"Baltimore, the city of dreams, harbor scapes addicts and fiends" -Caleb Stine and Saleem

Alt. Country rocker Caleb Stine and Hip hop artist Saleem said it best, "Its a metropolis the feels like a small town, a special place a lot of people call home now, we just call it Baltimore", others call it Charm City. I have lived in the Baltimore metro area most of my life, and I have witnessed it go from a place where you would only enter the city to go to Orioles games due to the fear of violence, to a place were young adults now live in large numbers in areas like Canton, Hampden and Federal Hill. Baltimore has an amazing music and nightlife scene, with bands like Caleb Stine , The Bridge , Mad-Sweet Pangs there is always a show to be seen or a bar to be seen at. Baltimore boast one of the top art schools in the country called MICA , as well as a whole host of cultural experiences, from museums to theaters and open air festivals.

However Baltimore has a very dark side, that the city government has failed to address, everyday the local paper reports a new murder or gun crime. Much of this violence is directly related to drug's, specifically hard drugs like heroine and crack. I used to work as a Mental Health case manager for a non profit, where I would venture into many of the areas that most people would not dream of entering. The issues go a lot deeper than just the drug trade, much of the violence is due to despair and is institutionalized and ingrained in the city culture to a point here honest hard working citizens are afraid to report crime because of the "Don't Snitch" culture.

It starts at a young age, many folks go to schools with deplorable conditions, now I must admit the city has taken great strides to make changes in the cities education system, however change must start at home. What I mean by that, is parents must show their children that success is not measured by material objects like cars, watches and clothes, but by education, life experience and freedom. Freedom from violence, poverty and fear. The drug dealer on the corner who wears the expensive clothes and nice watches, is not cool, in fact he is a plague on society. He carries a loaded handgun because he lives in fear, fear of being robbed or murdered.


Citizens of Baltimore need to stand up and take back the city from the scum that have been threatening to destroy the progress that this city has made in the last decade. Baltimore is a great city and it can only get better !