This is not an "I love Baltimore" day

I'll admit it, I tend to thrive on drama. Whether it's my own or someone else's, I feed off of it. I think we all do in a way, and that's ok. What is life without drama? But personally, I prefer the good kind. That's what I like to thrive on. The bad kind of drama, well, I'm not a big fan. In fact, I have a tendency to hide or run away from the negative drama, something I need to work on if I ever want to become a truly effective counselor.

Today's drama is not the good kind, and it's not mine. Earlier this week, the Baltimore Sun did an article about the city's new tactic to crack down on the heavy drug areas in west Baltimore. In a nutshell, they're going after the landlord of one of the worst complexes in the area (in terms of drug/violent activity) and revoking their dwelling license. One of my students, who lives in this apartment complex and just graduated in May (let's call her Debbie), was quoted in this article:

"Usually, when I'm coming home from school, I have to say 'Excuse me' because the hallways are always crowded with drug dealers," said ******** *******, 17, who has lived in the building since she was 6 and plans to attend **** University in the fall. "They think they own the building, and half of them don't even live here."

I sent her an email earlier this week commending her on speaking out, and doing it in a very graceful, well-spoken manner. I don't know why I didn't think of this at the time, but today I heard from a very freaked out Debbie. Apparently, her mother also gave a television interview with one of the local news stations, and now they've begun receiving threats. I'm assuming they're from the drug dealing big wigs in the area who will ultimately be affected by not only the move the city has made, but also by any person willing to speak out against drugs and other violent crimes happening right outside their front door. Not only does this make me fearful for Debbie and her mother, but it also pisses me off to no end.

Debbie tells me the city police are 'looking into' getting them some protection. I'm not sure what that means, and I'm not sure she knows, either, but I'm hoping that the city's recent promises to crack down on witness intimidation and to protect those who do come forward, will offer them some comfort. I suggested she stay with friends until this thing blows over, and I hope she does. A very large part of me wants to drive right over, pack them into my car, and take them home with me.

I really do think, ultimately, they will be fine. A few years ago, when I lived in a downtown area that had a slight drug problem, I didn't hesitate to firmly ask dealers or junkies to get off of our front steps, nor did I hesitate to call the police if I saw anything even remotely drug-related. I understood the risks, but I also understood it's what we have to do if we hope to ever curb the problem in this city. But I also knew when it was more prudent for me to keep my mouth shut. I don't think my student and her mother understood this as well as others do, but then again, why should any citizen of Baltimore have to live in that kind of fear? It's a catch-22 that I hate with a passion. Where do people get off wielding that kind of power over the innocent? Where do people get the idea that it's their 'right' to take over and entire city block and make it into a shooting gallery (the firearm kind) for their own personal vendettas? Where do people get off claiming someone else's front steps as their own? It's unacceptable.

When I was a caseworker, I met a lot of drug dealers that I really thought were decent people. At that time, I had a job to focus on, so I usually didn't bother to pay close attention to what they did for a living (that was also one of those times I needed to err on the side of caution), but they knew I thought they could do something better with their lives and as long as I wasn't blabbing their activities to the police, they were happy to listen to me and some of them even looked out for me when I was doing home visits. That's when I learned that regardless of the poor choices that put them there, they were stuck in a game they couldn't see any way out of. It's easy for you or me to look at the situation and say, "go back to school" or "just get a job", but I understand it's much more complicated than that. But I also learned from these people that there was a way to go about dealing without threatening the lives of innocent people who just want to be able to come home to a safe house or apartment, without worrying if a gun fight is going to break out. It's the dealers who have no regard for these people that I truly hate. The dealers who actually enjoy their lifestyle and have gained so much power on the street that they think they're above basic laws of society.

I hope Debbie and her mom are ok. I hope the city's move to taget the landlord does force them to move out of the building because they deserve to be somewhere better than that. I hope that people like Debbie and her mom will continue to speak out against what goes on in their neighborhoods. This is a day that I don't love Baltimore, at least not that side of it.