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Driving through parts of Baltimore, with it's teeth shattering, car rattling, seemingly permanent potholes, it's easy to get the feeling that someone somewhere stopped caring a long time ago.
A post apocalyptic feeling permeates the air in many neighborhoods. Abandoned homes, trash strewn vacant lots, and natives who often express a sense of dire desperation without saying a word, only add to an atmosphere of despair. The permanent enunciation worn on their faces tell a story without words.
How did things get so far gone? What's being done about it? Why does it seem like the city allows some areas to fall into severe neglect and disrepair while continually pumping resources into certain choice spots? These are questions I'm often asked by visitors and outside observers of the city I call home.
Then there's the vicious violence and murderous mayhem. It's literally destroying the very fabric of your society, ripping us apart by the seams, but we won't dwell on that subject very much in this space. We'll leave the chronicling and commentary of crime to our sister site, The Baltimore Spectator.
It's clear Baltimore is broken, and in my opinion, the path it's currently on is hardly one of true and sustainable progress.
Making Things Better
If there's to be any hope of Baltimore building itself back up, it's gonna take all hands on deck. Making a once great city fit for families and human habitation in all zip codes, is going take full participation by all parties concerned.
This project by no means claims to be the solution to all that ails us. But we'd like to be part of progress in a city that so desperately needs it.
It would be a lie to depict our goals and the tasks we'll have to perform to achieve them as easy. Anything worth having is worth working for. And hard work and perseverance would go a long way when coupled to a strategic vision backed by a comprehensive plan. There's simply no getting past this.
Disappointments and setbacks are sure to come, but I'm confident we'll also have many victories and success to celebrate too.
In the coming days and weeks I'll be calling on you for help. Help in cultivating a more livable environment. To work with me in doing our part to reclaim a lost city. To give of your time, and yes, when needed, some of your money too.
Check back on this site for specific projects and initiative. There'll be instruction for participation. Oh, and of course your ideas, suggests and concepts are always welcome.
Here's to new beginnings and a promise to press on! It's my sincere hope that you'll buy into the vision and join me in building a better Baltimore.
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Community activist, independent journalist, and entrepreneur, A.F. James MacArthur's roots run deep in the world of underground, alternative publications. First publishing a print newsletter with a small international falling in 1991, his path has since taken him on a vast array of varied media projects.
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