The latest Baltimore Public Safety Forum took place in the Central District on August 5. At the forum, residents spoke about their interactions with police officers. One resident said that the department “can’t really expect for some people to help when one night they might be knocking you in the head, and the next night they want you to tell on somebody.”
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Interim Police Commissioner Kevin Davis spoke at the forum. Rawlings-Blake reiterated that she is working with all levels of government to address the spike in violence. “This is an ongoing effort,” she said. “Crime is not stagnant, it is not static, and we cannot be either. I will work every day to bring every resource possible to bring to this fight.”
Davis announced that it is now mandatory for officers to spend at least a half hour outside their vehicles to walk on the streets, in an effort to win back trust. He noted that the average age of Baltimore Police officers is 25-and- a-half — and that they are being trained to get off their phones and begin conversations in-person with people on the street.
U.S. Representative Begs for End to Violence
In a Monday press conference, U.S. Representative Elijah Cummings begged for an end to violence in the city. Cummings joined other Baltimore authorities at the conference to announce BFED, the collaboration between Baltimore police and federal agents. A Baltimore native himself, Cummings urged residents to cooperate with the police. “There is no way the murders can be solved unless we have the cooperation of the public,” he said. “I hear over and over again that ‘Black Lives Matter,’ and they do matter. But Black lives also have to matter to Black people.”
Man “Graffitis” His Washington Boulevard Home
Maurice Whitehurst is stirring up discussion in his neighborhood after painting several phrases, such as “Black Lives Matter” and “Free Speech is Graffiti Only if you Disagree,” on his house on Washington Boulevard near Parkin Street. Whitehurst told WBFF that his goal is to create “social commentary to get the conversation started and get the community engaged.” While many neighbors don't disagree with Whitehurst, some have alerted city and neighborhood organizations. One resident says the community sees graffiti "as a signal toward neighborhood blight.”
Body Cameras on Baltimore City Police
According to the Baltimore Sun, a commission in Annapolis has begun drafting rules for police officers wearing body cameras in Maryland police departments. The commission must complete its proposal by October 1, and then a police regulatory commission will draft Maryland’s rules by January 1. One of the biggest questions facing both panels is when an officer wearing a camera is expected to turn it on or off.
Snake Scooped in Inner Harbor
Workers found a snake coiled around a control box on the Water Wheel in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor on Wednesday. The snake was taken to the National Aquarium, and has been identified as a ball python, a docile snake native to Africa. There is speculation that the snake was a pet that either escaped or was set free by its owner.
Ray Rice, Rehabilitated, Wants to Return to NFL
Saying he is a “rehabilitated man,” former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice wants to return to the NFL. Rice was suspended from the Ravens after a video circulated of him knocking out his then fiancée, now wife, in an elevator.
Rice admits he faces a substantial challenge in regaining the public's support and trust. “I can understand why people will never forgive me,” he said in an interview on Wednesday on ESPN. Yet when asked about this NFL future, Rice remained hopeful. Nevertheless, the team has yet to hire him.
Orioles win in Oakland
The Baltimore Orioles had a 7-3 win Wednesday over the Athletics in Oakland. Chris Davis hit a grand slam in the tenth inning, and closer Zach Britton earned the win by pitching a season-high two-and-two-thirds scoreless innings. The O's trailed 3-1 entering the sixth inning before tying the game.
Teens found with Drugs and Rattlesnake in West Maryland State Forest
According to Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources, seven Glen Burnie residents are facing charges for killing wildlife, chopping down trees, and having drugs and alcohol in a Western Maryland forest. Maryland Natural Resources Police say the five teens and two juveniles were caught last weekend with beer, marijuana and suspected LSD in Green Ridge State Forest in Allegheny County. When officers checked their campsite, numerous trees had been chopped down or damaged, and a timber rattlesnake had been killed with a BB gun and grilled.
