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My demographics: in my 50s, well-educated, partnered, well-traveled, with a very good job in a recession-proof slice of an almost-recession-proof industry. I've lived for at least 3 years in each of the following cities: Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, New Orleans (pre-Katrina), Pittsburgh, and Seattle (with shorter stints in Anchorage, St Paul, and Canton OH). I've now been in Baltimore for five years. I am leaving this summer ... to where is undecided, and it doesn't matter right now, as I (thankfully) can work anywhere, and work well. But leaving I am, and I'll be slamming the door on the way out.
First, let me recite what I like about Baltimore: the "high" culture is quite good, with an amazing amount of classical music performances, art (the two largest museums are free at all times), live theater, and film choices. If one is unsatisfied with the offerings, DC is just down the road at an average travel time of 45-50 minutes. Philadelphia is only 90 minutes, and it's never taken me longer than 3 hours to drive to New York City. The restaurants are good, some amazingly so, with good diversity; the crab is delicious. The climate is mild, in that winter hasn't been bad (the current one excluded !), and summer has never been sweltering longer than a day here and there. It only costs $1.60 to get to BWI airport on the light-rail, and with Southwest as the largest carrier, it is easy to get away cheaply. Ah .... and that's about it for what I like.
I think the thing I detest most is the undercurrent of racial tension and animosity, flowing almost always (from my perspective) from black to white (DISCLOSURE: I am white, my partner is black). This city is 68% black ... and to a degree greater than any place I've lived (even New Orleans), I find my black city-mates to be dour, surly, unhelpful, disrespectful, distrustful, loud, obnoxious, piggish, threatening, pestering, and plain low-class. And yes, I can think of multiple conduct examples for each of those adjectives. Here are a few:
1. having to bolt from this past summer's July 4th fireworks at the harbor, because a few homeboys saw fit to discharge their handguns, which set off a stampede that almost crushed a number of people;
2. having to listen to brain-numbing, bass-thumping car stereos blaring with rap music cruising through my neighborhood at 2 am, every weekend;
3. black girls fighting in the middle of a downtown intersection while the cops did nothing (more on the Baltimore police later);
4. general surliness from black employees of stores, fast-food restaurants, and other establishments on a daily and consistent basis, despite one's attempts to be as friendly as possible (watch out for the girl in the fish department at Whole Foods);
5. rude groups of young blacks at various sit-down restaurants who are loud, profane, and generally obnoxious, and when asked to tone it down, cause an even larger scene by accusing the management of racism;
6. regular stories in the local news about crimes by young blacks on the transit system, as well as my own personal experiences on the subway and light-rail, having to endure intolerable behavior by black youth and wondering why there are never any transit police when you need them. ADVICE: don't use mass transit in Baltimore.
My interactions over the course of five years have been consistently negative, consistently even in terms of geographical locations throughout the city, and consistently depressing when given thought afterwards. A telling sign: I am always filled with dread upon flying back to Baltimore from another city ... wishing that I was able to stay where I had just left. NOTE: none of the foregoing applies to the people I work with; my workplace is quite diverse, and I will miss my colleagues. But the people I work with are on a higher plane in terms of education and class, and the people I encounter outside work are, generally, on a much lower plane. That sums it up: this is a low-class city, a dooky hole of racism, and while I wish it were otherwise, I can't wish away the facts of my experience.
Now that I've ensured a slew of flaming hate in response, let me list some of the other things I hate about this place:
1. terrible streets and roads. Try driving up Calvert street or down St Paul street; avoiding the pot holes is like playing a video game.
2. red-light cameras. The city is installing more and more of them. Don't even try to make a right on red without making a complete stop.
3. Corruption. Our mayor just resigned after being convicted of theft. The cops are laughable ... never there when you need them, and always around if you're 5 miles over the speed limit.
4. Taxes. You'll pay a 3.05% Baltimore city income tax, on top of Maryland's 4.75% state income tax.
5. Garbage pick-up is once a week. And when you're walking downtown, see how many rats you can spot. I drove over one last summer as I was pulling into my apartment building's parking garage.
6. Think you're going to bicycle in this city?!? Think again. This city is the least bike-friendly of any place I've lived. There are no dedicated bike lanes, and if the pick-up trucks don't get you, the pitted streets will. At least our world-famous Shock Trauma Center will take good care of you.
7. The parks. Yes, we have them. And yes, in good weather, they are overrun with minority youth who will make you feel exceedingly out of place and uncomfortable.
8. Utility bills. Say hello to BG&E, and get used to electric bills that, in summer at least, will rival your car payment.
I think that's enough. It's enough for me. As much as I like my current job, and I really do like it, I'm saying goodbye in just a few months (I'm actually counting the days, and yes, my partner is going with me). If you're considering a move to Baltimore, well .... good luck. You'll need it.
I totally agree! People in 3rd world countries have better class than the people that I've encountered in Baltimore. I am African-American. I've dealt with the same misfortunes in Baltimore as you have. After, 18 months of living there I could no longer take it anymore. I have lived in various cities and I have traveled all over the world, but residing in Baltimore was one of the worst experiences of my life. My husband is a Hopkins alum and I dread everytime we have to come to Baltimore to visit Hopkins.
Why are you telling us this? Baltimore does have a fairly large black population right? And Baltimore is one of the most poverty stricken cities on the east coast right? Taxes and cost of living are somewhat elevated compared to most people's income right? Considering all these factors you would probably have the same experiences with whites,latinos,asian in the city if these races had the largest population in the city.
I am so sick of the entire black population being judged by the actions of a few. You said yourself that the blacks you work with are nothing like the experiences you had in the city. I lived in Florida for 10 years and most of the registered sex offenders were white men most of the people who kidnapped white kids in the state of Florida are white men!!! But I dont think all white men are child predators and that is not the reason I left Florida!!
I think you are using these experiences to justify you being a racist Good Luck in your new city!!
I have lived in Baltimore my whole life, and am sorry to hear that this is the extent of the experience you had while here. I'm not quite sure what you are trying to achieve by spending so much energy and time complaining about it, though. If you want to leave, then go. Baltimore does not need your negativity. Don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out.
I have lived in Baltimore my whole life, and am sorry to hear that this is the extent of the experience you had while here. I'm not quite sure what you are trying to achieve by spending so much energy and time complaining about it, though. If you want to leave, then go. Baltimore does not need your negativity. Don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out.
I agree that Baltimore is a thoroughly ugly, dangerous, depressing, hyper-segregated city. However, America is segregated period. For example, NYC as a whole may be incredibly diverse, but New York is also intensely segregated. An average suburban/rural White person who is not accustomed to dealing with Black folks will be extremely out of place in Bed-Stuy or Brownsville in Brooklyn.
I also agree that racial tensions in D.C. are higher than they are in Baltimore. I think it is because there are no poor, middle class or working class White folks in D.C. The snooty old money/yuppie White folks in D.C. look down on the lower class, and even upper class, Blacks in the District. Being the nation's capital, D.C. should be much more racially integrated. There are mainly only two types of people in D.C.:
1.) Snooty, Ivy League educated, elitist, White-washed, conservative good-job having folks who look down on anybody of a lower socioeconomic status. These people are completely out of touch with the reality most Americans live in. These folks live easy comfortable luxurious lives with brand new BMW's and Benzes and multi-million dollar estates.
2.) Impoverished ghetto residents who are exposed to a life of unemployment, menial low-paying jobs, high murder/STD/violent crime rates, drugs, addiction and spending the little money they have trying to keep up with the ghetto fabulous joneses.
I moved to Baltimore as a kid and yeah I faced a lot of discrimination as a racially ambiguous mixed guy from San Francisco. However, unlike D.C., Whites and Blacks of similar socioeconomic status get a long very well. When I was going to school in Baltimore in the late 90's, there were White kids who were cool or "Black enough" to hang out with the cool well-dressed Black kids and vice versa. All in all, Maryland is more segregated than most big cities above the Mason-Dixon line. In Center City in Philly, interracial couples are the norm and you see cross-cultural phenomena like White folks and non-Blacks dressing "urban".
Last edited by goldenchild08; 05-31-2010 at 09:23 PM..
All in all, Maryland is more segregated than most big cities above the Mason-Dixon line. In Center City in Philly, interracial couples are the norm and you see cross-cultural phenomena like White folks and non-Blacks dressing "urban".
You are confusing Baltimore with all of Maryland. As a whole, Maryland is very well integrated and interracial couples in the DC metro are very common.
I think you are using these experiences to justify you being a racist
No, I'm pretty sure she's using those experiences to justify moving out of Baltimore. The experiences she's talking about involved black people, not white people.
I mean, I get so annoyed when people walk out in front of my car every few feet on East Monument. None of these people have been white. Does it make me racist to be annoyed by a thing that only black people have done, in my own personal experience? I'm sure there are white people who do this somewhere, but not in that exact location.
I've struggled with a lot of guilt about this since moving here. I'm from a diverse community where almost everyone was middle-class and upper-middle class, regardless of race (I'm white). I grew up in a very PC household. However, when I'm driving down East Monument, the fact remains that just about everyone who's walking there is black, and when I almost hit several people a day with my car because they're walking out into traffic with zero regard for vehicles that are coming straight towards them, I feel horribly guilty for thinking negative thoughts about black people at all. It's one of the harder things about living in Baltimore, for me personally.
It seems like in Baltimore the victims/suspects have lengthy records from the past....The one thing that makes me scratch my head about Baltimore is that criminals will commit a murder...the prosecutor will give 40 years with 39 mnths suspended and time served and they're right back on the street and the cycle continues......The criminals are no worse than anywhere else they just get off EASY and they know that so whats the deterent....go to baltimoresun I read about these stories everyday
I mean, I get so annoyed when people walk out in front of my car every few feet on East Monument. None of these people have been white. Does it make me racist to be annoyed by a thing that only black people have done, in my own personal experience? I'm sure there are white people who do this somewhere, but not in that exact location.
I've struggled with a lot of guilt about this since moving here. I'm from a diverse community where almost everyone was middle-class and upper-middle class, regardless of race (I'm white). I grew up in a very PC household. However, when I'm driving down East Monument, the fact remains that just about everyone who's walking there is black, and when I almost hit several people a day with my car because they're walking out into traffic with zero regard for vehicles that are coming straight towards them, I feel horribly guilty for thinking negative thoughts about black people at all. It's one of the harder things about living in Baltimore, for me personally.
A place where lots of white people cross the street wherever they please is Annapolis. If you were to drive down the street in Annapolis, and saw a bunch of white people jaywalking in front of your car, would you come to resent white people for this?
I'm guessing no. That's because you have other issues at work in your psyche when it comes to racial issues. I'm not saying you are a racist. I think, though that your thinking in this specific situation -- that A (a person is jaywalking) + B (said person is black) equals C (black people jaywalk because they are black) -- is a racist thought.
Not to sound all touchy-feely, but it's important that when people have these types of reactions, that they sit down and talk it out with themselves and get to the bottom of why they feel this way. Feeling guilty does nothing for you... you need to confront your own prejudices.
On a more basic note: "the fact remains" that Baltimore is majority black. Based on that, wouldn't it be statistically more likely that a black person would be jaywalking in front of your car than any other race?
No, I'm pretty sure she's using those experiences to justify moving out of Baltimore. The experiences she's talking about involved black people, not white people.
I mean, I get so annoyed when people walk out in front of my car every few feet on East Monument. None of these people have been white. Does it make me racist to be annoyed by a thing that only black people have done, in my own personal experience? I'm sure there are white people who do this somewhere, but not in that exact location.
I've struggled with a lot of guilt about this since moving here. I'm from a diverse community where almost everyone was middle-class and upper-middle class, regardless of race (I'm white). I grew up in a very PC household. However, when I'm driving down East Monument, the fact remains that just about everyone who's walking there is black, and when I almost hit several people a day with my car because they're walking out into traffic with zero regard for vehicles that are coming straight towards them, I feel horribly guilty for thinking negative thoughts about black people at all. It's one of the harder things about living in Baltimore, for me personally.
You are only building sterotypes in your mind and you now think that all black people are loud and jaywalk. Everyone jaywalks, especially in cities. I'm sure you have seen just as many black people waiting at cross walks but because that does not annoy you, you do not notice. It is not uncommon to remember annoying things much more than routine everyday things. Most people remember bad things over good things. The problem is that even if most blacks are waiting at cross walks, it will be even harder to get rid of the sterotype that you have built up in your mind.
Believe it or not but you might also be fueling sterotypes in their mind as well. They may see the contempt in your eyes, if they see it enough, then they will think all white people hate black people or want to run them over. People can look at you and read your body language and attitude pretty quickly. All of this causes more segregation. In the words of Rodney King, "Can't we all just get Along?"
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boredatwork
..The criminals are no worse than anywhere else they just get off EASY and they know that so whats the deterent....go to baltimoresun I read about these stories everyday
