Baltimore: A Short Story

Baltimore city had a strong economy, and it was among the top prosperous cities in the United States (U.S)leadingin wages, jobs, and industries up until the 1950s. Since the 1960s, however, the city has seen a decline in its economy as a result of systematic governance failures. Recently, Baltimore has been experiencing an increase in homicide unlike prior years, and in fact, by the end of 2015, various law enforcement organizations predict the city will break its homicide record. As a citizen, Baltimore’s murder rate is a crucial issue to tackle than police brutality because it is symptom indicative of larger issues that need to be addressed and solved in the black community. Three major issues often talked about in Baltimore

Poorer southern towns in North Carolina weren’t receiving the help they needed from the government. Collaborating with my school’s band director and his church, we were able to motivate our school to make donations for a supply run down to Kinston, North Carolina. After one week of donation collection, our small group of students and the church made a delivery of one trailer and three trucks full to the top of supplies down to Kinston, a day long trip. While our group was there, we met some amazing people that had come across the misfortune of Hurricane Matthew. The town of Kinson had truly unified after the incident, with everyone cooperating to rebuild retirement homes, churches, schools, and find new homes for people after over a dozen public housing units were

Wear a mask, a sunglass , carry a bottle of water and an umbrella. This is how you walk in Kathmandu,Nepal, if you don’t want to be sick.Living in an unhealthy environment can bring a lot of health complications.You get sick and spend most of you time getting well. It was a surprise to visit baltimore ,because it was a very clean and green place. There were lots of trees and parks. It wanted to stay in baltimore, until I explored the outer county. I found there weren’t any bus shuttles, the houses were not managed properly , it looked dirty and most of all it smelled foul. And there are a number of people living in such poor conditions in Maryland.The contrast between the inner and the outer baltimore made me think, why is the outer

Social and economic disparities are plaguing the city of Baltimore. There are numerous issues that the city of Baltimore is facing, many of which did not come to light until the case of Freddie Gray. On April 2015, a 25-year-old black man by the name of Freddie Gray fell victim to police brutality. After the discovery of his death and the unreasonable way he was treated, Baltimoreans began to protest. The anger and frustration began to escalate due to other social and economic problems the city faces regularly.

During the 1990s, a decrease in the employment sectors many black middle class families moved out into Baltimore County. The cost of housing made it difficult to sustain the cost of living. In 2014, the number of Whites within Baltimore had the highest number in migration. However, within the white population a better advantage of resources were available such as loans, jobs, entertainment, education, and technology making it easier to live within Baltimore. Gentrification has pushed Blacks with low income to move out while the White population continues to move into Baltimore because of the access to better quality of life. Many within this type of White population have higher education, are able to save and plan to start families, and moved due to housing related purposes.

The chart shows how Baltimore economy compares to the United States, needless to say Baltimore is struggling. Unemployment rate is higher than the rest of the United States, and job growth isn’t helping to improve Baltimore’s employment rate. To dig deeper into Baltimore’s economy, the unemployment rate for black men in Baltimore is really low. It is shown that between the ages of 20 and 24 it was 37 percent in 2013, as to being 10 percent for white men in the same category. It also doesn’t help that as the age groups increase that just 59 percent of black men between the ages of 25 and 54 are working, compared with 79 percent of white men (Casselman).

The crisis in Baltimore city has had a widespread effect on the entire population. Despite, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings ensuring that the security and civil rights of the citizens will be protected; the people of Baltimore have lost faith in those who have the authority to make significant changes within the city. Because of their distrust and constant frustration, the people within the city have decided to riot and cause havoc throughout the neighborhoods of Baltimore. The growing violence within the city of Baltimore shows that the frustration of the people runs deep and it will take a substantial amount of time to correct the issue. Many believe that constant funding will bring about change instantly. There will be change but it will take some time and due to slow progression many become frustrated. The frustration of the people has been compounding due to a variety of things such as lack of employment, minimal funds, and the constant frustration of those in authority i.e. the police. The consistent rioting of the people in Baltimore have led to issues of safety in the area. Those who have decided not to riot must then take refuge within their homes or another safe haven because their safety is being jeopardized. Safety is a huge issue amongst the city of Baltimore and have led to violent crime rates, property crime rates, and unsafe streets.

There’s me, standing on the sidewalk of some nondescript city street in the Bronx. It’s summertime, right smack in the middle of July, and the towering brick buildings surrounding me allow no breeze. The clamor of New York is encompassing; I feel the city’s rhythm in my bones, it’s heartbeat thump, thump, thumping under my feet. Right now, I feel like crying. I am talking to an old man, Ahmed. Ahmed is an Indian immigrant who stopped at the soup-kitchen-on-wheels (actually: The Relief Bus) I am volunteering at. We stand under a tree planted close to where the Bus is parked. Around us, dozens of homeless people, many of whom don’t speak a word of English (as the Bronx is mainly poor immigrants), eat their soup and bread. My fellow volunteers

It was the summer of 2010 and I was attending an inner city missions trip in Peoria, IL. Each morning we served in an urban neighborhood volunteering at a local school or government housing. At the school, we found chipped and faded paint, walls yellowed from old age, water stains on the ceilings and walls, and lockers that were filled with graffiti. The government subsidized housing was in a horrid state of disrepair. Bullet holes riddled the doors and brick facade on the buildings. The windows and doors did not provide the safety the residents needed: ripped screens, broken glass panes and broken door locks prevailed throughout the units. The neighborhood community center had barred windows, broken concrete walks, and trash on the property. I was overwhelmed with the deterioration of the school and the neighborhood around me. I decided that summer, I would do what the neighborhood people could not do for themselves, be an active part of revitalizing broken communities through the

I left Novi High School on a bright yellow school bus full of student council members. We passed large houses with gorgeous manicured lawns, and multiple cars in each driveway. I looked down to send a text to my friend, and before I knew it, the bus looked like it was in a whole different world. Everywhere I looked I saw abandoned houses covered in graffiti so thick you coundn’t see the brick. Boarded up buildings and neighborhood streets with houses so packed together you could reach out and touch your neighbor… if only every house was occupied and safe. The streetlamps were burned out, and every store had bars guarding their windows and doors. I was so involved in the scenery passing before my eyes, that I didn’t even notice the bus coming to a complete stop.

In Baltimore, Maryland the city deals with urban geography which is a branch of human geography concerned with various aspects of cities. According to pov-tc.pbs.org, Baltimore is a typical “rust belt” city, filled with endless blocks of ghettos, boarded-up homes, and discarded human beings. Most of the families of fifth and sixth generations are of poverty, resulting in a destructive and a most wasteful lifestyle. According to www.geography.about.com urban geographers generally define the city as a concentration of people with a similar way of life based on job type, cultural preferences, political views and lifestyle. The public education system fails to offer inner-city youth a proper education. They are taught from their first “institution” what their roles are in American society.

I thought today would be just another normal day in chilled Maryland, but oh could I have been more wrong. The day started out just like every other. My little eleven-year-old heart was full of jubilance. I was having an admirable day with all my friends, and I had no worries. None of my siblings knew that an event that night at dinner was about to change our lives for better or for worse. My family and I sat down at aged table and we could all feel the tension that surrounded the air. “We have something to tell you guys, and we don’t want you to get upset” declared my mother. This statement made me nervous. Anytime some says not to get upset, you know something has happened that is going to change your entire live. “We are moving

In VUSM 300 I have been able to see the La Crosse community through a different perspective. Throughout this semester I have gone to a series of places at which I pretended to be like the minority of the community. Throughout this paper I will talk about when I visited the La Crosse jail, Salvation Army, Goodwill, and the Warming Center. After visiting these places I have become more conscious of how important it is to give back to those in your community that need a little help every now and then.

Before, this house, I participated in helping others; because I simply enjoyed it. It felt good to help, but working at Virginia’s house, taught me that I cannot do this for my own pleasure, but because it is the right thing to do. If I do not, they will continue to live in a home that is not safe, warm, nor dry. The effect of experiencing this created a profound impact, in such a way that it changed who I am, and how I live my life. I will never forget Virginia Banks, nor the horrid conditions of her home. Why did she and her home cause such a profound impact upon what I thought I knew about myself. The dangerous condition of the home was not the only factor that lead me to learn something new about myself. Virginia lacked the ability to financially, physically, and mentally better her own life. She did not even truly understand that her home could catch on fire and kill her in the middle of the night. I realized that if I did not help her, she would continue to live in a dangerous

I chose to conduct observations on Monday, July 3rd because the Ferguson Center was closed on the weekend. Locating the Ferguson Center was difficult and confusing. Eventually, a University Police Officer gave me directions. As one walks to the Ferguson Center, they will see an open space for walking. In the walking area is a beautiful water foundation with patio tables and chairs surrounding it. The scenery is very relaxing and few students were sitting and socializing. While standing in the walking area, students will see the Ferguson center to the left and Student Support Services to the right.