Commentary

There is an interesting history between abolitionist Harriet Tubman, organizer of the Underground Railroad, and Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. In 1856, Harriet Tubman helped an enslaved black woman named Tilly escape slavery by boarding a steamboat docked near what is known today as Pier 4. The steamboat was en route to Delaware, and scholars describe it as her most complicated and clever escape attempt.

It is fair to question whether any new version of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed March 26 following a collision with a cargo ship, should continue to bear the name of the man who wrote the lyrics of the national anthem but who also enslaved as many as a half dozen people during a time when the shameful practice was flourishing in America.

Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates held a news conference this month in which he seemed to celebrate the arrest of a group of children allegedly connected to a carjacking ring operated out of a “clubhouse.” Putting aside whether that is something our community should celebrate, Bates had a message for parents: “If you remember one thing from this press conference,” he said, “just remember two words: parental accountability.”

President Biden visited the site of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, which has been called a “mangled mess,” on Friday, mourning the loss of the six workers killed in the accident. The economic impact of this accident is significant and goes far beyond the bridge itself. The disaster should serve as a wake-up call to ensure that all bridges, as well as all marine infrastructure in general, can withstand such a collision.

In 1983, the National Commission on Excellence in Education issued this blistering assessment: “If an unfriendly foreign power had attempted to impose on America the mediocre educational performance that exists today, we might well have viewed it as an act of war.” The report was a wakeup call for El Paso, Texas, which a few years later launched the El Paso Collaborative for Academic Excellence (EPCAE).

In a recent article referencing a West Baltimore “clubhouse” where young people accused of crimes were said to congregate, these young people are positioned as solely responsible for their alleged criminal behavior. In a news conference, Mayor Brandon Scott drastically oversimplified the issue and disregarded social and economic impacts driving risky behavior in youth.

The Not-In-My-Backyard (NIMBY) syndrome, used to block infrastructure projects, is an extremely powerful force in our democracy. Some examples of projects that have been opposed by NIMBYs include affordable housing units, trailer parks, high-speed rail lines, daycare facilities, schools and bike lanes. When I was a senator, a fellow environmental leader was trying to block the proposed Lighthouse homeless shelter on West Street.

A contractor turned to alcohol after his wife died. A single mom with two children welcomed food from a stranger. A certified nursing assistant and her working teenage son couldn’t afford a rent increase. They were among those who experienced homelessness in Maryland last year, totaling nearly 6,000 one winter night, according to an annual federal count.