Is Better Waverly really better? (Baltimore, Barclay: appointed, city hall, neighborhoods)

[barante]

Waverly: North, South, East and West - North Baltimore, MD Patch

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

It hasn't been recently. Btw, the area of two most recent shootings was attributed to Better Waverly
, but thats really only on the tax map. Other neighborhoods maps clearly label it as Harwood, and the piece south of Exeter hall is represented by the Harwood community org. That area really sucks.

However there is a definite trickle of gays and artist types in bw ( and w proper for that matter). Low rent, leafy streets, easy access to lots of services and jhu ... There's a long way to go, but the seeds have been sown.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

http://www.901arts.org/

This event shows off waverly's creative side and it's youth arts center. Thursay night.

[ToneGrail]

They should call it "Worse Waverly" lol.

[Woodlands]

Is there a difference ? Seems like 'Waverly Village' or Waverly is "Better" than "Better Waverly".

Its funny that if you look at any of the organizations, particuliarly in Baltimore, that have the word "Improvement" in their names.. they were usually created/chartered to keep a group of people.. usually Jews and African Americans out.. circa 1920s through 1950s. I believe that Bolton Hill had the worked "improvement" in their name and it was later removed in the later half of the 20th Century.

I am disappointed the Baltimore doesnt have a Council of Neighborhoods.. or an informal network where neighborhoods in the City can come together to discuss common concerns and issues. The way the City is structured neighborhoods are little fiefdoms that compete for position to suck the tit of the government largess and build mental walls between one another.. Imagine if the neighborhood leaders of NW Baltimore got together regularly to discuss how the City impacts them... You would have Ashburton, Forest Park, Gwynn Oak, Dickyville, Howard Park, Garwyn Oaks to name a few. They could really drive public policy and their elected officials to take collective action to improve ALL of their neighborhoods but not just one or two favored or connected ones..

I think that City leaders have a vested interest in keep neighborhoods competing for the City's attention.. The old divide and conquer... "I would pave your street or build a playground but we spent all the money in that "other" neighborhood..Sorry"..Rather than.. how can we work together to build playgrounds facilities and neighborhoods that are better interconnected working together and serve each other needs and how are you.. JQ Citizen. going to contribute and work along with the City and your neighbors to achieve this.....Its a very paternalistic mentality in this town that is centered in City Hall and laced with entitlement and give me give me' while I provide nothing.. that serves its leaders by creating depended communities that are always in competition with one another rather than working together.


Plus if someone rose to become the 'chair" of the NW Baltimore Neighborhood Coalition, or the North Baltimore Neighborhood Council or similiar groups.. they would have an easy time to unseat some of the city council incumbants which is a direct threat to the establishment.. Do not get me wrong..there are a few areas like Cross Country, Glen, and Upper Park Heights that have neighborhood plans that bring them together under CHAI..and maybe groups like the Greater Lauraville that includes Beverly Hills and Hamilton but they are the exception rather than the rule......Even with these groups.. the City has their finger in the pot by providing funding or staff to assist via the Main Street Program or is run by a not for profit.. all which is well and good. The organization I am describing would be more for relationship and coalition building to mobalize communities around issues of mutal interest and benefit and more organic than and actual structured bureaucratic program

[Woodlands]

Interesting article about the violence that swept Waverly last year and increased the number of homocides in the relatively tranquil Northern District. The Commish describes it as "crew on crew" rivalries between The BGF (homegrown hooligans) and the Bloods (from the West Coast) over turf. I believe this is a direct result of the emptying out of East Baltimore around where Hopkins is expanding. The demolition of housing and the stepped up patrols by both BPD and JHU Security has driven the addicts above North Ave into the Barclay and Waverly neighborhoods...

The dealers follow the addicts but now they are in some other "crews" territory... which is why there is now violence. Its seems like they have gotten it under control.. but the weather is still yet cold so we shall see what happens when things thaw out......


Police Commissioner Batts:

[Hamish Forbes]

Originally Posted by Woodlands

Its funny that if you look at any of the organizations, particuliarly in Baltimore, that have the word "Improvement" in their names.. they were usually created/chartered to keep a group of people.. usually Jews and African Americans out.. circa 1920s through 1950s.

Geriatric White guy here. I continue to be surprised by the notion that antisemitism was widespread in Old Baltimore (although according to Barante a lot of this was Jew against Jew). I went to a city school early on, which was neighborhood-based and therefore had no Jewish students in those days, but I graduated from a WASPy private school that had plenty. There was not the slightest hint of antisemitism at the private school. Quite the contrary. The Jewish kids were among the best students, and the non-Jewish whites had great respect for them. One Jewish kid I knew fairly well was the son of a prominent Rabbi who was, in my estimation, a great man. As to housing discrimination -- we would have dearly loved to have had the Rabbi and his family as our neighbors. Talk about a man you could learn from!

All told, I think that the notion of antisemitism in Old Baltimore is greatly exaggerated (although I am sure that contradictory anecdotes can be found). The real animosity was toward Blacks.

[jonjj]

Originally Posted by Woodlands

Is there a difference ? Seems like 'Waverly Village' or Waverly is "Better" than "Better Waverly".

Its funny that if you look at any of the organizations, particuliarly in Baltimore, that have the word "Improvement" in their names.. they were usually created/chartered to keep a group of people.. usually Jews and African Americans out.. circa 1920s through 1950s. I believe that Bolton Hill had the worked "improvement" in their name and it was later removed in the later half of the 20th Century.

I am disappointed the Baltimore doesnt have a Council of Neighborhoods.. or an informal network where neighborhoods in the City can come together to discuss common concerns and issues. The way the City is structured neighborhoods are little fiefdoms that compete for position to suck the tit of the government largess and build mental walls between one another.. Imagine if the neighborhood leaders of NW Baltimore got together regularly to discuss how the City impacts them... You would have Ashburton, Forest Park, Gwynn Oak, Dickyville, Howard Park, Garwyn Oaks to name a few. They could really drive public policy and their elected officials to take collective action to improve ALL of their neighborhoods but not just one or two favored or connected ones..

I think that City leaders have a vested interest in keep neighborhoods competing for the City's attention.. The old divide and conquer... "I would pave your street or build a playground but we spent all the money in that "other" neighborhood..Sorry"..Rather than.. how can we work together to build playgrounds facilities and neighborhoods that are better interconnected working together and serve each other needs and how are you.. JQ Citizen. going to contribute and work along with the City and your neighbors to achieve this.....Its a very paternalistic mentality in this town that is centered in City Hall and laced with entitlement and give me give me' while I provide nothing.. that serves its leaders by creating depended communities that are always in competition with one another rather than working together.


Plus if someone rose to become the 'chair" of the NW Baltimore Neighborhood Coalition, or the North Baltimore Neighborhood Council or similiar groups.. they would have an easy time to unseat some of the city council incumbants which is a direct threat to the establishment.. Do not get me wrong..there are a few areas like Cross Country, Glen, and Upper Park Heights that have neighborhood plans that bring them together under CHAI..and maybe groups like the Greater Lauraville that includes Beverly Hills and Hamilton but they are the exception rather than the rule......Even with these groups.. the City has their finger in the pot by providing funding or staff to assist via the Main Street Program or is run by a not for profit.. all which is well and good. The organization I am describing would be more for relationship and coalition building to mobalize communities around issues of mutal interest and benefit and more organic than and actual structured bureaucratic program

Not sure if you have been in Baltimore for a long time or not but we used to have a city fair every year and many of the neighborhoods had booths and such. They often got together to discuss common issues/concerns. It was one of my annual favorite events along with the original "night" Preakness Parade. I sure wish they would bring them back.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Part of the image problem for BW is simply bad maps ... south of Exeter Hall Ave, where the bulk of the shootings occured, is actually in Harwood. Some of the Baltimore maps place it there, but the "official" one the newspaper goes by calls it BW. It's a real nitpicky thing, I know.

BTW, the way I understand it about the "Better" part of better waverly - back in the 70s, a seperate community organization emerged for the area south of 33rd street, something to the effect of "The Organization to Better Waverly." Over the years it was truncated.

[picardlx]

Originally Posted by Woodlands

I am disappointed the Baltimore doesnt have a Council of Neighborhoods.. or an informal network where neighborhoods in the City can come together to discuss common concerns and issues.

Isn't the York RD Partnership an example?