Posts tagged with "baltimore"

Baltimore’s Bold Transformation: A New Blueprint for Public Safety

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In a year often marked by unsettling headlines, Baltimore has emerged with a beacon of hope, revealing a significant and historic reduction in violent crime through the first half of 2025. Under the leadership of Mayor Brandon M. Scott, the city has achieved its lowest homicide rate in over 50 years, signaling a profound shift in its approach to public safety and offering valuable insights for American communities nationwide.

Need to Know:

  • Historic Lows: Baltimore recorded just 68 homicides through June 2025, a dramatic 22.7% decrease compared to the same period last year and the fewest in over five decades.
  • Widespread Reduction: This positive trend extends beyond homicides, with non-fatal shootings down 19.6%, auto thefts down 34%, robberies down 22%, and carjacking’s down 15%.
  • Public Health Approach: This success stems from Mayor Scott’s comprehensive, evidence-based public safety strategy, launched in 2021, which reframes gun violence as a public health threat rather than solely a crime issue.
  • Community-Led Solutions: The strategy emphasizes investment in community violence intervention ecosystems, trauma-informed support systems, and strong partnerships with local and regional law enforcement agencies.

Takeaways:

Baltimore’s achievement is a testament to the power of a holistic, community-centric approach to public safety. By acknowledging the root causes of violence and investing in preventative measures and community-led solutions, the city is rewriting its narrative. This isn’t just about statistics; it’s about reclaiming neighborhoods, fostering trust, and building a more resilient community.

Implications for American Culture:

Baltimore’s success provides a compelling case study for American culture, particularly in how we address crime and support underserved communities.

  • Shifting Paradigms: It challenges the traditional “tough on crime” approach, demonstrating that a public health framework can yield significant, tangible results in reducing violence. This encourages a broader cultural conversation about the efficacy of different crime prevention strategies.
  • Empowering Communities: The emphasis on community-based solutions highlights the vital role residents play in their own safety and well-being. It underscores the importance of empowering historically Black communities and other marginalized groups to lead the change within their own neighborhoods.
  • Redefining Success: Baltimore’s ongoing commitment—even amidst historic lows—to continue the work (“68 lives lost to violence is 68 too many”) offers a powerful lesson in leadership and perseverance. It reminds us that true success in public safety is not just about numbers, but about the profound impact on every individual life.
  • Storytelling of Resilience: This narrative contributes to the evolving story of American cities, showcasing resilience and innovation in addressing complex societal challenges. It offers hope and a potential blueprint for other urban centers grappling with similar issues.

While the work is far from over, Baltimore’s journey through mid-2025 offers a powerful example of how a dedicated, evidence-based, and community-driven strategy can lead to remarkable and inspiring transformations, with ripple effects for American society as a whole.

Baltimore Mayor Approves Resurfaced Plan to Sell Vacant Properties for $1

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Baltimore city officials have announced a plan to sell vacant properties for $1 to residents who are willing to rehabilitate them. The program is part of the city’s efforts to address the issue of vacant properties, which have become a blight on many neighborhoods.

Under the program, residents will be able to purchase vacant properties for $1, but they will have to agree to rehabilitate the properties within a certain period of time. The city will provide technical assistance and financial assistance to help residents rehabilitate the properties.

The program is expected to generate revenue for the city and help revitalize neighborhoods. It is also expected to create jobs and boost the local economy.  

Here are some of the key details of the program:

  • The program is open to residents of Baltimore city who are willing to rehabilitate vacant properties.
  • Residents will be able to purchase vacant properties for $1.
  • Residents will have to agree to rehabilitate the properties within a certain period of time.
  • The city will provide technical assistance and financial assistance to help residents rehabilitate the properties.
  • The program is expected to generate revenue for the city and help revitalize neighborhoods.
  • It is also expected to create jobs and boost the local economy.

The new housing proposal is modeled after the city’s previous property program from the 1970s when Baltimore had a “dollar house” program, in which residents got to own vacant properties for $1 each under the requirement of fixing them. The Baltimore Board of Estimates approved the program on March 20.

The program was designed mainly for individual buyers and community land trusts. However, for $3,000, developers and large nonprofits can also purchase unoccupied houses (small nonprofits would pay $1,000) as reported by The Baltimore Sun and Afrotech. Home repair grants of $50,000 would also be available to Baltimore recipients who are pre-approved for a construction loan.

For all the details on the resurfaced $1 affordable home ownership policy, visit the Buy Into Bmore website HERE. 

prime minister-mia mottley

Prime Minister Of Barbados To Address Global Conference In Baltimore On Reparations

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Barbados Prime Minister, The Honorable Mia Amor Mottley To Deliver Major Address On Reparations

Don Rojas, Director of Communications and International Relations for the Institute of the Black World 21st Century (IBW) received confirmation today that the Honorable Mia Amor Mottley has confirmed to attend State of the Black World Conference V as a Special Guest to deliver a Keynote Address on reparations.  She will join His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana in addressing the Conference which is organized around the theme: Global Africans Rising, Empowerment Reparations and Healing. mia mottley-prime minister-barbados

Prime Minister Mottley has emerged as a major figure in the Caribbean advocating for stronger ties with the African Union and a global emphasis on reparatory justice with Africa playing a more active role. She has called for a global summit on reparations in collaboration with the CARICOM Reparations Commission, the African Union, National African American Reparations Commission and reparations commissions from various regions of the Global Black Diaspora.

“We are honored and delighted that Prime Minister Mia Mottley has accepted our invitation to play a major role in State of the Black World Conference V,” Dr. Ron Daniels, President of IBW stated. “She has shown an eagerness to work with President Addo of Ghana in expanding and strengthening the global reparations movement. Once Vice-President Francia Marquez from Colombia confirms, we will have a formidable trio of leaders embracing the cause of reparatory justice as the ‘human rights issue of the 21st Century’ as proclaimed by Professor Hilary Beckles.”

Mia Mottley will be presented the IBW Legacy Award at the Global Women’s Leadership Summit at the Conference for her historic role as the first woman Prime Minister of Barbados. Firsts are no stranger to this woman of distinction as noted in her bio. “Mia Amor Mottley has lived a public life of firsts – first female leader of the Barbados Labour Party and the Opposition; first female Attorney General, a post she held for five years; and youngest ever Queen’s Counsel in Barbados. On 25 May 2018, Mottley became the eighth Prime Minister of Barbados and the first woman to hold the post. prime minister-mia mottley

Registration Details can be found: HERE.

Media contact: Institute of the Black World 21st Century (IBW, IBW21)

Before George Floyd There Was The Uncommon Case Of Daniel Brown

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BY JEANETTE LENOIR

“Social advance depends as much upon the process through which it is secured as upon the result itself.” – Jane Addams

It took a tragic incident during a festive gathering in 1875 to bring about change in American policing. And Daniel Brown, like George Floyd, was the catalyst that shifted the relationship between citizens and police in Baltimore; citizens concerned for their civil rights and the police for their authority to enter private homes.

Brown, a proud freeman and home owner, “provided the context in which [he] confronted Officer McDonald,” Shufelt writes, in an effort to find justification or make sense of the racial circumstances that led to him being clubbed and shot to death by the officer.  Brown, through the lens of the white immigrant cop from Ireland, forgot his place in America’s social order when he defended his humanity after the officer came knocking on his door for a noise complaint. And because of deep-rooted and long-standing racial conflicts in America Brown is portrayed in the media and the pages of history as a “too proud Black man” partly responsible for his death.

“But Daniel Brown’s individual response to a situation he perceived as an affront to his dignity as a freeman and the proprietor of his own home played a role in the tragedy,” writes Shufelt, and,  “The evidence shows that in his daily life Daniel Brown was in the habit of standing up for his rights with enough self-assurance to get the attention of his white acquaintances.”

This is the story of Daniel Brown. A proud American who knew his civil rights, stood up for himself and others, and was brutally beaten and shot to death for it by a police officer sworn to defend these rights. Nonetheless, the unjustified and brutal murder of Brown by Officer McDonald changed the course in American history when the white police officer was convicted of killing him.

Although the small gathering at this proud freeman’s home proved to be fatal for him, ending the life he’d diligently planned for himself and his wife, Keziah, Daniel Brown left behind a powerful legacy we see in civil rights movements like The Black Panther Party and Black Lives Matter.  And that’s a life well-lived, no matter how it ended.

A conversation with the author, Gordon H. Shufelt:

In The Uncommon Case of Daniel Brown, readers travel through praiseworthy hills and deplorable valleys of our American culture, landing squarely on a pivotal societal curve, when a white police officer gets convicted of killing a Black citizen.

The Uncommon Case of Daniel Brown can be purchased on Amazon or via the link below:

https://www.kentstateuniversitypress.com/2020/uncommon-case-of-daniel-brown/

Uncovering A Prestigious Black Cemetery Beneath A Strip Mall

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By JEANETTE LENOIR

The Laurel Cemetery is a significant burial location for African Americans and yet, it sits unrecognized beneath a strip mall on Belair Road in Northeast Baltimore. Frederick Douglas spoke there during the funeral of a friend, 270 black Civil War soldiers are buried there, and it’s the final resting place for some of the movers and shakers in the African American community who called Baltimore home in the early 19th century. One would never know the sacredness of this cemetery at face value today because it’s easily walked over and used as a short cut to get to and from the strip mall that sits above it.

Thankfully, there’s good news to report on the cemetery that stood the test of time from 1852 – 1957.  A symposium to commemorate the historic cemetery will take place on June 15, 2019 at Coppin State University from 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM in the Talon Center, located at 2500 W. North Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21216. Click HERE for all the details.

My conversation with local Artist and Baltimore native, Terrell Brown, dives into this sad state of affairs of a once prominent resting place for Baltimore’s black elites.

Clifton Park Mansion: Keeper Of American History And Culture

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By JEANETTE LENOIR

 

Charm City is a historic place and keeper of endless stories of American culture. Baltimore, one of America’s long standing and vital seaports, is worthy of exploration beyond the headlines of political strives, the widening gap between the haves and have not, and endless reports of government and police corruption. There’s a lot happening in Baltimore that rarely make headline news. From the artists who call the area home to the movers and shakers who take pride in reshaping the city to reflect its buried American roots and true charm. The history of The Clifton Park Mansion provides a glimpse into what this great city holds and perhaps, what many overlook.

Gwen Kokes with Real Food Farms – Civic Works takes us on a tour of the historic mansion undergoing a face lift she now offices in:

 

Ethel Ennis: A Beautiful Voice And Accomplished Jazz Singer Who Kept It Real

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BY JEANETTE LENOIR

Listening to Ethel Ennis sing songs like Have You Forgotten? and My Foolish Heart brings back nostalgia and memories of days long gone. These days one would be hard pressed to find musicians without twerking background dancers or some other gimmick. However, they do exist. And, Ennis’s life is a wonderful example of an accomplished artist who was able to share her talent with the world without the pressures of fame and “making it” in Hollywood. And, Ennis didn’t just “make it” … she made it proudly and successfully in her native home of Baltimore. Granted, the city isn’t called “Charm City” or “The Greatest City in America” for nothing. B’More is a mecca for Jazz musicians and singers like Ennis, still. Ennis passed away on February 17, 2019. She was 86.

It’s well worth it to take a stroll through YouTube and listen to her beautiful voice serenade you.  Start with Have you forgotten?

Biography from Wayback Machine:
Baltimore native Ethel Ennis is a national treasure. Critics have hailed her as “the most accomplished singer performing today.” That stature was earned by her magnificent voice, her brilliant compositions, her joyful performances and her collaboration with the finest musicians. Ethel Ennis first won national recognition for her recording “Lullaby for Losers” in 1955. In 1958, she was selected by Benny Goodman as the female vocalist for his all-star band. Later, she was chosen as a featured singer on the Arthur Godfrey Show. After performing at the 1964 Newport Jazz Festival with Billy Taylor, Cozy Cole, and Slam Stewart, she appeared with Duke Ellington and his Orchestra on television’s “Bell Telephone Hour.” She followed those amazing achievements by wowing them at the Monterey Jazz Festival in duets with Joe Williams. She returned to her hometown to perform in concerts with the Count Basie Band and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. During that same period, she shared the bill with Cab Calloway at Harlem’s Apollo Theater and played supper clubs and concert halls all over the country.

In the seventies, she founded the practice of singing the National Anthem a capella at Richard Nixon’s 1973 presidential inauguration. She performed at the White House for Jimmy Carter as well. During the period, she became Baltimore’s cultural ambassador, singing Chinese folk songs in Baltimore’s sister city of Xiamen, China as well as performing in Rotterdam, Germany. In the 1980’s, Ethel opened her own music club, Ethel’s Place with her husband, writer Earl Arnett. They presented the world’s greatest jazz musicians and broadcast live concerts to national audiences. They sold the club in 1988, each returning full-time to their artistic pursuits. Frank Sinatra once described her as, “my kind of singer.” A Downbeat reviewer once said of Ethel, “her voice runs deep, exuding the personality of a sage who has lived many lives.” She is the great sage of jazz and if you can find any one of her two dozen records and singles, you will have added a national treasure to your collection.

In her own words on her interracial marriage…

Keeping Up With A Dying Tradition

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Adiante Franzoon is a Saamaka tribesman from Suriname. He’s the last remaining woodcarver who’s carving the way his ancestors—escaped African slaves—did hundreds of years ago in the dense tropical forest of the South American country. Adiante Franzoon is practicing authenticity in an ever increasing inauthentic world.

To learn more about Franzoon or to purchase one of his pieces click HERE.