Last weekend Morgan State University celebrated its first full-scale homecoming without public health restrictions since 2019 due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. The event had a new take on old Morgan Spirit; a new rule for alumni and guests to be off the campus by 7 p.m., a perfect fall sunset in Charm City.
I don’t get it. You have hundreds of criminologists, law enforcement, politicians, community “leaders”, ministers, etc. who have collectively failed to fix Baltimore’s chronic high levels of violence for decades, so what exactly should this president be doing to fix it?
All skin folk ain’t kin folk. Without a strategy to address that reality (including the student population), schools in these “urban” environments will continue to experience these periodic acts of brutality until the surrounding communities gentrify and the problem class is displaced. It may be tone deaf, but fact is we can’t afford and shouldn’t tolerate lazy people not using trash cans and leaving our campus looking a mess.
Morgan isn’t in an area of the city that’s surrounded by urban blight, public housing, etc. The area around the campus is middle income for Baltimore with a large number of single family owned homes and low rise apartment’s. It’s not about gentrification or displacement.
It’s simply about an effort to connect the gaps between people. Unfortunately, it’s many of the young men of this area who are perpetuating this violence. These young men aren’t lost causes; and this piece is trying to articulate that Morgan should be solution not reducing its student experience because it doesn’t want to get its hands dirty.
Morgan needs a Black male community initiative. A real effort to bridge gaps in the “Morgan Mile”. But more importantly, a true effort focused on being Baltimore’s school. Embracing and standing with the city, not just when it’s convenient.
There have been decades of community initiatives of every variety, not to mention my own experiences getting my hands dirty as both a former Baltimore resident and property owner who co-led a summer camp for east Baltimore youth (North avenue). All these experts have not turned things around so civilians (students) still get targeted by the predator class a short distance away. IMHO, very very drastic measures beyond the legal scope of a college president and tough conversations about how to address the predator class are needed in order to resolve these issues.
Although we may see the responsibility and solution differently, respect to you for caring and pushing the issue into the forefront. 🫡
As someone who does tons of volunteer work with youth, and also grew up in what people call the good section of Southside Jamaica Queens, just because you live in a good section, doesn't mean that the troubles of those surrounding neighborhoods don't still infiltrate where you live. I don't know what the solution is and neither does anyone else. I have kids that I tried to mentor tell they don't care about themselves, so why would I care about anyone else. I'm still working on these kids, but the constant pull from the streets is very real when you're not there with them a 100% of the day. There are also plenty of youth groups and and adult groups too in the Baltimore area, who are trying to teach the parents of these kids, because they need guidance as well. Nile Style Barbershop hosts monthly speaking engagements with the community to speak on these matters. Again, I don't know what the answer is, but I know it's not an easy solution as it's wayyyyyy bigger than Morgan and Baltimore as you see the news with James Madison University yesterday and Columbia University in New York last week.
I don’t get it. You have hundreds of criminologists, law enforcement, politicians, community “leaders”, ministers, etc. who have collectively failed to fix Baltimore’s chronic high levels of violence for decades, so what exactly should this president be doing to fix it?
All skin folk ain’t kin folk. Without a strategy to address that reality (including the student population), schools in these “urban” environments will continue to experience these periodic acts of brutality until the surrounding communities gentrify and the problem class is displaced. It may be tone deaf, but fact is we can’t afford and shouldn’t tolerate lazy people not using trash cans and leaving our campus looking a mess.
Morgan isn’t in an area of the city that’s surrounded by urban blight, public housing, etc. The area around the campus is middle income for Baltimore with a large number of single family owned homes and low rise apartment’s. It’s not about gentrification or displacement.
It’s simply about an effort to connect the gaps between people. Unfortunately, it’s many of the young men of this area who are perpetuating this violence. These young men aren’t lost causes; and this piece is trying to articulate that Morgan should be solution not reducing its student experience because it doesn’t want to get its hands dirty.
Morgan needs a Black male community initiative. A real effort to bridge gaps in the “Morgan Mile”. But more importantly, a true effort focused on being Baltimore’s school. Embracing and standing with the city, not just when it’s convenient.
There have been decades of community initiatives of every variety, not to mention my own experiences getting my hands dirty as both a former Baltimore resident and property owner who co-led a summer camp for east Baltimore youth (North avenue). All these experts have not turned things around so civilians (students) still get targeted by the predator class a short distance away. IMHO, very very drastic measures beyond the legal scope of a college president and tough conversations about how to address the predator class are needed in order to resolve these issues.
Although we may see the responsibility and solution differently, respect to you for caring and pushing the issue into the forefront. 🫡
As someone who does tons of volunteer work with youth, and also grew up in what people call the good section of Southside Jamaica Queens, just because you live in a good section, doesn't mean that the troubles of those surrounding neighborhoods don't still infiltrate where you live. I don't know what the solution is and neither does anyone else. I have kids that I tried to mentor tell they don't care about themselves, so why would I care about anyone else. I'm still working on these kids, but the constant pull from the streets is very real when you're not there with them a 100% of the day. There are also plenty of youth groups and and adult groups too in the Baltimore area, who are trying to teach the parents of these kids, because they need guidance as well. Nile Style Barbershop hosts monthly speaking engagements with the community to speak on these matters. Again, I don't know what the answer is, but I know it's not an easy solution as it's wayyyyyy bigger than Morgan and Baltimore as you see the news with James Madison University yesterday and Columbia University in New York last week.