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 With a Democratic mayoral primary two weeks away, setting the
stage for November's general election, many voters are hungry for
new leadership and fresh momentum to solve the vexing issues facing
the city of 620,000 people, most of whom are African-American.
By most accounts, Baltimore's recovery from the looting, arson and
violence that erupted after 25-year-old Freddie Gray's death in
April 2015 has been spotty, leaving the city at risk.
Gray's death, a week after breaking his neck in a police van,
triggered protests and rioting that damaged 400 businesses, and
helped stoke Black Lives Matter, a movement that has challenged
police treatment of minorities.
"The causes of the civil disturbance in Baltimore last year have not
been eliminated," said Billy Murphy, a lawyer who represents Gray's
family and settled a $6.4 million civil settlement with the city.
"This can happen again," he said, adding he was not speaking for
Gray’s relatives.
Still, there are signs of progress. Convention bookings have risen
and tourism at the Inner Harbor has rebounded. About 93 percent of
the businesses that closed after the riots have reopened, officials
say.
 But chronic economic problems persist. Unemployment, which dipped to
7.1 percent at the end of February from 7.4 percent at the time of
the riots, exceeds the 5 percent national rate. Some 23 percent of
residents live in poverty, 5 points above the national rate.
Yet last year's turmoil was a wake-up call. It led to the formation
of numerous coalitions bringing together city businesses and
non-profits for economic initiatives.
One involves Baltimore-based mutual fund companies Legg Mason Inc
<LM.N> and T. Rowe Price Group Inc <TROW.O>, apparel maker Under
Armour Inc <UA.N> and Johns Hopkins University. The coalition plans
to invest $69 million in a buy-local campaign, including
minority-owned companies. While it may be too soon to see if those
efforts will produce results, Diane Bell-McKoy, chief executive of
Associated Black Charities, sees real economic improvement.
“It’s slower than any of us want, and not helping enough people yet,
but, definitely, change," she said.
MIXED BAG ON POLICING
In terms of policing, the year has been a mixed bag as well.
Homicides climbed last year to the highest level in the city's
history on a per-capita basis. The trend persists this year, even
after Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who decided against seeking
re-election, fired her police chief.
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The new commissioner, Kevin Davis, has emphasized training, foot
patrols and improved community relations, and some residents have
welcomed the new tone. "It's good they've got patrolmen in (some)
areas,” said Kenneth Betts, a 50-year-old cook, standing near the
rebuilt CVS pharmacy in Penn-North, epicenter of last year’s
disturbances.
He said police still resorted to aggressive tactics at times but
that the climate had improved.
Six officers, three of them black, were charged in Gray's death. The
trial of the first officer ended in a hung jury. His retrial and
trials of the others are due to start next month.
But in neighborhood forums, the hot topics are economic development
and worker training. In a November poll for the Baltimore Sun and
the University of Baltimore, 41 percent of black voters cited a jobs
shortage as the cause of the city's problems.
Nearly all of the two dozen or so mayoral candidates, including 13
Democrats, are pledging aggressive job creation.
The field includes Councilman Nick Mosby, husband of Marilyn Mosby,
the prosecutor who charged the officers involved in Gray's arrest,
and Black Lives Matter activist DeRay McKesson. In her comeback bid,
former Mayor Sheila Dixon promises to triple training programs.
State Senator Catherine Pugh, Dixon's closest rival in the
Democratic race, would introduce mobile units to help residents
apply for jobs. Millionaire businessman David Warnock wants to
create entrepreneurial opportunities.
With Democrats outnumbering Republicans by 10-to-1, whoever wins the
April 26 Democratic primary is virtually assured victory in
November.
“Many are recognizing the importance of ... social and economic
disparities that are underlying causes of the challenges we faced
last year," said Donald Fry, president of the Greater Baltimore
Committee, made up of more than 500 businesses, non-profits and
other institutions.
(Editing by Frank McGurty and Peter Cooney)
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