Why is baltimore so violent

In , Baltimore is shrinking as well as being violent and corrupt. With 58 murders per , residents in , Baltimore is the deadliest U. You may change your billing preferences at any time in the Customer Center or call Customer Service. You will be notified in advance of any changes in rate or terms. You may cancel your subscription at anytime by calling Customer Service. Skip to Main Content Skip to Search. News Corp is a global, diversified media and information services company focused on creating and distributing authoritative and engaging content and other products and services.

Dow Jones. By Sean Kennedy. To Read the Full Story. He says he still wants to change Baltimore from a city that relies on law enforcement into one that offers sufficient public services to address poverty, structural racism, insufficient housing, addiction, and joblessness.

Of course, Scott has another authority to answer to, beyond the electorate. Looming over any proposed cut to police spending is the federal consent decree enacted after the death of Freddie Gray prompted by a federal investigation into the department. The court order requires the city to retrain its officers, upgrade its computer systems, and maintain a certain level of police presence on the streets.

But consent decree monitor Judge James K. Too severe a cut to the department could trigger legal action by the judge. Scott has consistently supported the reforms the consent decree calls for. He recently met with President Joe Biden, who also supports federal interventions in local policing. Former Mayor Sheila Dixon, who was forced to resign from the office in and then also ran against Scott in , knows firsthand how hard it is to balance the impulse to use police to reduce violence, and the understanding that the long-term fight against crime is about addressing social problems.

Brandon knew the budget. As spring gave way to summer, violence in Baltimore ratcheted up even more. Nine homicides occurred during Memorial Day weekend. By the following weekend, the popular Fells Point neighborhood, the waterfront district lined with restaurants and bars, saw two separate shootings that left three men injured.

The incident sparked calls from the vocal business class to demand the mayor, top city prosecutor Marilyn Mosby, and the Police Department crack down on violence and petty crimes. Since COVID restrictions were relaxed, there have been large informal gatherings in the neighborhood. The city responded by hosting a virtual meeting days after the Fells Point shooting, for which people logged on to hear how the Scott administration would address the recent shootings and nuisance violations.

Suggestions filled the comment section of the online gathering. Could it set up mobile metal detectors? Some blamed the consent decree for not allowing the police to be as tough on crime as they believed was necessary. When the comments got hot, the city disabled the chat function. People went analog, holding up pieces of paper in front of their webcams. In Fells Point, the surge came with more cops on foot and in cars and helicopters. In other hotspots, like Pennsylvania Avenue, in the heart of the Black community of West Baltimore, cops camped out by intersections.

But even with more police, shots were fired in Fells Point in the early morning hours of June Just hours earlier, Tavon Jenkins was shot and killed blocks away from where cops had set up additional posts in West Baltimore.