When you come visit your boy, wear your vest!

Kevlar vest, that is!

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Baltimorians listen up! Just in case you were wondering what that was that just whizzed past your ear while you were walking from your office building to your car..It was a bullet! Probably one that's helped contribute to the 64 deaths (homicides) in Baltimore City (so far) this year.

I found it rather funny last night while watching the news that the Mayor of Baltimore, Sheila Dixon, had this to say about the city's ridiculous amount of homicides so far this year:

"We could have had a police officer on every corner, but some of those cases would have happened anyway because, again, those individuals have chosen to be violent, to go back and get back at a person versus trying to talk through it,"

Oh really? Isn't it sort of a proven fact that police presence is a very good deterrent for violent crimes? People tend to think twice before doing something illegal when the police are around, right? But I get your point, you're saying that even if a crime was put off (on hold) for a day or two because of police presence, bodies would still eventually be getting dropped because people just want to kill one-another, rather than resolve the conflict. Perhaps this is true. And with that said, you have suggested a solution...

Your solution: Operation Safe Streets
--> Catchy. But what does it really entail?

Your prediction: "You'll see perhaps by mid-year or around the fall that it'll taper off compared to last year"
--> Oh really? Let's hope so. But again, what does your plan entail? As in HOW are you going to deter people from committing homicides?

As a citizen of Baltimore, I'm wondering if "Operation Safe Streets" will include the following:

• A snitchmobile: A mobile unit for people to snitch on people they know may potentially commmit homicides. This will probably prove very effective in a city known for it's lack of snitches. Sarcasm, yes!
• More police officers on the street: What a great idea? Those little blue cameras that let me know where not to buy real estate also tape people. But eventually people forget about the cameras, get used to them, or find ways around them, and go ahead about their illegal business
• Conflict resolution programs in schools since the murder rate is going up most among juveniles: How about a program city-wide in public schools for conflict-resolution that has the proper funding and staffing? It might take some time to get this rolling but it could be part of a larger initiative that's implemented over time
• Parental counseling: Most of the problems of the inner city can be traced back to what goes on in the home. Somebody get these parents some help because they obviously aren't doing a good job on their own.

The ironic thing about all this is that I don't feel unsafe in Baltimore. I don't feel unsafe in my neighborhood, at work, or when I go out. But maybe that'll last until I get my brains blown out or until something happens to someone close to me. I hope not. In any case, it appears that the potential for a human being to be on the wrong side of a homicide in Baltimore is second to ONE (place). That place being Philadelphia where they're already at 100 murders for the year and averaging a murder a day (yikes!).

While I may sound skeptical of Mayor Dixon's plan, I glad that she is addressing the issue and has developed a plan. And I am also hopeful that it does help lower the murder rate. Anything that can make this city safer is something that I am all for. Like Jack Johnson closing down the go-go clubs in PG County, she's making a stand to let the residents know that she is not ignoring the problem, but trying to find a solution that will save lives. Which is of course, the most important thing in all of this, keeping people safe and alive.

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All quotes taken from and inspiration for this post derived from this article:

Baltimore Mayor Hopes To Curb Cycle Of Violence