This is the note that was sent out Monday, May 31, 2020. The BHA Executive Committee is working on a statement to coalesce our thoughts into actions appropriate for the neighborhood, which will be posted here when completed.
Neighbors,
This year, 2020, has piled on hurt after hurt for our friends and neighbors. During a worldwide pandemic, we have seen protests begin around the country and here in Baltimore in the wake of the murders of more black people - particularly men - at the hands of the police. We say their names and hope they rest in power: George Floyd and Tony McDade. And we grieve for all those who have been murdered whose names have not been heard.
While the BHA often interfaces with the police when tracking neighborhood crime, we feel the need to make this statement: We do not condone the institutionalized racism and the systematic oppression, which exists at scale across the country, within the police force. We know many good officers, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t working within a nationwide system that consistently and routinely puts our neighbors of color at risk.
To be clear, we recognize that, while the Baltimore City Police Department has been working to follow plans laid out within the consent decree, we also know that there is a long way to go. When we talk about condemning police violence, we are speaking of all police departments across the United States.
We want to see change and will be informing, as an association, our local politicians that we demand action for effective changes that will drastically reduce the risk and everyday harm associated with racist systems of power. We will also be writing to the BCPD to urge them as a department and as individual police officers that they must stand against the bad and racist officers they work with. Systematic change will take some time, and it must start from the inside.
Black lives matter. There is no viable argument against this fact. And until the lives of people of color are treated equitably under the law and in everyday life, it is important to state that simple fact devoid of any false equivalencies like “all lives matter.” Because until we see radical change within our healthcare and school systems, within policing, within the government, and within society, black lives will continue to be at risk for no reason other than existing. Black lives matter.
We are committed to listening, to learning, and to developing actionable steps that we can take as a neighborhood association.
With hope, the Butchers Hill Association Executive Committee
Beth Braun, Dan Kiselik, Billy Motel, Brianna McNamara, Sarah Hoover, Emily Warren, Andrew Crummey, Jay Golon, Amy Sheinin, Doug Gorius
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Butchers Hill is a uniquely inviting neighborhood made up of architecturally diverse brick rowhomes which date back to the 1850s.
Located adjacent to Patterson Park, this community offers many amenities for residents.
Families, college students, young professionals, and retirees all agree—this is the best neighborhood in Baltimore!
Please explore our website and join us in the many community events hosted throughout the year.
