(BALTIMORE – July 21, 2023 ) – First, I want to commend Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott for doing a hell of a job with the squeegee kids. His efforts to help them surpass all previous mayors. Great job!
But that’s not the story.
This is the story: This morning, former Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon noted on Fox 45 that Safe Streets is her baby and that she would use it a bit differently than the way it is being currently utilized. She also told Fox’s Patrice Sanders that she would – if she were mayor – be more transparent about the program. She said that the community deserves answers.
All of this, of course, was pertaining to the 28 people shot and 2 killed in Brooklyn during Brooklyn Day. It was the largest mass shooting in city history.
Mayor Brandon Scott refuses to publicly share information about Safe Streets’ involvement in the Brooklyn Day fiasco.
With an election coming soon, this marks the unofficial start to a very interesting campaign season. The next citywide election is May 14, 2024.
Dixon, who supporters believe was robbed in both 2016 and 2020, is almost sure to run a third time. Otherwise, why would she be putting herself out there?
While she was clearly leading the 2020 race, the 2016 race was most telling. That year, Baltimore City had 1,800 voting irregularities compared to 200 irregularities in the 23 other Maryland jurisdictions combined.
Yet, Baltimore Election Board chief Armstead Jones is still in charge.
One has to question what would be different this time.
The Baltimore City Board of Elections is in charge of counting votes. Many believe that Jones should have been removed years ago. To have 1,800 mistakes is simply unforgivable. No one keeps a job anywhere else after so many errors. Period.
Nonetheless, Jones is still on the throne.
Baltimore, often referred to as Mob City, has a long history of questionable political practices. If Dixon is to have any chance at becoming mayor, Jones has to go – like yesterday. Also, depending on the number of challengers who enter the race, Mayor Scott will still have the advantage.
On the other hand, the three women arrested because of their protest against the new BG&E units being installed in Federal Hill are certain to cause him some angst down the road. The charges against the three women were recently dropped.
Additionally, many Baltimoreans may have an issue with the way Scott gave BG&E total control over the underground utility access without the support of the City Council and Comptroller.
One has to wonder if the term “transparency” is no more than a buzzword. Politicians tend to use it loosely without it meaning much of anything.
The people of Baltimore are weary. The police have taken a knee since Freddie Gray. It’s a total free-for-all in the streets as kids sell and smoke weed in front of the cops. It’s as if the cops are only present in the event that someone gets shot; their sole duty seems to be to call the coroner or emergency medical services.
This is not the Baltimore we grew up in. It is an audacious new era where nothing seems to make sense.
While many can appreciate Scott’s commitment to Safe Streets, clearly something is afoul. Something just doesn’t add up. And the citizens are troubled.
Either Scott is going to have to modify his stance on Safe Streets and “spill the beans”, or he is likely to face staunch opposition from both the Black and the white communities in his re-election bid.
Only time will tell.
