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50 Years Ago, Baltimore Began to Face a Crisis. Industrial jobs that had provided a large base of good, living wage jobs were leaving Baltimore. Business Leaders recommended a solution: if tax payers funded development in Baltimore, jobs would return to the city. So…
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50 Years Ago, Baltimore Began to Face a Crisis. Industrial jobs that had provided a large base of good, living wage jobs were leaving Baltimore.
Business Leaders recommended a solution: if tax payers funded development in Baltimore, jobs would return to the city.
So… Politicians gave wealthy developers our tax money to come to Baltimore. • Inner Harbor – Estimated $2.5-$3.5 billion since the 1980s • Hyatt – $30 million • Airport – $5.2 million per year to Airmall at BWI • Grand Prix- $7 million in road maintenance
At the Inner Harbor, David Cordish pays less than $1000 a year for rent at the Power Plant, and has his own downtown parking spot and three houses. The average Powerplant worker makes $8 an hour on a seasonal basis, while paying well above $12,000 a year in rent.
Harbor Point received $107 million in public money to build infrastructure for a luxury apartment complex ; $59 million will be used for parks. $59 million is more than the operational budget for a whole year for Parks and Rec. Baltimore closed or privatized 24 rec centers in 2012. Photos taken from Baltimore Brew website.
Baltimore has over 40,000 vacant houses. Each year 7,000 people face foreclosure and 150,000 go to rent court . On any given night there are 4,000 homeless.
Baltimore has thehighestrate of air pollution-relateddeaths in the country--higherthanourhomiciderate. Yetthenation’slargesttrashincineratorisslatedtobebuiltlessthan a mileawayfromschools in themostpollutedcommunity in Maryland.
This is Failed Development.
Fair Development puts people first. • …and is guided by five basic Human Rights Principles
But none of these can operate in isolation. Circle w/ Five spokes Instead, they operate like spokes on a wheel. • Indivisible in their purpose.
We can make this change happen, but we can’t do it alone. Student march from school to Incinerator site United Workers Human Rights Zone March Eastside Housing Speakout Reflection and Study in Human Rights Committees
No More Failed Development! We DEMAND Fair Development!