Baltimore's pride and joy.

[mia]

I love Baltimore. It's my mother's home town. I went to high school and college there. One of my Baltimore cousins just posted this on his facebook page. It's a wonderful video.

Off the Wall

Hey Mike – Any thoughts on your racist President’s attack on your fair city? No? I thought not.

Bryan Watson



Hi Bryan

To the dismay of many on this page, I’m going to answer your question. Not because I want to start a political fight, (or reward your phraseology,) but because Baltimore is in fact, my hometown, and I object to the way it’s being discussed. Full disclosure, I’m involved in the annual Baltimore Homecoming later this fall, whose purpose is to shine a light on the many good reasons to live and work there. So, with that bias in mind, I’ll answer your question as candidly as I can.

In short, I think the President, having touched the tusk of an elephant, has concluded that the whole animal is made of ivory. Obviously, he’s mistaken.

Once upon a time, I owned a home in the seventh district. In fact, I was born in Ellicott City, also represented by Elijah Cummings. I visit often because I still have friends in the Congressman’s district, and when I’m there, I see nothing resembling the conditions the president has described. That’s not to say those conditions don’t exist; they do. But there’s more the seventh district than urban blight, and I feel a certain obligation to help Baltimore push back against unfair portrayals and one-sided, inaccurate characterizations. The reputation of a town is not so different than the reputation of a man or woman. Both take a lifetime to build, and just a few moments to destroy. And the press is very good at destruction, even when the carnage is unintentional....

Anyway, in the interest of something approaching balance, here’s an example of a program in Baltimore the president could encourage other cities to emulate. Check out the attached video. It’s short, and features a few friends of mine from the rougher parts of town. Some will likely dismiss them as former convicts or homeless drug addicts, which they were, once upon a time. But that’s no longer the case. Why? Because these men refused to be defined by their past, or by a tweet from someone who can’t see the whole elephant.

I hope Baltimore can do the same. https://www.facebook.com/pg/TheRealMikeRowe/posts/?ref=page_internal