before identifying a substitute bicycle supplier—which essentially brings the story forward Rawlings-Blake’s announcement this week.

That 2014 initiative, presented by Robinson, also outlined a “Phase II” for Baltimore’s bike-sharing program, calling for a second, additional group of 25 stations and 250 bikes, which was to bring the Charm City Bikeshare program to 50 stations and 500 bicycles. City DOT director Johnson, however, indicated there was no formal “Phase II” plan in the city’s current plans—other than to say if the initial program goes well, efforts will be made to expand the project.

“Sometimes fumbling your way through and letting other cities make mistakes that you can learn from can be a good thing,” said Greg Hinchliffe, a board member of Bikemore, Baltimore’s nonprofit bicycling advocacy organization, after the press conference. “But it’s generally been frustrating [waiting for a bike-sharing initiative in Baltimore]. Other cities have built light rail systems in the time it’s taking.”

Lengthy delays have also marred the construction of the city-planned Maryland Avenue cycle track—a dedicated two-way lane that is supposed to a create bicycle route from The Johns Hopkins University in Charles Village to the Inner Harbor area. That project was originally planned to be completed by the fall of 2014, and now is projected for the spring or summer of 2016, according to city officials.

This past December, Robinson—who oversaw the Charm City Circulator bus system and water taxi service, and under whose purview the proposed bike-sharing network fell—pleaded guilty to two counts of bribery following an FBI investigation. At Tuesday’s press conference, Johnson said Robinson’s dismissal and/or performance had not slowed down the city’s effort to bring a bike-sharing program to fruition.

New proposals from potential vendors—such as B-cycle, Social Bicycles, Zagster, Motivate—experienced in managing bike-sharing systems are due by Oct. 21. In addition, the City is also seeking “expressions of interest” from businesses, institutions, and local organizations interested in becoming involved with Charm City Bikeshare through advertising opportunities and program sponsorships.

“There’s no higher priority than bike share, and establishing a program in Baltimore,” said Jon Laria, serving as chair of the mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Commission. “We need it here.”

A Google map of bike-sharing programs around the world can be found here.

A rendering of a section of the planned Maryland Avenue cycle track is below:

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The proposed settlement—of which $2.8 million would be paid during Baltimore City’s current fiscal year and $3.6 million in the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2016— would resolve all civil claims related to the City of Baltimore, the Baltimore Police Department, individual Baltimore police officers, and any other city-affiliated persons or institutions who might be deemed responsible for the death of Gray.

The proposed settlement, which is expected to approved by the Board of Estimates, does not resolve any factual disputes surrounding the events of April 12—the day of Gray’s arrest. It does not constitute an admission of liability on the part of the City, the Baltimore Police Department, or any of the police officers that interacted with Gray, according to a press release from the office of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake

The settlement also does not affect the criminal proceedings against the six Baltimore City police officers now underway, city officials said.

“The proposed settlement agreement going before the Board of Estimates should not be interpreted as a judgment on the guilt or innocence of the officers facing trial,” Rawlings-Blake said in a statement. “This settlement is being proposed solely because it is in the best interest of the city, and avoids costly and protracted litigation that would only make it more difficult for our city to heal and potentially cost taxpayers many millions more in damages.”

At a separate press conference about an unrelated topic Tuesday morning, Rawlings-Blake said she would not comment further until after the Board of Estimates meeting. The Board of Estimates consists of five voting members: the mayor, president of the City Council, the comptroller, the city solicitor, and the director of Public Works

Baltimore City Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young, a member of the Board of Estimates, will vote in favor of the proposed payout, his spokesman Lester Davis said.

“This matter is separate from the criminal cases that are ongoing,” Davis said. “In terms of any civil litigation case, the cost of defending against any claims coupled with the potential for judgments makes this right decision for the taxpayers of Baltimore City.”

According to reporting by The Baltimore Sun, multimillion-dollar wrongful death settlements are rare in the City. Since 2011, only six payments exceeded $200,000 in the more than 120 police brutality-related claims. In all those cases, settlements came after months or years of litigation fights.

Baltimore police officer Caesar Goodson faces the most serious charge—second-degree “depraved-heart” murder—in the death of Gray, who was fatally injured while being transported in a van driven by Goodson. Lt. Brian Rice, Sgt. Alicia White and officer William Porter face manslaughter charges. All six of the officers, which also include Edward Nero and Garret Miller, have been charged with second-degree assault, misconduct and reckless endangerment.

A pre-trial motions hearing for the six police officers—all of whom will be tried separately at this point—is scheduled for Thursday when City Circuit Court Judge Barry G. Williams will decide whether to move the cases out of Baltimore.

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Mandel was widely praised for modernizing the state government—organizing more than 200 independent state agencies into 12 cabinet-level departments, for example—but also proved a controversial figure during his tenure. He was convicted of mail fraud and racketeering after being found guilty of helping friends profit from a racetrack deal.

He also went through a public and messy divorce while in office, declaring he was in love with another woman.

A Democrat, Mandel served in the House of Delegates for 17 years, including five years as speaker of the House. He took over as governor in 1969 when Spiro Agnew resigned to become Richard Nixon’s vice president. Subsequently, he was elected twice to office by landslide margins.

Ultimately, Mandel was sentenced to four years in prison on the fraud and racketeering charges, a term which then-president Ronald Reagan later commuted to 19 months. However, his conviction was eventually overturned in 1989 and Mandel won back the right to practice law again.

Eventually, Mandel staged something of a political comeback—not to elected office—but as a behind-the-scenes advisor and power player.

In 2003, then-governor Robert Ehrlich, a Republican, appointed Mandel to lead a commission studying government efficiency. Ehrlich also appointed Mandel to the University System of Maryland Board of Regents.

Gov. Larry Hogan tweeted last night that he was “addened to learn of the loss of a great leader, mentor, and friend, Gov. Marvin Mandel,” and said flags would fly at half-staff in Mandel’s honor.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake released the following statement:

“I join all of Baltimore in expressing my sorrow over the passing of former Gov. Marvin Mandel. I know that Governor Mandel will be remembered for many accomplishments during his time in state government, particularly the instrumental role he played in developing and promoting public transit in our region. I will fondly remember his love of state and local politics and the stories he would share. My thoughts and prayers are with Governor Mandel’s family.”

Mandel was born and raised in Baltimore City. He graduated high school from Baltimore’s City College and went on to earn Bachelor of Arts and law degrees from the University of Maryland. He also served in the U.S. Army.

“Governor Mandel was a great governor but more importantly a great father and grandfather,” his son Paul Dorsey said in a statement. “He spent his final weekend with family in St. Mary’s County eating crabs and enjoying the beautiful scenery that St. Mary’s has to offer. He lived life to the fullest.”

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Starting immediately, two special agents each from the FBI; Drug Enforcement Agency; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service, and U.S. Secret Service will begin working alongside detectives from the Baltimore Police Department homicide unit.

The goal of the new “B-FED” partnership is simple, city police say: accelerate the rate of homicide closures, improve the current 36 percent homicide clearance rate, and remove violent individuals from the streets.

To date, 191 people have been killed in Baltimore this year, including more than 40 people in both May and July. The 116 people killed in May, June, and July—a surge that began in the weeks after 25-year-old Freddie Gray died from injuries while in police custody—mark the highest three-month total since 1970, according to reporting by the Baltimore Sun. In 1970, however, the city also had nearly 300,000 more residents.

Baltimore is not the only U.S. city seeing an increase in homicides, and acting city police commissioner Kevin Davis noted he’d spent the morning and afternoon at a one-day summit in Washington, D.C. to address the recent nationwide spike in homicides. St. Louis, New Orleans, Milwaukee, and Chicago are among the cities facing significant increases in the number of murders this year.

At Monday’s press conference at police headquarters announcing the new task force, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake was joined by Sen. Barbara Mikulski, Rep. Elijah Cummings, Rep. John Sarbanes, City state’s attorney Marilyn Mosby, and Davis, along members of the City Council and several federal law enforcement officials.

“We all know the level of violence in our city over the past months is unacceptable,” Rawlings-Blake said. “I’ve seen the resolve in our communities [to do better].” She said that the new task force will increase the resources, collaboration, and partnerships city police have at all levels. “This is the next step.”

Mikulski said the federal agents bring “knowledge and know-how,” in forensics and weapons, for example, that can assist in solving local cases. Baltimore Police Department officials also said the federal agencies can identify creative approaches in building cases against targeted individuals.

Cummings, in somber tones, said it has been painful “to see so many young lives snuffed out” and called upon community members to work with police in bringing violent individuals to justice. “If you stand back and don’t do anything, all you do is allow a murderer to do it again.”

Davis, who took over the leadership of the city police department on an interim basis after former police commissioner Anthony Batts was fired last month, said the task force will remain in place for 60 days, at which time its status will be evaluated.

Specifically, the federal-city partnership will go after “highly motivated repeat violent offenders,” said Davis. “We know who they are.”

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The popular 450-acre park sits just inside the North Baltimore city line, but is leased to Baltimore County, which maintains the facility’s numerous walking and nature trails, canoeing and kayaking operations, dog park, pavilions, and environmental programs.

The move to rename the park was sparked by a request to the City by Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz several days after the Charleston shootings, Lester Davis, a spokesman for Young, told Baltimore magazine.

“Since 2009, the County has invested more than $6 million for significant upgrades to the park, which is centered around historic Lake Roland, including pavilions, playgrounds, trails, bridges and even a dog park,” Kamenetz said. “We’ve been talking for months about a name change that better reflects this unique amenity. We believe Lake Roland Park is more reflective of this open space treasure, and we are confident that the City will approve our request, and I expect to make a joint announcement with the City about the name change in the very near future.”

According to a recent Baltimore Sun story, the park got its name in 1945. At that time, Robert Garrett successfully petitioned the Circuit Court that money from his aunt Elizabeth B. Garrett White’s bequest be used to build a monument to the Confederate general for city recreation purposes at Lake Roland. Garrett served as the city’s recreation commission chair at the time.

“Some individuals undoubtably would like to see the city leave the park’s name as is,” Davis said, referring to questions regarding White’s will and potential legal challenges, “but the city is moving forward.” The City Council named the park, Davis added, “it can rename the park.”

The Robert E. Lee Park volunteer nature council, not a formal government program, has already changed its Facebook page to Lake Roland Park. A City Paper organized change.org petition to rename the park has collected more than 2,400 signatures.

On a related note, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced recently that her office will form a commission to review all of the city’s Confederate statues and historical assets. The recommendations may include, but are not limited to, “preservation, new signage, relocation, or removal,” Rawlings-Blake said in a statement.

Confederate monuments in the city include the 1948-dedicated Lee and Stonewall Jackson statue across from the Baltimore Museum of Art in Charles Village (see below), the Confederate women of Maryland monument at N. Charles Street and University Parkway, and the Gloria Victis or “Glory to the Vanquished” statue on Mount Royal Avenue in Bolton Hill (bottom of the page.)

“I believe it is important for us to take a thoughtful, reasoned approach to these Confederate-era monuments, rather than rush to simply ‘tear them down’ or ‘keep them up’ in the heat of the moment,” Rawlings-Blake said. “A special commission, under the guidance and direction of CHAP [City Commission for Historical & Architectural Preservation] and the Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts, will take the time to thoroughly research the background and significance of each of these items and make a recommendation that recognizes and respects the history that we need future generations to understand. ”

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“After discussions with my family and encouragement from friends and people across the city, I have made a decision to run for Mayor of Baltimore. I believe I have the leadership skills and experience to bring citizens across the city together to create a safer city that is also cleaner, greener, and healthier than we are today. Together we can reclaim, revive and rebuild Baltimore.

I plan to have a formal campaign kick-off after Labor Day, but in the meantime, I’ll be reaching out to people across Baltimore for their ideas, input and support. I believe in Baltimore and its future as a united and inclusive city.”

Dixon has also launched an official campaign website at sheiladixonformayor.com.

Dixon, of course, was forced from office in 2010 after taking gift cards donated to the poor. After a jury convicted her of misdemeanor embezzlement, she added a guilty plea in a perjury case and then, as part of a deal with prosecutors, agreed to resign from office. Dixon was allowed to keep her $83,000 annual pension as part of the agreement and was banned from running for office for two years while fulfilling terms of her probation and community service.

In the wake of the death of Freddie Gray from injuries suffered while in police custody and subsequent protests and riots in the city—and as well as an ongoing two-month spike in homicides to start this summer—Rawlings-Blake has widely been viewed as potentially vulnerable in her reelection bid.

According to recent reporting by The Baltimore Sun, state Sen. Catherine E. Pugh, City Council President Jack Young, Councilmen Nick Mosby and Carl Stokes, and state Del. Jill P. Carter have not ruled out running for mayor.

Dixon, it should be noted, does have a track record—beyond the charges that forced her from office—to run on. She hired Fred Bealefeld and Andrés Alonso, whose tenures as police commissioner and schools CEO, respectively, were seen as successful in reducing crime and improving graduation rates. She also introduced single-stream recycling to Baltimore and the Charm City Circulator.

In response to Dixon’s announcement, Rawlings-Blake issued the following statement this afternoon through her campaign:

“I look forward to running an aggressive campaign that clearly lays out the choice between where Baltimore was when I took office, and how far we have come under my leadership. We are constructing the first new schools in a generation and the first new recreation centers in a decade. We have reduced unemployment by a third and fixed the fiscal mess we inherited. While we have made dramatic progress, I know that our work is not done. I look forward to laying out my vision to continue moving our city forward.”

It’s not like there isn’t precedent for Dixon. A number of
politicians have left office in disgrace, only to run again and win elective
redemption from their constituents. There is the obvious example of former Washington, D.C. Mayor
Marion Barry, but also more recently former South Carolina Gov. Mark
Sanford, who lied about his whereabouts to cover up an affair and then won a
House seat in 2013. Vincent “Buddy” Cianci, the former mayor of Providence, RI,
was forced to resign from office twice after felony convictions—in 1984 after
his first decade in office and then again in 2002, following another felony
conviction. Cianci, who received a 5-year federal sentence after his second term, ran again in 2014, losing his first race for the mayor’s office in
seven tries.

Dixon, 61, graduated from Northwestern High School and earned a bachelor’s degree from Towson University and master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University. She’s a former elementary school teacher who later spent more than a decade-and-a-half working as an international trade specialist with the state Department of Business and Economic Development. She was as a member of the Baltimore City Council from 1987 to 1999 and served as president of the City Council from 2007 to 2010. After succeeding then-Mayor Martin O’Malley, who resigned after his election as governor in January of 2007, Dixon won her first full-term later that same year by overwhelming margins in both the Democratic primary and November election.

By the next year, however, she was in the crosshairs of a state prosecutor’s office investigation into illegal gifts from a developer boyfriend, theft, fraud, and misconduct in office.

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Baltimore society sisters Hetty and Jennie Cary, and their Richmond cousin, Constance Cary, first sewed the Confederate flag as we know it. Hetty has been referred to as the “Betsy Ross of the South.” It’s not good.

The story, best we can sort it out, goes like this: The original national flag of the Confederate States of America—red and white stripes, blue box with circular stars in the upper left corner—bore such resemblance to the Star-Spangled Banner that it literally caused strategic confusion in the smoke and fighting at first Battle of Bull Run in the summer of 1861.

At about the same time, the prominent Cary sisters, ardent Southern abetters, fled Baltimore, which was filled with Union soldiers after the Baltimore riot of April 1861, under the threat of arrest. They joined their cousin Constance and her family in Richmond.

At the request of a Confederate congressional committee, the sisters—who had been part of “the Monument Street Girls” in Baltimore and had sewed uniforms for Marylanders fighting for the Confederacy—and cousin Constance each sewed and sent off flags to three Confederate generals.

It’s not quite clear who contributed what to the final flag that was adopted, but Hetty generally receives more credit than her younger sister and cousin. She died in 1892 and was buried at the St. Thomas Episcopal Church cemetery in Owings Mills. However, these are her Constance’s words, describing their efforts:

“The flags were jaunty squares of scarlet crossed with dark blue, edged with white, the cross bearing stars to indicate the number of the seceded states. We set our best stitches upon them, edged with golden fringes, and when they were finished, dispatched our flags to [General Joseph E.] Johnston, another to [General P. G.T.] Beauregard, and a third to [General] Earl Van Dorn.” A legend suggested that the material for these flags came from the ladies’ dresses, but that’s apparently not true.

During the Civil War, the three women became something of celebrity belles in the South, known as the “Cary Invincibles.”

Hetty, in particular, was apparently very attractive. According to an oft-repeated, but unverifiable anecdote, she waved a Confederate flag from a second-story window at Union soldiers marching in Baltimore before she’d fled to Richmond. Allegedly, an officer pointed her out to his colonel and asked if he should have her arrested. The colonel is said to have looked and replied: “No, she is beautiful enough to do as she pleases.” She’d later marry a Confederate general, only to see him die on the battlefield 18 days later.

It’s also worth noting that Hetty and Jennie Cary are credited for putting James Randall’s Confederate sympathizing poem, “Maryland, My Maryland” to music and popularizing the number, which later became—and remains, despite some controversy—the official state song.

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake recently announced plans to change the name of Robert E. Lee Park and, Gov. Larry Hogan said he wants to recall the state’s Sons of Confederate Veterans license plates. Who knows? Maybe the state legislature will revisit the issue and change the song. Or, at least change the lyrics of an essentially Confederate call-to-arms against “the Northern scum.”

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At an Annapolis press conference, Gov. Larry Hogan said the long-planned Baltimore Red Line is not cost-effective, in particular, highlighting the planned 3.4-mile, $1 billion tunnel through downtown, Harbor East, and Fells Point.

Years in the works, with millions already spent on environmental impact studies, design, and engineering, the 19-station, east-west Red Line was expected to run from Woodlawn and the Social Security Administration in Baltimore County to Greektown and Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in east Baltimore City. Pitched as a transportation, jobs, and economic game-changer for the city, the federal government has already given preliminary federal approval and provided a $900 million commitment toward the project.

At the same press conference, Hogan announced that the state would go ahead and build the Purple Line, which will connect Montgomery County and Prince George’s County, given several conditions, namely that those two counties pick up a greater share of the construction costs. That 16-mile track will connect Bethesda in the west to New Carrollton in the east.

“I have always said this [Purple Line] decision was never about whether public transit was worthwhile, but whether it is affordable and makes sense,” Hogan said. “In reducing costs here, hundreds of millions of dollars will become available for other important projects. Our administration promised to chart a new course for Maryland—one where economic development and jobs are our top priority. The Purple Line is a long-term investment that will be an important economic driver for our state.”

Hogan also announced that he would increase infrastructure spending on roads and bridges by $1.35 billion—“from Western Maryland to the Eastern Shore,” according to a statement from the governor’s office—in coming years, with priority projects slated to begin in 2018. When asked, according to the Baltimore Sun, if any of the total $1.97 billion in roads and bridge projects were located in Baltimore City, Hogan said, “Not that I know of.”

Both the Red and Purple line projects were immediately viewed as in jeopardy after Hogan’s upset of former Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown last fall. Hogan, a Republican, pledged to reduce taxes and keep a lid on spending while running against Brown, a Democrat, and has said the state could not afford two, $2.5 billion-plus projects. He later walked those remarks back a step, saying that he and his new transportation secretary, Pete Rahn, would study the initiatives before making a final decision.

Earlier this year, Red Line advocates reached out to local business groups to help sustain momentum for the project and to try to win Hogan over, touting the effort’s potential as an economic engine for Baltimore. The Greater Baltimore Committee, for example, held three Red Line rallies last month.

But ultimately, it’s hard to imagine that Hogan’s decision on the Red Line came as a complete shock to anyone. While earning kudos for largely governing from the center during the General Assembly this winter, the twin Red and Purple line decisions—and potential for real partisan conflict—have loomed since November. Some observers may even interpret Hogan’s decision to block the Red Line and support the Purple Line as a choice to appeal to Washington suburban voters—he was born in Washington, D.C., raised in Landover, and his father once represented Prince George’s as a congressman and county executive—over Baltimore City voters.

Not surprisingly, Baltimore area politicians were quick to express their displeasure with Hogan’s decision. On his Facebook page (see below), state senator Bill Ferguson re-posted a Hogan Administration map—which was originally pushed on social media by the administration to tout their statewide transportation infrastructure plans—but that also erased Baltimore City as a jurisdiction. “See the gaping hole?,” Ferguson wrote, noting the city’s transportation and transit problems, and their economic impact. “This is not a solution.”

Here’s what Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Rep. Elijah Cummings, and Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz had to say:

Rawlings-Blake:

“I am disheartened that Governor Hogan has chosen to ignore the needs of Baltimore City residents by cancelling current plans for the Red Line. Although the Governor has promised to support economic growth in Baltimore, he cancelled a project that would have expanded economic development, created thousands of jobs, increased access to thousands more, and offered residents better health care, childcare, and educational opportunities. I remain committed to working with my partners in government, the business community, and all our community partners to fight for transit opportunities for Baltimore’s residents.”

Cummings:

“By refusing to build the Red Line, Governor Hogan is telling the City of Baltimore that he doesn’t want our residents to have the jobs and economic opportunities that this project would create. He is also leaving up to $900 million in federal taxpayers’ money on the table to be invested in a state that wants to build the better future a new transportation system brings. Governor Hogan’s decision will haunt Baltimore for decades and I oppose the decision in the strongest possible terms.”

Kamenetz:

“Given Governor Hogan’s announcement that he will cancel the Red Line as currently planned, it is imperative that he tell us what he proposes as an alternative. The Baltimore region still needs reliable and accessible transportation options other than automobiles to allow people to get to and from work. Baltimore County is home to Social Security and CMS headquarters, with more than 16,000 employees, many of whom would have used the Red Line to come to work. Without presenting viable alternatives, the State not only forfeits available federal funding, it leaves Baltimore County, Baltimore City and the region stuck in traffic.”

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With the Freddie Gray tragedy, aftermath, and the recent increase in homicides in mind, we spoke with retired Baltimore City Police Department Lt. Stephen Tabeling, a former homicide investigator and police academy instructor. Tabeling (below photo) is also the co-author of You Can’t Stop Murder: Truths About Policing in Baltimore and Beyond with longtime investigative reporter Stephen Janis.

What was your initial reaction last month to the sudden increase in shootings and homicides?

Homicides around the United States are cyclical, but when this [spike] hit, it seemed to me that the police had stopped aggressively policing.

When you say “aggressively policing”—what do you mean by that?

The best tool we have to get guns off the street is “stop and frisk.” But it has to be done properly, with reasonable cause. Whether you make an arrest and charge someone, or don’t find anything and let him or her go—you have to write a report. The Supreme Court gave police that authority in Terry v. Ohio, an 8-1 decision. In my book, I say you can’t stop murder because it’s a crime of passion, but you can get guns off the street and prevent murder. You have to follow the law, but you also have to be a little aggressive. Unfortunately, some policemen have strayed away from the law and that’s how this started.

But by taking someone’s gun away [via stop and frisk], you limit their opportunity to commit a homicide, to commit a lot of crimes.

What do you believe is the reason for police becoming less aggressive and making fewer arrests over the past several weeks?

I think police are doing their jobs, but when the prosecutor [Marilyn Mosby] brought the false arrest charges [against officers involved in the Freddie Gray case], police officers became a little leery about aggressively making arrests. They’re worried about putting their hands on people and getting charged. You can’t police when you’re in fear and, when I say that, I don’t mean physical fear—these guys would take a bullet for a citizen—I mean fear of not being backed up and supported.

You don’t think the City State’s Attorney should have brought forward the false arrest charges, which, we should note, were later dropped in the grand jury’s indictment?

I’m just one person, but it’s not just me—a lot of people feel that way. Police officers deal with a lot of problems and have to make a lot of instantaneous decisions. They don’t often have time to sit and think things through and consider everything—they have to act and react in the moment. They will make mistakes in judgment.

Do you think criminals feel emboldened currently because arrests are down and maybe they feel like police are more hesitant to confront them?

They know if they’re carrying a gun, they’re less likely to get caught right now.

What can be done in the short-term to turnaround this active violent stretch we’re in?

The police need to know they have the support of the commissioner [Baltimore City Police Commissioner Anthony Batts], the mayor [Stephanie Rawlings-Blake] and City Hall.

You don’t feel like they do right now?

I’ve been to the Western District and I’ve spoken with a number of officers and morale is low. I can tell you as a former police detective, on the job for 25 years, and then another 10-11 years teaching at the police academy, I was embarrassed watching police officers being told to “stand down” while rocks were being thrown at them and building were being burned and looted in front of them. I’ve never seen that before in my life and I was took part in some riot situations. Police rush in, in those situations.

You know for a fact that police were given an order to “stand down.”

I know what I saw on television [as riots were taking place]. I know what I’ve read and what I’ve heard from police officers I’ve spoken with.

Other than working to improve morale, do you see specific areas where improvements can be made?

I don’t think there is good police supervision from the top on down. I also think there is too much of an emphasis on using plainclothes officers. You need uniformed officers on the street, getting to know people and building relationships to prevent crime and violence before it happens.

Longer term, how can the police respond to the challenges in the city, address and help reduce the violence?

Better training. It all comes back to training. Not just in policing, but training in the law. Police come from all walks of life today. They need to understand the Fourth [protection against unreasonable search], the Fifth [protection against self-incrimination] and the Sixth Amendments [right to an attorney] to the Constitution. They don’t need to know case law, but they need to know the concepts. And they need to be trained in how to testify.

So it all comes back to training.

That’s the other theme of my book. Ninety-seven percent of cops are good cops, good at their jobs. However, training today is not what it was in my day—and you also have investigators who don’t have the same level of experience. That’s why the closure rate is higher today that it was in the 1970s, for example, when we had more violence and fewer homicide detectives. You go out now and you see supervisors looking over the shoulders of detectives—that tells you right there they don’t have confidence in them.

Last question is about the Freddie Gray case specifically. According to the Baltimore City Police Department’s own investigation, he was handcuffed, but left unsecured in the back of the police van where his fatal injuries are said to have occurred. How did you handle arrestees and those taken into custody?

We didn’t have the police vans with the partitions in my day. We had police cruisers that came around, but you sat in the back with them. We had larger wagons that came around, too, but you always sat in the back with them—it may have been a little more dangerous—but they were never left alone.

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“Effective immediately, I have rescinded my order instituting a citywide curfew. My goal has always been to not have the curfew in place a single day longer than was necessary.

My number one priority in instituting a curfew was to ensure the public peace, safety, health and welfare of Baltimore citizens. It was not an easy decision, but one I felt was necessary to help our city restore calm.

I want to thank the people of Baltimore for their patience during this difficult time as we continue to come together to heal and restore our City.”

The rescinding of the citywide curfew order comes on the heels of City state’s attorney Marilyn Mosby’s announcement Friday that six police officers involved in the arrest and transport of Freddie Gray, who died April 19 in police custody, were being criminally charged.

The decision to rescind the citywide curfew also follows peaceful protests and rallies Friday and Saturday in the wake of Mosby’s announcement. In the last several days, particularly after the indictments against the police officers, which included a charge of second-degree murder against one officer, calls for ending the curfew immediately grew louder both from the small business community and protestors.

Later Sunday afternoon, at Mondawmin Mall, Rawlings-Blake announced that the longtime West Baltimore shopping center, which had been closed since rioting and looting there last Monday, was re-opening today.

At a small press conference in the Mondawmin parking lot after a tour of the mall, Rawlings-Blake said the Maryland National Guard will not immediately leave city today, but will begin drawing back their presence over the next week. “It’s not like you flip a switch,” Rawlings-Blake said. “They have to unwind their operations.”

Whether the decision to lift the curfew came too early, or too late, only time will tell, Rawlings-Blake said. “You’ll let me know,” she told reporters. But she added that she believes the worst of the crisis in the city is over and the state of affairs is improving in Baltimore.

‘Right now I’m very confident [the worst of unrest has passed.],” Rawlings-Blake said. “What we saw over the past few days [referencing the peaceful demonstrations], is not just the resiliency of our city, but also our communities coming together. We want to heal our city. We know we have challenges in Baltimore. We know there is work to be done.”

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The mayor’s office in a statement did not indicate, when, or if, any of the results of the initial city police probe into Gray’s death will be made public. The results of the initial police investigation had been expected Friday.

The criminal investigation into Gray’s death is now in the hands of the Office of the State’s Attorney, which is also conducting an independent investigation, the mayor’s office said in its statement. Ultimately, it will be up to City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby to determine whether to file criminal charges. Once the criminal investigation is complete, an internal disciplinary city police department process can begin, the mayor’s office stated.

“Even as the Baltimore City State’s Attorney conducts her investigation, it is important to remember that another outside, independent investigation is also taking place by the U.S. Department of Justice,” Rawlings-Blake said. “The family of Mr. Gray wants answers. I want answers. Our entire city deserves answers into Mr. Gray’s death. I ask that everyone remain patient and vigilant on this path to justice.”

Bruce Goldfarb, spokesman for the state’s medical examiner office told Baltimore magazine this morning that every case that the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner investigates is delivered to the City State’s Attorney directly and that they do not release anything to the public while a case is being investigated or prosecuted.

For the past two days now, civic leaders and local elected officials have been trying to lower expectations that more information about the circumstances of the 25-year-old Gray’s death this month in police custody would be forthcoming this week. The news the Baltimore Police Department has delivered the results of its initial investigation to the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office comes a day before large protests scheduled for late Friday afternoon and Saturday.

Little new information is likely to be released publicly from the initial city police investigation, city civic leaders and local elected officials have cautioned. They have been trying for several days, in the aftermath of violent protests earlier this week, to tamp down expectations that significant new information would be released to the public immediately following the initial city police investigation. The Gray family’s attorney, Billy Murphy, and others, including City Councilmen Brandon Scott and Nick Mosby, who represents Gray’s district and who is married to the City State’s Attorney, have also been preaching patience to protestors this week.

On Tuesday night, crowds of young demonstrators noisily but peacefully marched and chanted around a cordoned off City Hall in Baltimore, Murphy tried to get the message out that the legal process will take time and protestors need to remain patient. He said that it could be weeks or longer before full investigations are completed and new Baltimore City state’s attorney Marilyn Mosby makes a decision on filing charges against any police officers involved in the fatal arrest and transport of the Gray earlier this month.

“I wish I could push a button, but justice doesn’t happen that way,” Murphy told protestors gathered around him after an appearance on CNN. “We need to lower expectations. We need to tell people straight that this is going to take time to get this right. So let’s get the word out together.”

Murphy said that he does not expect the results of their investigation to provide the public with major insights into the ongoing investigation of Gray’s death in police custody. He certainly doesn’t expect Mosby’s office to indicate a quick path to any charges. “There may be some information that gets released to the public, but I don’t think Friday [the originally scheduled conclusion of the initial police investigation] will be some magic day for disclosure,” he said.

Further, Murphy added, it terms of legal strategy, it would not behoove the City state’s attorney to tip her hand before the investigation gets to the stage where she’s ready to go forward with any potential prosecutions. “[Baltimore Ravens head coach] John Harbaugh doesn’t telegraph to [New England Patriots head coach] Bill Belichick what play he’s going to call before he runs it,” Murphy said. “You don’t to lose. You don’t want me to lose. That’s not my reputation.”

Baltimore City Council member Brandon Scott, who has expressed deep anger and frustration over Monday night’s violence and unrest in the city, shared Murphy’s desire to tamp down expectations. He also said that he doesn’t expect an accelerated investigation and/or legal action in Gray’s case. “It’s a fragile situation,” Scott said, acknowledging many protestors are demanding speedy justice. “Which is why everyone—community leaders, clergy, parents, adults, the media—needs to explain to those who want to see justice in the Freddie Gray tragedy to be patient.

“We saw the legal process took months in Ferguson, with Trayvon [Martin], with Eric Garner in New York,” Scott continued. “I’m sure some information can be released to the public [immediately], but I don’t know how much. I’m not going to be disappointed if it’s not a lot. The City state’s attorney needs to make sure she crosses all the ‘t’s’ and dots all the ‘i’s.’ And I’m sure she will.”

Nick Mosby, who helped lead a clergy march on Monday in West Baltimore as riots exploded, said, “We have to get this right.”

“It’s been many years of growing frustration,” Mosby said, referring to the plight of many of the city’s young protestors. “[Freddie Gray’s death] just blew the lid off. Many of these are children and teenagers who have been living in harsh, abject poverty without any hope of a better future. They also don’t have the means, or knowledge, to express that frustration and that’s something we have to help them learn.”

Tessa Hill-Aston, president of the Baltimore chapter of the NAACP, asked that protestors remain patient and peaceful as investigations and the legal process around Gray’s death continue. She also said that he doesn’t want city police, state troopers, out-of-town law enforcement agencies and the Maryland National Guard to escalate confrontations with protestors when they are not being violent.

Ben Jealous, former head of the national NAACP, still lives in Baltimore, where the organization’s headquarters are located. His parents met as schoolteachers many decades ago at Harlem Park Elementary/Middle School in West Baltimore. He also said the causes and conditions for the protests coming out of the city’s poverty-stricken neighborhoods have been simmering for decades.

He highlighted the peaceful protests Tuesday night throughout the city, which were followed up again by peaceful—and even celebratory— rallies and demonstrations, including a huge, diverse march from Penn Station to City Hall Wednesday afternoon.

“The city needs to be focused on rebuilding and becoming stronger after all this,” Jealous said outside City Hall. “I think the seeds [in the peaceful protests] are being planted to do just that.”

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It is the first time the National Guard has been deployed because of civil unrest in the state since the aftermath of April 4, 1968 assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. The current violence and unrest comes in the wake of protests around the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who died in police custody nine days ago.

For the second straight day, the Orioles have announced, tonight’s game against the Chicago White Sox will be postponed and a possible double-header will be played tomorrow. Wednesday’s game will played at 2:05 p.m. and will be closed to the public.

The National Guard remains a visible presence around the city today, from West Baltimore, where riots first broke out, to City Hall and the Inner Harbor. More than 500 National Guardsmen are here supporting the operation, with a target of 2,000 troops activated to provide support by the end of the day, according to a statement this afternoon from Hogan’s office. There are also more than 400 state troopers and other allied law enforcement officers from Maryland in Baltimore as well as 300 law enforcement from Pennsylvania, 150 from New Jersey, and 45 from the District of Columbia. So far there have been more than 200 arrests and at least 19 structure fires. From surrounding counties, 37 fire engines, eight truck companies, and two heavy rescue units from surrounding counties have been called.

It’s worth noting that the executive order, which can be found here, is also perquisite for potential federal assistance.

The National Guard will remain activated until the state of emergency is lifted.

The governor, who has set up an office in Baltimore, was scheduled this morning to meet with faith and community.

Also last night, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced that city officials are imposing a weeklong curfew, starting this evening, from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The new, weeklong curfew that the mayor issued last night and begins this evening requires people to be off city roads and out of “public places” unless they are driving to or from work or have a medical emergency. A violation of the curfew, which is laid out below, places constitutes a misdemeanor offense and places individuals at risk of arrest.

From the official curfew order:

The curfew applies to all persons within the City of Baltimore, including those traveling through the City of Baltimore, excluding only 1) public safety officers; 2) persons working for the federal, state, or local law enforcement; 3) legislative offices and their aides; 4) persons employed by a health care facility, who are traveling to or from a health care facility 5) people going to and from work; 6) and individuals traveling through Baltimore City via I-95 and who are not driving into the city. No person located within the City of Baltimore may be in a public place during the curfew, whether in a vehicle or on foot. No person within the City of Baltimore may engage in a march, parade, assembly or demonstration on a public place, whether during the curfew period or during other hours unless the event has a previously issued permit.

The new curfew is on top of the city’s current juvenile curfew, in place since last year, which requires minors under 14 years of age to be indoors by 9 p.m. on school nights. Minors under 17 years of age are required to be indoors by 10 p.m. on school nights and 11 p.m. on weekends.

In addition to the ongoing curfew for juveniles: “Minors may not be in a public place except when accompanied by the minor’s parent; when strictly necessary to travel to and from school when required to be at school, and when going to or returning from an official school, religious, or other recreational activity supervised by adults and sponsored by the City of Baltimore, a civic organization, or another similar entity that takes responsibility for the minor.”

Also: “No operator of an establishment or his agents or employees may knowingly permit any minor to remain on the premises of that establishment if that minor’s presence would violate the subsection above.”

At noon Monday, Rawlings-Blake’s office sent out an email to business and community leaders clarifying specific questions about the curfew.

The mayor’s office’s letter:

Dear Business and Community Leaders,
Many businesses have asked about the curfew policy being implemented tonight and its impact on business hours and employees. Below are key points:
1. The night-time curfew applies for all citizens (with exceptions of emergency personnel and those commuting to and from work for essential functions, including students traveling to/from classes).
2. Non-essential business operations should be suspended from 10:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. This includes restaurants, entertainment venues and bars, which should be closed during these times. Please ensure visitors and patrons have enough time to travel before the curfew begins.
3. For essential business operations, employees traveling to and from work during the curfew should have a valid picture ID (presumably a driver’s license) and a document from their employer stating their need to work during curfew hours with dates and employee hours.
4. Drivers or individuals may be stopped by law enforcement and should be prepared with the information above to avoid arrest.
The curfew will begin today, Tuesday, April 28th at 10:00 p.m. and be in place for approximately one week (or until needed).

Finally, also at noon, the mayor’s office said Rawlings-Blake will be meeting with clergy at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Bethel A.M.E. Church on Druid Hill Avenue to discuss church strategies to protect City residents from vandalism and violent protests and that she will update the public on the latest developments in the protests and rioting in the city.

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Gray, who was arrested and taken into police custody April 12, died April 19 at the University of Maryland Medical Center’s Shock Trauma from injuries that included a broken neck and severely damaged spinal cord.

At a short press conference following the meeting with faith-based leaders as well as the leadership of the Baltimore chapter of the NAACP, Rawlings-Blake praised the faith community and those in Baltimore who have been peacefully protesting Gray’s death and the handling of his case all week.

Rawlings-Blake said she shared the faith-based and broader community’s desire for justice, but she indicated she still has more questions than answers about how and why Gray died.

“I still want to know why procedures for transport were not followed,” Rawlings-Blake said. “I still want to know why none of the officers called for immediate medical assistance despite Mr. Gray’s apparent pleas…I know that this is absolutely unacceptable and I want answers.”

Rawlings-Blake went on to say that Baltimore City Police Commissioner Anthony Batts has assured her that the BCPD is moving as quickly as possible “with a responsible investigation and we will determine how exactly this death occurred.”

“If necessary,” Rawlings-Blake continued. “We will hold the appropriate parties responsible.”

At the same time that the mayor said she recognizes the growing frustration around Gray’s unexplained death, she said the investigative process must be followed. “In order to have justice, and not just seek justice, there are procedures that have to be followed,” she said.

Batts held a press conference to provide an update on the city police department’s investigation into Gray’s death later Friday, but the results of the BCPD’s initial probe are not slated to be completed and handed over to the city’s state’s attorney’s office until May 1. At that time, the city’s state’s attorney office will consider bringing any charges. According to
live tweets from the press conference, Batts said, “If someone harmed Freddie Gray, we’re going to prosecute them,” but added few substantial new details about the case. He also said he will not be stepping down after calls by some for his resignation.

Six city police officers involved in Gray’s arrest and transport are currently suspended with pay while the matter is being investigated.

Rawlings-Blake said she understands the community’s desire for accountability, but also dismissed calls by some for Batts’ resignation, adding that despite the current tragedy, Baltimore has made “progress” recently in reducing police brutality in the city.

A
Baltimore Sun investigation last year detailed $5.7 million in court judgments and settlements involving more than 100 lawsuits alleging Baltimore City police misconduct since 2011.

Rawlings-Blake acknowledged that the apparent “rough ride” Gray was given in the police van—meaning that he was shackled, but not seat-belted as required by procedure—was not a “one-off.”

“Clearly not,” Rawlings-Blake said. “The reason we have that policy is because of an incident that happened previously. The
Sun published a piece about so-called “rough rides” earlier this week.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan
said Friday he plans to sign a bill that would double maximum payouts in police brutality cases. On Thursday, he said he would sign legislation to encourage police departments in the state to launch body-camera initiatives.

The U.S. Department of Justice
announced Tuesday that they will open an investigation into the Gray’s death.

Funeral arrangements for Gray have been made for Sunday and Monday. Gray’s family will receive visitors from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Vaughn Greene Funeral Home in North Baltimore on Sunday. The funeral service will be held at the New Shiloh Baptist Church in West Baltimore on Monday at 11 a.m.

“It doesn’t matter if you celebrate your holy day on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or another day of the week, [Baltimore] is our community,” said Rabbi Andrew Busch of the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation after Rawlings-Blake spoke. “If we have greater income or are searching for work, it is our community. Regardless of our color, regardless of our education, regardless whether we were born here or came here—this is our community. We must ask difficult questions, but we must remember at every given point, [that] we are all different, but we are all the same in that this is our community.”

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Gray died at the University of Maryland Medical Center’s Shock Trauma unit after suffering a broken neck following an arrest in West Baltimore. The Baltimore City Police Department has not provided the cause for Gray’s fatal injuries, which included a nearly severed spine, according to multiple reports, but identified and suspended with pay six officers involved in Gray’s arrest yesterday.

The unexplained circumstances of Gray’s death and arrest—caught on cellphone video when he appeared possibly injured, but not fatally so—has sparked days of protest in Baltimore.

According to the initial
police report, Gray was stopped because he “fled unprovoked upon noticing police presence” and that officers placed him under arrest. A knife was also found clipped to the inside of his pants pocket, according to police. “The defendant was arrested without force or incident,” the report states. “During transport to Western District via wagon transport the defendant suffered a medical emergency and was immediately transported to Shock Trauma via medic.”

In an interview Wednesday morning with CNN, Rep. Elijah Cummings said that the Baltimore City Police Department requires a “Ferguson-type” study by the Justice Department, adding that the police “. . . do not have a right stay silent.”

“They say it happened without force,” Cummings told CNN. “It’s ridiculous . . . We will have transparency. Who will speak for Freddie Gray? I want to make sure [Gray’s relatives] are treated fairly.”

Members of Maryland’s congressional delegation, including Cummings, U.S. Sens. Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin, and Reps. Dutch Ruppersberger and John Sarbanes, had called upon the Department of Justice to open an investigation yesterday in a
letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.

“I think folks have been crying for this,” City Councilman Nick Mosby, whose district includes the neighborhood where Gray was arrested, told
The Sun, referring to the federal investigation. Mosby’s wife, Marilyn, is the Baltimore state’s attorney.

Following the announcement by the Justice Department yesterday, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake issued the following statement in support of the decision to open a civil rights probe into Gray’s death:

“From the outset of our investigation, I have repeatedly affirmed my support for an outside review into the death of Mr. Gray. Whenever a police force conducts an internal investigation, there are always appropriate questions of transparency and impartiality. My goal has always been to get answers to the questions so many of us are still asking with regards to Mr. Gray’s death. Any effort that adds additional transparency and builds community trust in this process is welcomed. This outside review will assist us in getting to the bottom of what happened to Mr. Gray in the most objective and transparent way possible.”

The Justice Department’s Community Oriented Policing Services Office was already in the midst of conducting a “collaborative review” of the Baltimore City Police Department at the request last fall by the mayor and the police commissioner Anthony Batts. A
Sun investigation last year detailed $5.7 million in court judgments and settlements involving more than 100 lawsuits alleging Baltimore City police misconduct since 2011.

As protesters chanted “No justice, no peace!” Tuesday evening near his Sandtown-Winchester home, according to reporting by
CNN, Gray’s mother, Gloria Darden, collapsed in tears at the spot where her son was arrested. Demonstrations are planned today in front of the Western District police station where Gray was taken after his arrest.

Demonstrators say they will rally in front of City Hall on Thursday.

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The annual Sandy Hook Ride on Washington and Team 26 members are making 14 stops altogether, from Harlem and the Bronx in New York City to single-traffic light towns to build support for gun violence prevention. The team consists of top amateur and masters cyclists from the region as well as four riders who live in Newtown, including ride leader Monte Frank and Dr. Bill Begg, the local emergency room doctor on call the day of the mass shooting. Two riders have children who went to the Sandy Hook Elementary School and two other riders lost a family member in the Virginia Tech shooting.

The cyclists left Newtown Saturday morning for Capitol Hill, where they’ll arrive Tuesday, intending to remind legislators about the Dec. 14, 2014 tragedy and push for stricter gun safety laws, including mandatory background checks for all gun sales, a ban on high-capacity magazines, penalties for so-called “straw” buyers, and restrictions on firearms when a restraining order is issued in domestic violence cases.

As part of their effort, Team 26 partners with community leaders and organizations, elected officials and grassroots and national gun violence prevention groups. At City Hall, the cyclists rallied with Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh, and gun control advocates, including Vinny DeMarco, president of Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence. Rawlings-Blake noted that gun violence has long plagued Baltimore, adding that nearly every family, including hers, has been touched either directly or indirectly from gun violence.

DeMarco highlighted a significant drop in gun deaths in the state last year as Frosh remarked that Maryland was one of the few states to enact meaningful gun reform with the passage of the Maryland Firearm Safety of 2013 following the Sandy Hook school massacre.

“What I learned that day as a doctor is that gun shot victims either die, become permanently disabled, or live with the psychological trauma of being shot for the rest of their lives,” Begg says. “The only way to make a difference is prevention.”

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The ambitious plan, unveiled online a couple of weeks ago, calls for the addition of roughly 90 miles of new city bike lanes and trails by 2028, including a protected north-south cycle track on Maryland Avenue and a second protected cycle track running east-west in Midtown on Mount Royal Avenue.

Among the other highlights:

—The creation of West Baltimore “bike boulevards” (roads that emphasis safe bicycle access) on Hollins, W. Lexington, W. Baltimore, Carrollton, and N. Smallwood streets

—Bus/bike lane improvements on Pratt and Lombard streets

—The development of a B’More Bicycle-Friendly Business Program

—Implementation of the Charm City Bikeshare by 2016

Other goals include additional bike parking and racks, promoting bicycle safety at schools, bicycling access to the Inner Harbor’s Waterfront Promenade, and mountain bike routes and pump tracks in city parks.

The bigger question at this point, according to bike commuter advocates, is whether the plan will be fully implemented. By all accounts, Baltimore has fallen behind other major cities around the country in recent years—Washington, D.C., New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Pittsburgh—in building bicycle infrastructure.

Presenting the plan during a media availability Wednesday, Rawlings-Blake said that creating a more bicycle-friendly city is part of her often-stated goal of attracting 10,000 new families to Baltimore. However, neither Rawlings-Blake nor the Department of Transportation committed to an increase in bicycle infrastructure funding. (For what it’s worth, the mayor would not commit to attending Bike to Work Day this year, either, saying only that she’s “thinking about it.”)

Baltimore City DOT director William Johnson said that the city will attempt to fulfill the goals of the plan by leveraging other revenue sources, including federal dollars, and by being “more strategic” in the implementation process, looking at ways to add bike lanes during resurfacing projects, for example. Over the past half-dozen years, dedicated funding for bike network infrastructure in the city has essentially remained flat at roughly $350,000 a year.

“The administration and city council just don’t get it—it’s a quality of life issue that cuts across every socioeconomic demographic,” said Light Street Cycles owner Penny Troutner, who served on the plan’s steering committee, referring to the need to fund implementation of the plan. “Bicycle infrastructure also helps small businesses, because people are more likely to shop at their neighborhood stores when they can bike there, and it helps tourism. Right now, more people aren’t biking because they don’t feel safe.”

In a city with a significant percentage of adults who don’t drive, Troutner noted, bicycling is also one of the least expensive ways to travel to work or school.

At a preliminary unveiling of the new bike plan last month at the Enoch Pratt Free Library, Greg Hinchliffe, interim director of Bikemore, the city’s nonprofit bicycling advocacy organization, said much the same thing as Troutner.

“I think the stuff on the posters [the planned new bikes lanes and trails] looks great, but you can’t ride on pretty lines on the wall,” said Hinchliffe. “The planning looks great; the bottom line is implementation.”

In related news Wednesday, Rawlings-Blake announced an executive order establishing the Mayor’s Bike Advisory Commission, which is intended to help guide the administration and various city departments in promoting bicycling as a safe and convenient transportation and recreation option.

Jon Laria, a partner at the law firm of Ballard Spahr, LLP, and member of the new advisory commission, and also spoke of the need to ensure implementation and necessary funding for the bike master plan now that it’s been completed.

“It’ll be up to us to hold the administration and the city accountable for implementation,” Laria said, adding that he does not yet know how often the advisory commission will meet, but said the meetings will be open to the public.

In welcome news for the mountain biking community, Rawlings-Blake also announced Wednesday that the city has reached an agreement with the Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts (MORE), the regional International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) chapter, to improve mountain bike access around Loch Raven Reservoir.

Access to the best trails in the reservoir watershed has been an area of contention for years between city officials, who have been concerned about maintaining water quality, and local mountain bikers.

From Bikemore’s website:

“Together, DPW (Department of Public Works) and MORE, the regional IMBA (International Mountain Bicycling Association) chapter, will identify specific trails for improvements while closing or re-routing unsanctioned trails … In addition to trail maintenance, MORE and Bike Maryland will conduct education workshops on sustainable trail design and proper mountain biking techniques to reduce user impacts on the area.”

MORE’s annual Project Clean Stream event, which removes debris from Loch Raven Reservoir, is schedule for April 11 in Cockeysville.

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