My personal account of this morning in Baltimore…
I, like everyone else, went to bed lest night as discouraged and confused about the state of our city and its future. I knew I had to get outside today, check things out and see the people of Baltimore to gain some perspective.
As I walked outside, the first thing I see is construction crews renovating historic South Baltimore rowhomes. Seeing people back to work and beautiful old homes being restored was a great first indication that Baltimore will move forward. There was something so nostalgic in that.
I went to check on the damage in the area. The CVS on Charles St. in Federal Hill was robbed with entry through broken glass. Stuff was taken from the pharmacy and though employees were there, they could not open until the DEA did a count of the pharmaceuticals. B’more Betty was also broken into. Crews from DPW were sweeping the broken glass, the building was boarded up, and neighbors came by to help them clean the inside. We were told the store was pretty empty in preparation for any incidents. I also stopped by the Firestone on Hanover St. Despite some broken glass on their garages as a result of individuals throwing rocks, they were happy to be open.
Overall, the area looked really clean and in pretty good shape with all things considered.
I drove through Pigtown where the area looked in pretty good shape. There were no signs of broken glass that I saw.
Wanting to participate in a cleanup somewhere, I decided to head towards Northwest Baltimore and see what I could fine. Downtown looked clean and it was great to see many people working.
I turned west on North Ave. off Charles St. and immediately I saw people cleaning up. I headed further down toward the Facebook cleaning event meeting spot at North Ave. and Pennsylvania Ave. and there were people cleaning everywhere you looked. I got out and the first people I saw said they needed more help by the Mondawmin Mall. So I left and went there.
On the way I had to stop and take a picture of Druid Lake, it looked so beautiful. It was another sign that Baltimore was still here and still shining.
I made my way to the mall and found a meet-up of volunteers and started cleaning. The area was in relatively good shape already and while I was there I probably saw at least 100 people out cleaning up. Everyone was in good spirits, people driving by were honking their support, and I had some good conversations with people who were so frustrated by what happened in their community last night. Everyone was happy I was there and I was happy they were there. I was interviewed by WUSA out of DC. Basically I just said I was there to help Baltimore get back on its feet.
I had to leave after about an hour for another commitment, but the cleanup crew was preparing to move south to Pratt and Monroe St.
I went to bed angry and I woke up tired, but once I got out and about I felt a lot better. I’m not sure what tomorrow will bring, but the sun definitely came out today in Baltimore. It was a great day so far.
Pray for Baltimore!