A digest of Baltimore news from local sources.
From The Baltimore Sun: Baltimore Eviction Rate Among Highest in the Country, Study Says
"Every year in Baltimore, more than 6,000 renters and their families are evicted from their homes — forced into court proceedings at a higher rate than any other major American city except Detroit, according to a new study from the Public Justice Center.
"The evictions are ordered in Baltimore District Court from a docket known as "Rent Court" that largely favors landlords, the study concluded. The system often ignores poor conditions that would justify a tenant's decision to withhold payments, authors, including Dan Pascuiti of the Johns Hopkins University and Michele Cotton of the University of Baltimore, wrote.
"'Baltimore needs to answer its rent eviction crisis, and change to the Rent Court system should be a major component of that answer,' the authors wrote. 'The court is undeniably overrun by the pressure to collect for landlords. The resulting 6,000 to 7,000 rent evictions reflect our leaders' inattention to the state of the court system and the magnitude of crisis.'
"The study was conducted with the Right for Housing Alliance and funded by the Abell Foundation. It found that most renters facing eviction had legally justifiable grounds for withholding rent payments."
From The AFRO American: Blacks in Wax Museum Expands and Fights for Community
"When you hear the phrase ‘wax figurines’, your mind probably jumps to either Madame Tussauds or The Great Blacks In Wax Museum right here in Baltimore. If you were born and raised here, chances are you have already been to it as a child. There’s also a chance that you too have probably been frightened to near tears by the jarring realness of the slave ship exhibit. Its okay if you have, because of the three times I’ve visited, I’ve only had to leave once due to uncontrollable tears.
"The owner and co-founder, Joanne Martin, is used to that. She actually expects and doesn’t treat it as some weird uncomfortable thing. 'When I have young people that come in and cry because of the slave ship, I’m not as upset as a parent might be,' she says. 'That, for me, is part of what I want to happen. It means that we have some empathy and we won’t be so quick to kill one of our own.'
"Recently, our city’s beloved museum has announced plans for a massive renovation and expansion. The expansion will take over the entire 1600 block of North Ave, stretching between Broadway and Bond Street with plans for a garden, a theater and educational programs.
"In an exclusive interview with The Afro, we caught up with Martin for more details about this piece of Baltimore history."
From The Baltimore Sun: Freddie Gray Case: Officer Porter Trial Moves into Week 2
"The trial of Officer William Porter in the death of Freddie Gray is set to resume Monday morning with assistant state medical examiner Dr. Carol Allan returning to the witness stand in a downtown Baltimore courtroom.
"Allan was first called by prosecutors on Friday, and asked to describe the spinal cord injury that Gray suffered while in police custody in April. Gray, 25, died a week later, with rioting and looting breaking out on the day of his funeral. Porter and five other Baltimore police officers have been charged in his arrest and death; all have pleaded not guilty.
"On Monday, Porter's attorneys will have a chance to cross-examine Allan, and are expected to question her finding that the manner of Gray's death was a homicide."