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Old 12-15-2015, 08:13 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles, CA
155 posts, read 259,034 times
Reputation: 282

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I was born and raised in Baltimore, MD in the mid-1970 through the late 1990s. I left town for college and for career reasons but I spend a tremendous amount of free time there during the holidays and through early summer when I'm on vacation. My family is still there and most of the guys I grew up with, although many have married and bought homes in the metro area.

I went to Catholic school, grew up playing outside during the 80s in Waverly and near Penn-North. I was there through the initial crack years and saw the city go sour and things get somewhat stabilized.

There are problems in Baltimore, yes, but many of those problems happen in other cities too, but there appears to be a pathological desire to constantly degrade the city and her citizens and it's really silly and annoying.

I've lived in Boston, NYC and currently live in Los Angeles and I have to tell you that the only difference between those towns is WHO commits crime and HOW MUCH the media spends exploring it.

For example, Boston is a city that is overrun with white criminals committing crimes against white people yet you'd never hear Boston described like Baltimore even though Boston is infested with the Russian mob, the Irish mob, the Italian mafia and a new South American/Latino street gang population moving in.

NYC has the Russian mob, the Irish, the Armenian, the Albanian, the Columbian, the Jewish, the Italian, the Dominican and a large Latino mob situation but you'd never hear NYC described like Baltimore.

LA has more crime than you can possibly imagine. Every central American country has a slew of drug gangs representing them on the streets of LA. There's a huge Russian, Armenian and Eastern European sex trafficking and drug gang problem. There are tons of Asian gangs and mobs.

However, somehow, Baltimore is the worst place in the universe?

For reasons of racial/racist bias, the crime in Baltimore tends to be overblown and over examined to the point where everyone believes that every single inch of ground in Baltimore City is a war zone.

I attended five BBQs in Druid Hill Park last summer with the attendees being 99.9% African-American and with the exception of one drunk uncle, there was no violence or any issue at all. I went to ARTScape and there was a massive population of Black people and there were no problems.

I went to AFRAM in downtown a few years in a row and there were no problems.

IS it possible that people's implicit biases toward African-Americans also contribute to the perception that Baltimore is some hell hole? I come home all of the time and never have a single issue even when I'm in the "bad" neighborhoods. Where is all the warfare people keep being afraid of?

I know there's a teen problem on the streets of Baltimore because of decreased opportunities, but I also see a lot of teens getting jobs in the summer and trying to save up for college.

I'm guessing a lot of the reactionary and borderline racist comments on this forum are from people who simply have no positive experiences with Blacks or just assume the worst.

EDG
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Old 12-15-2015, 09:06 PM
 
Location: Maryland
912 posts, read 907,836 times
Reputation: 1078
I love every single word of your post. I agree one million percent. I, too, was raised in Baltimore. I also moved all around the country (including CA three times, where you are now). I have also witnessed the exact same things all over the country and came to the same conclusion. It's why I have so little tolerance for the haters because I realize that they literally have no idea what they are talking about and watch far too much TV (because their feet on the street would tell them that most of the good happening around Baltimore never makes TV because it doesn't get good ratings).

I would never say Baltimore is perfect. Nothing is perfect. But I agree that it is skewed and hyper-zoomed in on those little nooks that are bad and made out to be like the entire city and even metro area is like that. And it hurts my heart when I see good happening that never gets air time, but such is the nature of the news.

And I do believe a large part of it is racial, as you said.

I also have never had any problems living in Baltimore and don't know anyone that has (and I grew up in a "bad" area). And to the haters, I just don't get the need to complain. If you don't like the area, move. Not every place is for everyone. If Baltimore isn't your cup of tea, no one will shed a tear when you leave. They didn't when I left, nor when I returned.
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Old 12-15-2015, 09:24 PM
 
Location: Prince George's County, Maryland
6,212 posts, read 9,148,292 times
Reputation: 2581
Quote:
Originally Posted by EveryDayGuy View Post
I was born and raised in Baltimore, MD in the mid-1970 through the late 1990s. I left town for college and for career reasons but I spend a tremendous amount of free time there during the holidays and through early summer when I'm on vacation. My family is still there and most of the guys I grew up with, although many have married and bought homes in the metro area.

I went to Catholic school, grew up playing outside during the 80s in Waverly and near Penn-North. I was there through the initial crack years and saw the city go sour and things get somewhat stabilized.

There are problems in Baltimore, yes, but many of those problems happen in other cities too, but there appears to be a pathological desire to constantly degrade the city and her citizens and it's really silly and annoying.

I've lived in Boston, NYC and currently live in Los Angeles and I have to tell you that the only difference between those towns is WHO commits crime and HOW MUCH the media spends exploring it.

For example, Boston is a city that is overrun with white criminals committing crimes against white people yet you'd never hear Boston described like Baltimore even though Boston is infested with the Russian mob, the Irish mob, the Italian mafia and a new South American/Latino street gang population moving in.

NYC has the Russian mob, the Irish, the Armenian, the Albanian, the Columbian, the Jewish, the Italian, the Dominican and a large Latino mob situation but you'd never hear NYC described like Baltimore.

LA has more crime than you can possibly imagine. Every central American country has a slew of drug gangs representing them on the streets of LA. There's a huge Russian, Armenian and Eastern European sex trafficking and drug gang problem. There are tons of Asian gangs and mobs.

However, somehow, Baltimore is the worst place in the universe?

For reasons of racial/racist bias, the crime in Baltimore tends to be overblown and over examined to the point where everyone believes that every single inch of ground in Baltimore City is a war zone.

I attended five BBQs in Druid Hill Park last summer with the attendees being 99.9% African-American and with the exception of one drunk uncle, there was no violence or any issue at all. I went to ARTScape and there was a massive population of Black people and there were no problems.

I went to AFRAM in downtown a few years in a row and there were no problems.

IS it possible that people's implicit biases toward African-Americans also contribute to the perception that Baltimore is some hell hole? I come home all of the time and never have a single issue even when I'm in the "bad" neighborhoods. Where is all the warfare people keep being afraid of?

I know there's a teen problem on the streets of Baltimore because of decreased opportunities, but I also see a lot of teens getting jobs in the summer and trying to save up for college.

I'm guessing a lot of the reactionary and borderline racist comments on this forum are from people who simply have no positive experiences with Blacks or just assume the worst.

EDG

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=barWV7RWkq0
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Old 12-16-2015, 06:08 AM
 
1,067 posts, read 1,444,777 times
Reputation: 677
Post from https://www.reddit.com/r/baltimore/c..._in_baltimore/

I don't think people understand just how bad the murder rate IS, in context. Remember that Baltimore is theoretically a first-world city located in the nation with the biggest economy on Earth.
And yet it has 327 murders (so far) for only 620,000 people. How bad is that? It's worse than a lot of high-crime third-world cities. It's a rate of 52.7 per 100,000, compared to a national average of 4.5 (almost 12 times higher), compared to a Canadian average of 1.4 (almost 38 times higher), compared to a UK average of 0.96 (55 times higher), or a Japanese average of 0.3 (almost 176 times higher!).
If Baltimore had the same murder rate as Toronto, it would have 12 or 13 murders per year - not 327.
If Baltimore had the same rate as NYC, it would have 24 or 25 murders.
The only reasonable conclusion is that the people of Baltimore have chosen (stupidly, in my opinion) to secede from the first world, and that Baltimore must now be demoted from that category. It is now a third-world city.
That's how bad 327 murders is, for a city of Baltimore's size.
The media should be covering this intensely, because it basically represents the collapse of a major American city.



I love Baltimore, live here, never had a problem here, but there are problems here that stick out starkly compared to other cities. There is a lot of good here, but things have to get better.
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Old 12-16-2015, 07:30 AM
 
5,289 posts, read 7,363,403 times
Reputation: 1158
At times, Baltimore feels like the worst place in the universe!

Interesting perspective! I left for college in the spring of 1991, but had moved around the country, visiting other cities, neighborhoods and locations waaaayy before I left Baltimore. My parents made sure that their children were exposed to other cities, people and cultures. In addition, to having many family, friends and associates in various geographies/cities, and after traveling a bit, you get a better perspective on Baltimore and why she behaves the way she does.

All these cities you mentioned, Boston, NYC and LA are great metropolises in my opinion (and, in their own right). But, there is one thing these cities don't have, is that they're not predominately African American cities with a heavily Black population. Within this population, in my personal perspective, lies so much social dysfunction, moral depravity, ignorance, racism/white supremacy, mis-education, mis-leadership, greediness, sickness and death that it would make the Pope shed a tear or 2. In some ways, the hatred felt for Baltimore, is self-generated by its residence, and now, has become inter-generational.

You're talking about Baltimore like it's never had any white ethnic organized crime outfits, they aren't as prevalent in scope and range as in Boston, NYC and LA (those cities are much larger), but Baltimore has definitely played it's part in nefarious organized white crime.

Quote:
For reasons of racial/racist bias, the crime in Baltimore tends to be overblown and over examined to the point where everyone believes that every single inch of ground in Baltimore City is a war zone.
*Living in Baltimore City and understanding its history, you can see why racial/racist bias is so strong. Overblown, No...overexamined, yes! I think most people don't consider Baltimore as Fort Apache The South Bronx 1974. They know that Baltimore has some decent neighborhoods with decent people.







Quote:
Originally Posted by EveryDayGuy View Post
I was born and raised in Baltimore, MD in the mid-1970 through the late 1990s. I left town for college and for career reasons but I spend a tremendous amount of free time there during the holidays and through early summer when I'm on vacation. My family is still there and most of the guys I grew up with, although many have married and bought homes in the metro area.

I went to Catholic school, grew up playing outside during the 80s in Waverly and near Penn-North. I was there through the initial crack years and saw the city go sour and things get somewhat stabilized.

There are problems in Baltimore, yes, but many of those problems happen in other cities too, but there appears to be a pathological desire to constantly degrade the city and her citizens and it's really silly and annoying.

I've lived in Boston, NYC and currently live in Los Angeles and I have to tell you that the only difference between those towns is WHO commits crime and HOW MUCH the media spends exploring it.

For example, Boston is a city that is overrun with white criminals committing crimes against white people yet you'd never hear Boston described like Baltimore even though Boston is infested with the Russian mob, the Irish mob, the Italian mafia and a new South American/Latino street gang population moving in.

NYC has the Russian mob, the Irish, the Armenian, the Albanian, the Columbian, the Jewish, the Italian, the Dominican and a large Latino mob situation but you'd never hear NYC described like Baltimore.

LA has more crime than you can possibly imagine. Every central American country has a slew of drug gangs representing them on the streets of LA. There's a huge Russian, Armenian and Eastern European sex trafficking and drug gang problem. There are tons of Asian gangs and mobs.

However, somehow, Baltimore is the worst place in the universe?

For reasons of racial/racist bias, the crime in Baltimore tends to be overblown and over examined to the point where everyone believes that every single inch of ground in Baltimore City is a war zone.

I attended five BBQs in Druid Hill Park last summer with the attendees being 99.9% African-American and with the exception of one drunk uncle, there was no violence or any issue at all. I went to ARTScape and there was a massive population of Black people and there were no problems.

I went to AFRAM in downtown a few years in a row and there were no problems.

IS it possible that people's implicit biases toward African-Americans also contribute to the perception that Baltimore is some hell hole? I come home all of the time and never have a single issue even when I'm in the "bad" neighborhoods. Where is all the warfare people keep being afraid of?

I know there's a teen problem on the streets of Baltimore because of decreased opportunities, but I also see a lot of teens getting jobs in the summer and trying to save up for college.

I'm guessing a lot of the reactionary and borderline racist comments on this forum are from people who simply have no positive experiences with Blacks or just assume the worst.

EDG
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Old 12-16-2015, 07:30 AM
 
Location: God's Country
5,182 posts, read 5,199,672 times
Reputation: 8689
Quote:
Originally Posted by EveryDayGuy View Post
I was born and raised in Baltimore, MD in the mid-1970 through the late 1990s. I left town for college and for career reasons but I spend a tremendous amount of free time there during the holidays and through early summer when I'm on vacation. My family is still there and most of the guys I grew up with, although many have married and bought homes in the metro area.

I went to Catholic school, grew up playing outside during the 80s in Waverly and near Penn-North. I was there through the initial crack years and saw the city go sour and things get somewhat stabilized.

There are problems in Baltimore, yes, but many of those problems happen in other cities too, but there appears to be a pathological desire to constantly degrade the city and her citizens and it's really silly and annoying.

I've lived in Boston, NYC and currently live in Los Angeles and I have to tell you that the only difference between those towns is WHO commits crime and HOW MUCH the media spends exploring it.

For example, Boston is a city that is overrun with white criminals committing crimes against white people yet you'd never hear Boston described like Baltimore even though Boston is infested with the Russian mob, the Irish mob, the Italian mafia and a new South American/Latino street gang population moving in.

NYC has the Russian mob, the Irish, the Armenian, the Albanian, the Columbian, the Jewish, the Italian, the Dominican and a large Latino mob situation but you'd never hear NYC described like Baltimore.

LA has more crime than you can possibly imagine. Every central American country has a slew of drug gangs representing them on the streets of LA. There's a huge Russian, Armenian and Eastern European sex trafficking and drug gang problem. There are tons of Asian gangs and mobs.

However, somehow, Baltimore is the worst place in the universe?

For reasons of racial/racist bias, the crime in Baltimore tends to be overblown and over examined to the point where everyone believes that every single inch of ground in Baltimore City is a war zone.

I attended five BBQs in Druid Hill Park last summer with the attendees being 99.9% African-American and with the exception of one drunk uncle, there was no violence or any issue at all. I went to ARTScape and there was a massive population of Black people and there were no problems.

I went to AFRAM in downtown a few years in a row and there were no problems.

IS it possible that people's implicit biases toward African-Americans also contribute to the perception that Baltimore is some hell hole? I come home all of the time and never have a single issue even when I'm in the "bad" neighborhoods. Where is all the warfare people keep being afraid of?

I know there's a teen problem on the streets of Baltimore because of decreased opportunities, but I also see a lot of teens getting jobs in the summer and trying to save up for college.

I'm guessing a lot of the reactionary and borderline racist comments on this forum are from people who simply have no positive experiences with Blacks or just assume the worst.

EDG

Sounds like someone from Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's PR team chiming in.


At Catholic school, you probably didn't have to worry about being ripped-off for your lunch money. I went to Catholic school too. But in those days, lunch money rip-offs were relatively rare even in public school.


Regarding the other cities you mentioned, do you have the murderers' demographics? If so, you may post them here =>
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Old 12-16-2015, 07:33 AM
 
Location: God's Country
5,182 posts, read 5,199,672 times
Reputation: 8689
Quote:
Originally Posted by UserName14289 View Post
And I do believe a large part of it is racial, as you said.

Yeah, just turn on the 5pm news.


Pretty obvious.
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Old 12-16-2015, 07:37 AM
 
5,289 posts, read 7,363,403 times
Reputation: 1158
Quote:
And to the haters, I just don't get the need to complain. If you don't like the area, move. Not every place is for everyone. If Baltimore isn't your cup of tea, no one will shed a tear when you leave. They didn't when I left, nor when I returned.
*Why can't the people who are actually hating the city by their never-ending ignorance, self-deating, decadent, dangerous behaviors and social dysfunction leave the city (yes, I'm talking about the ignorant townies regardless of ethnicity/color). People don't want to talk about that ish!!??







Quote:
Originally Posted by UserName14289 View Post
I love every single word of your post. I agree one million percent. I, too, was raised in Baltimore. I also moved all around the country (including CA three times, where you are now). I have also witnessed the exact same things all over the country and came to the same conclusion. It's why I have so little tolerance for the haters because I realize that they literally have no idea what they are talking about and watch far too much TV (because their feet on the street would tell them that most of the good happening around Baltimore never makes TV because it doesn't get good ratings).

I would never say Baltimore is perfect. Nothing is perfect. But I agree that it is skewed and hyper-zoomed in on those little nooks that are bad and made out to be like the entire city and even metro area is like that. And it hurts my heart when I see good happening that never gets air time, but such is the nature of the news.

And I do believe a large part of it is racial, as you said.

I also have never had any problems living in Baltimore and don't know anyone that has (and I grew up in a "bad" area). And to the haters, I just don't get the need to complain. If you don't like the area, move. Not every place is for everyone. If Baltimore isn't your cup of tea, no one will shed a tear when you leave. They didn't when I left, nor when I returned.
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Old 12-16-2015, 07:43 AM
 
5,289 posts, read 7,363,403 times
Reputation: 1158
Calvert, the only thing obvious on these boards is your racist/white supremacist thinking.

Lol! Of course you enjoy watching the 5pm local news outlet (if you actually call that news/information), but it's more like a propaganda machine that constantly solidifies the imagery of the Black male monster, the definitive brute and criminal the white media loves to vilify.



Quote:
Originally Posted by Calvert Hall '62 View Post
Yeah, just turn on the 5pm news.


Pretty obvious.
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Old 12-16-2015, 07:49 AM
 
5,289 posts, read 7,363,403 times
Reputation: 1158
Quote:
And it hurts my heart when I see good happening that never gets air time, but such is the nature of the news.
*Understood and I agree! There are local access cable programming that have a plethora of shows highlighting the niceties of Baltimore living. But, as far as mainstream exposure of good things in Baltimore, that's a toughy. "Nice" and "good" things don't bring headlines!





Quote:
Originally Posted by UserName14289 View Post
I love every single word of your post. I agree one million percent. I, too, was raised in Baltimore. I also moved all around the country (including CA three times, where you are now). I have also witnessed the exact same things all over the country and came to the same conclusion. It's why I have so little tolerance for the haters because I realize that they literally have no idea what they are talking about and watch far too much TV (because their feet on the street would tell them that most of the good happening around Baltimore never makes TV because it doesn't get good ratings).

I would never say Baltimore is perfect. Nothing is perfect. But I agree that it is skewed and hyper-zoomed in on those little nooks that are bad and made out to be like the entire city and even metro area is like that. And it hurts my heart when I see good happening that never gets air time, but such is the nature of the news.

And I do believe a large part of it is racial, as you said.

I also have never had any problems living in Baltimore and don't know anyone that has (and I grew up in a "bad" area). And to the haters, I just don't get the need to complain. If you don't like the area, move. Not every place is for everyone. If Baltimore isn't your cup of tea, no one will shed a tear when you leave. They didn't when I left, nor when I returned.
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