(BALTIMORE – May 27, 2026) – This is what I’m talking about when I say we live in a two-tiered system.
Dalya Attar is currently facing federal blackmail and extortion charges, along with her brother and a former Baltimore police officer, whom she also allegedly used in her plot to weaponize a sex tape of her former campaign consultant. Reading through the charges really makes me feel like I’m watching the movie Enemy of the State.
She should have stepped down as soon as this indictment was made public. Instead, she ran for reelection to the Maryland state Senate. Rather than take accountability for her actions, she claimed to be the “real victim” of the story. The audacity is as deafening as it is tone deaf.
The man that she is running against, Malcolm Ruff, is a Black man from Park Heights and a civil rights attorney. He’s been on the front line of the fight for social justice on many issues, like police brutality. He has fought for black communities and advocated for our interests in both legislation and in the courts.
Had he or any of the Black people running in this race had such a serious indictment on their record so recently, there’s absolutely no way they would still garner the kind of support and blind loyalty as Attar has here. It would be political suicide for them, but Attar treats it as a mere speed bump on her path to greater political power.
She’s not just being given a pass; she is benefiting from the privilege of a media apparatus that demonizes black political power for sport, while giving her the most vanilla headlines imaginable. Not only are these charges serious, but they’re also an indictment of the other corrupt politicians and political bootlickers that prop her up, and a slap in the face of the constituents that she is supposed to serve. The voters of the 41st district deserve the truth and accountability from their elected leaders. Instead, what they’re getting is reassuring headlines and a bunch of company men and good ol’ boys lining up to sing her praises and tell you what a good person she is. She’s clearly not.
A woman who conspires to use her political power, influence, and connection to law enforcement to blackmail one of her own people is not someone who is fit to lead. If she would do this so easily to one of her own people, to protect her opportunistic climb up the political ladder, there’s literally no limit to how far she will go and who she will sell out along the way to continue that climb, morality be damned.
And what’s worse is that instead of having a real, honest conversation about the impact of her actions, as well as the credibility of her character, it seems like anybody who is willing to call this exactly what it is is being attacked by her minions. They want us to look past this indictment, as if it were a simple mistake, when it is anything but that.
Anytime the establishment singles out one of our Black political leaders, the headlines are much more salacious and judgmental. From Catherine Pugh to Marilyn Mosby. Even our current mayor, Brandon Scott, has faced similar demonizing strategies by the same media apparatus.
David Smith and Sinclair Media are exactly the devils that we’ve been saying they were this entire time. They are fear-mongering, narrative bastardizing, provocateurs of sensationalized tropes and bigotry when it comes to the Black community. But I think it’s just as important to pay attention to who they prop up and why. Nobody expects objective journalism from the Baltimore Sun anymore, but during political times like these, it’s important that we pay attention to exactly how corrupt they have become.
There is no Black representation there anymore with any real power. Not unless they are willing to parrot the talking points of racist, capitalist, conservative, and Zionist propaganda that would rather see Black communities mass incarcerated before being allowed the opportunity for true self-determination.
Anyone in media or politics who is supporting this Attar as a viable candidate is telling us everything we need to know about their own character and integrity. We don’t need spineless leaders who stand beside immoral people like her representing our interests. And if you are voting for her, I never want to hear you say anything about accountability in our community ever again. At some point, we all gotta pick a side. I’m riding with Malcolm Ruff and Chezia Cager in the 41st.
In a district made up mostly of working-class Black folks who need substantial change that comes from thoughtful and comprehensive policies that are meant to address their material needs, they don’t need leaders without character who weaponize power for their own benefit over that of the people. They deserve real leadership that will fight for their collective benefit first.
Aaron Maybin is a Baltimore native, former NFL linebacker, and the 11th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. After five years in the league, he walked away from professional football to pursue a career as an artist, activist, author, educator, and community organizer. He now dedicates his time to Baltimore City students in classrooms, community centers, parks, and playgrounds. In January 2018, Maybin used social media to expose freezing conditions at Matthew A. Henson Elementary School, where classroom temperatures dropped below 40 degrees and children sat in heavy winter coats with icicles on the windows. His viral posts sparked national attention, forced Baltimore City Public Schools to temporarily shut down buildings, and prompted emergency action from local and state officials.
