A digest of Baltimore news from local sources.
From the AFRO American: Baltimore Mayoral Candidate DeRay McKesson Unveils Plans for Dramatic Changes
"Activist-turned-mayoral candidate DeRay Mckesson on Feb. 12 released the first parts of a comprehensive plan detailing what he’d do if elected. The plans were posted on his website, derayformayor.com, which was unveiled at the same time.
"McKesson tackles the issues of education and youth development, community prosperity and safety in his plans and said he wanted his agenda to be the most detailed and nuanced in the race.
“'I want to make sure that this is the most informed platform possible,' Mckesson told the AFRO.
"The young activist, who has been an outspoken member of the nationwide movement against police brutality, calls for major changes to Baltimore City policing that includes advocating for the full repeal of the Maryland Law Enforcement Officer’s Bill of Rights. He would require that police officers submit to drug and alcohol testing following incidents involving deadly force. He would also enact an ordinance making chokeholds and 'rough rides' illegal.
"Mckesson said the things he saw growing up in Baltimore City influenced his feelings about policing.
“'There can be a police department that partners with and protects instead of harming. I am of the core belief that the issue of safety is more than the police. It’s about kids, it’s about education, it’s about public health. When you close your eyes and imagine the space where you are most safe it’s not a room full of police officers.'”
From the Baltimore Sun: Group Wants People to Share Their Stories of Baltimore’s Washington Monument
"Cole Shacochis-Edwards last scaled the 228 steps to the top of Baltimore's Washington Monument 40 years ago with her dad. She also remembers roller skating in Mount Vernon and eating pancakes at The Buttery diner.
"She'll write about the power of those memories as part of a collection the Mount Vernon Place Conservancy is assembling for a time capsule. It will be placed in the base of the monument's marble and stone column and sealed for a century.
"Shacochis-Edwards said her story and others will connect Baltimoreans across time.
"The conservancy — charged with the upkeep of the 200-year-old monument — launched the 'Monumental Memories' campaign Monday and will collect childhood recollections, stories from descendants of the monument's builders and other memorable tales for the next three months.
Historian Lance Humphries said people flooded the conservancy's social media accounts with their memories during the monument's $6 million restoration, which was completed last summer, sparking the idea for the campaign.
From the AFRO American: Marilyn Mosby to Address Students at Fisk University for Black History Month
"Fisk University will welcome Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby to its Nashville campus Feb. 25 as a guest of the Student Government Association. The prosecutor will be a presenter at the Inaugural S.G.A. Lecture series during Black History Month. The event will take place in the Fisk Memorial Chapel at 7 p.m.
"Mosby rose to national fame following her office’s decision to prosecute the police officers involved in the circumstances surrounding the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody. The 25-year-old Black man’s death sparked days of protest that erupted in violence in April 2015.
"According to her biography, Mosby is the youngest chief prosecutor of any major city in America. "