There we go! Proud of you for overcoming your fears and being more straightforward about your racist prejudice. I get why it's shameful, but you don't want to be a moron and a coward, do you?

Just be brave and say whatever racist shit you really mean by that.

The only possible solution to this problem is to address the root causes of crime, especially poverty. Anything else is just reacting to it.

Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth take office.

Lawyers?

Nonsense, you've just never met a good one. I'm a community organizer and I know a few members of the clergy who are down in the trenches with me practicing what Jesus really preached.

Woop woop

The corral's on the street

Woop woop

Park your scooter there please

Just checking, wasn't clear when you'd moved in, and most people outside south Baltimore don't seem to know we even have an incinerator.

Are you close enough that it might be the trash incinerator?

Find a lower priced airBnB? I know a lot of hate is circulating on reddit about fees costing more than the rental, and that's out there, but it isn't every listing.

Why bother fixing the BPD when you can just hire their rejects onto a force even less accountable to the public? No way that could go wrong.

Do you know what "per capita" means? It doesn't mean there aren't rich people in Baltimore. Also, they don't need to be. Plenty of outside interests in this city.

Both parties serve the interests of the rich. That's not the problem.

The bus system was a lot stronger. Light rail is good for serving high traffic routes, but a reliable and well developed bus network is what truly takes cars off the road. There's nothing fundamentally wrong with the routes, there just aren't enough busses running them to keep the system speedy and reliable.

I agree with the sentiment, but WOW is that a shitty meme.

Baltimore used to have one of the nation's best public transit systems. A half century of deliberate underfunding and having too few bus drivers has ruined it, but there's no reason we can't get back to where we once were by reversing that trend.

This would be a stupid thing to say in any context, but it isn't even relevant here at all.

What a dumb question. That's how the city's government is structured. Yes, we need a city council unless there are major foundational changes.

You're welcome! I want to stress that neither charity nor Healthcare for the Homeless is "bad", and HCH is an essential service. It's the first place I would send someone who's homeless or about to be, it's a good point of entry and a gateway to other services. But... as I said, charity is not enough, and if you want to give, it would be great to also give towards really ending the problem.

Instead of Healthcare for the Homeless, donate to Housing our Neighbors. They're a homeless led group organizing to end homelessness. They led the way to homeless folks being housed in vacant hotels during the pandemic instead of death trap shelters that had inhumane conditions even before the pandemic.

Healthcare for the Homeless does not share this mission- they treat the symptoms of homelessness, not the cause. Not saying that's not important, but its not the solution, either. This thread is full of recommendations for groups that work to make the poor more comfortable, but don't address the causes of poverty. Charity is not enough.

Any time! Making these changes is absolutely possible, it happens all the time... but it takes a lot of work. It's very good to get off the sidelines- win or lose, if you participate you'll learn a lot about how power and our government really function.

Individuals cannot realistically take action. Only unified groups can do anything. Also, the fight isn't going to be over when the ballot initiative is passed. If that's all you're organized to do, and everyone goes home afterwards, you've done nothing. My organization led the way for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund to be passed via ballot initiative. A year went by and the city hadn't put any money in the fund despite it passsing, so we had to gear up to fight again. Then we had to fight to make sure the money was used correctly.

In summary, individuals can't do shit. If you want the city to do something the city does not want to do, you need a committed group organized for the long term for a cause, not an individual policy.

You need to collect a lot of signatures. This will require a lot of time, help, dedication, organization, money. It is not a small task. If you're serious, research organizations behind successful ballot initiatives and ask them.

>Or maybe that particular landlord simply got too small of a unit and/or hired a crappy installer who cut corners?

Yes, that's what I'm saying.

I was told by the BGE Home energy efficiency guy that the heat pump installed was not suitable for this climate, but cheap landlords install them anyway because it isn't illegal.