Wednesday, July 28th, a major press conference was called by the city. It was a podium placed in front of the tree where courageous Reggie held Stephen Pitcairn's limp hand and watched the blood pool in the dirt surrounding the hostas. The press conference brought together Col. Bealefeld, Mayor Rawlings-Blake, the heads of the neighborhood associations, a Senator, Jack Young President of the City Council, a religious figure and other city dignitaries to speak about the horrifying murder.
Head of police, Bealefeld, looking pristinely white skinned in his perfectly ironed blue suit, went to the podium and the vein in his neck was popping in just a matter of seconds. He was angry and apologetic and making all kinds of promises that I'm sure he wants to keep but can't. Everyone else, including the Mayor all said equally angry things and promised to get on legislation to strengthen laws on illegal gun violations. No one mentioned that this crime was done with a knife and gun laws won't help the next victim...The wonderful man who was brave enough to venture out upon hearing Stephen's cries was honored. That was good and true and honest on everyone's part. The Mayor, in her vibrant emerald suit slipped away and soon all of the other officials had evaporated with the setting sun.
So many promises, that everyone has heard before. But, the officials made these sound like they were the very first time they said it and that they mattered. Stephen wasn't the first to lose his life that weekend and since his death a man volunteering at a church downtown was shot for his scooter in a robbery. He made the news a couple nights in a row, but he was a black man, in a bad neighborhood, volunteering at a church. He wasn't working at Hopkins and getting ready for med school.
Baltimore kills so many people so often we almost forget about it. How do officials decide which murder gets the most attention and the most yelling and promises? Charles Village has enough money and influence to get the news there on the double. Whereas West Baltimore has already dug their graves with drugs and gang violence. How can we get people to have sympathy for those "junkies" and "welfare losers"
The crime numbers don't sky rocket because of random murders surrounding "outstanding and motivated" white kids. Our numbers come from neighbors killing neighbors in places the city has forgotten. Maybe a podium should be set up there to grieve for the loss of a whole generation and the fact that the city is too overwhelmed, too underfunded and too corrupt to be effective. It is up to the people to empower themselves. Charles Village, Druid Hill, West Baltimore, East Baltimore and all the rest are responsible now for making their own promises to ensure the safety of each-other and these kind of promises can be kept.
The very same issues emerged on The Block in the 70's as the city was getting a downtown re-model. The city had many ideas for this adult entertainment zone that included, tearing it down or moving the businesses out of the area. Instead of making any changes at all the city built their offices around it and closed their eyes to the problem. It is now very obvious what has happened to a once very viable part of the city. Broken promises and lowered expectations are the downfall of Baltimore. We are continually ok with reports of "lowered violence." The expectation should be NO VIOLENCE. Go ahead and raise the bar.
The people of Baltimore are paying the price. I've heard many say, "I hate this city," as a result of Stephen's murder. It is that attitude that killed him. We all did it. There is always enough time for you to get up and help your neighbors, your neighbor's dog, their child, your car, your family. Turn off the awful trash on television for just thirty minutes and take a walk around your block. It's that simple.
Can you make that promise?
