Baltimore: A Love/Hate Relationship

I love Baltimore and many of the people. People are real, they are honest, and it’s in your face. However, I don’t like that these realities include people being hooked on drugs, illegal home invasions by some officers that don’t abide by the law themselves, or inept politicians who control the laws of Baltimore.

I constantly see all of the destruction. Homes are boarded up, people are homeless, families are constantly being split apart due to many different reasons. It all just makes me think: “What can I do to remedy this situation?”

Personally, I want to give, especially to a city that I love so much. Giving makes the world go around and I’ve seen so many people in Baltimore give. People who don’t even have much themselves, I’ve seen them give to others.

A man who sold bottles of water after Orioles games, he didn’t have much himself. He was laid off of his job and attempted to feed his family. He saw a man who was homeless and dehydrated and he ran to him, helped to sit him up, and gave him water.

This man barely had much himself. He gave to a man that had less than he did. That’s very commendable. It’s always easy to complain about living near a city where people aren’t being treated fairly.

But, instead of complaining about how people are hooked on drugs, politicians don’t understand our community, or people are brutally beaten, we can all take a stand to help one another. We can all give at the homeless shelter, empower generations after us by showing them that they WILL make a difference.

Instead of hate, we can make Baltimore about showing love to one another. After all, it is Charm City. I see a lot of building blocks for good in this community, I just feel as if it is time to capitalize on it, instead of showing apathy.

Finally a quote from author B.D. Boyer sums up what is necessary for our cities to succeed:

Our society is obligated now to pay the sum due to save our cities. If it does not pay, the cities will be lost forever … the houses and the neighborhoods have been destroyed. We must rebuild them while there is still time. Now.

#Baltimore