Will we fix what is wrong in Baltimore?

To understand why Baltimore became violent in April, 2015, one needs to understand some basic facts about the city.  It seems clear to me that the riots following the murder of Freddie Gray were inevitable, the catalyst for the violent outburst was the Gray murder, but it could have been caused by any incident given the conditions in the city.

Baltimore is a city in sharp decline.  In the mid nineteenth century it was the second most populous city in the United States after New York.  Until about 1980 it was still one of the ten largest cities in the country.  At its height in 1950, Baltimore had about one million residents.  Today, the city has only 620,000 people, a decline of one-third of the population in 65 years.  It was once one of the great manufacturing centers and a key shipping center.  Despite some recently improved economic sectors, including health care, academics and tourism, these improvements do not replace the losses in employment.

Baltimore is a black majority city.  Nearly 64% of the cities people are black.  In most respects, this fact should be inconsequential.  Sadly though, the mechanisms that continue to repress poor people of color exist in Baltimore.  Within the black community, mobility is stagnated; college education is difficult and expensive to attain, yet the largest employer and organizational group in the city, Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins University, rely on a workforce dominated by the highly educated.  Further, there is a clear and undeniable component of racism that oppresses Baltimore’s black people.

One in five residents of Baltimore lives below the poverty line.  I’ll leave this fact alone; it speaks for itself.

Baltimore is desperate, poor, short on hope, and now violent.  It is extremely important to make Baltimore peaceful again.  Of course it’s not easy.  We will continue to see Baltimore being under threat of violence until we address what is wrong.  The big picture resolutions to the Baltimore problem are:

·         Rebuilding trust between the residents of Baltimore and the police force.  The riots were met with a measure of restraint by the police.  I am sure that most officers are proud professionals who ensure everyone’s safety.  Smart protocols which engage police in the everyday activities of people exist in many cities, and could be adopted there.

·         Improve access to higher education.  The sad truth that higher education selects based more on economic status that academic status.  This is a nationwide problem, but it is acutely felt in Baltimore.

·         Identify entrepreneurs within the city, and enable them with microloans and planning support.  Small businesses should bring hope and vision, and

·         End racism.  End institutional racism.  End racism based on ignorance. Just end it.

What a daunting list!  No one said peace was easy, right?

I will revisit the issues raised here, hopefully soon.  I think my next few posts will head into other directions, but I still feel there is a lot of unfinished business.  Peace, my friends.