Baltimore
Baltimore neighborhood recovers after possible hate-crime fire
Police have no suspects in June incidents
One month after a fire damaged multiple homes and hospitalized three people in North Baltimore’s Abell neighborhood, the investigation into the blaze remains ongoing.
The city of Baltimore and the Baltimore City Police Department are working with the FBI and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms to investigate the fires. At this time, no person of interest has been named, and the fires, while determined to be intentionally set, have not yet been ruled a hate crime.
“In terms of the investigation, there were four fires that morning in the same area: a dumpster fire, a car fire, this fire, and one down the street. The house fire and the one down the street from it had Pride flags involved,” Council member Odette Ramos, who represents the Abell neighborhood, told the Blade. “What we do know is that they were all intentionally set. What we don’t know is if they are all related, and we don’t know yet if this is a hate crime. We really have the best of the best working on this … they are working diligently.”
As of last week, all three victims were out of the hospital and doing well, and according to Ramos, all the homeowners whose houses were damaged in the blaze have begun rebuilding.
“I’m grateful that they are digging in and ready to get back to the neighborhood,” she said. “The community came together to support the homeowners and raised about $15,000 at a recent fundraiser that I think the whole city attended … It was really nice to see.”
The Baltimore Peabody Heights Brewery hosted the fundraiser on June 23, with the goal of raising $5,000, and according to the Abell community Instagram, the fundraiser ended up raising $18,000 to go toward the homeowners’ rebuilding efforts.
Ramos said that investigators are also looking into potential links between the June 15 fire and other fires intentionally set in the same area a week or two prior. Although the clearance rate for arson is low — around 30% — Ramos said that the neighborhood has been proactive about sending in tips and that residents remain hopeful.
In response to the fires, many Abell residents are showing solidarity by displaying Pride flags, and part of the sidewalk was painted in rainbow colors.
“We don’t know that it was a hate crime, but for many members of our community, it really felt like it. And so, we have been really proud of our community — everybody has a Pride flag and everybody is making sure folks feel safe and welcomed,” Ramos said. “This neighborhood was one of the first neighborhoods to be welcoming to the LGBTQ community in Baltimore City, and we want to keep it that way.”
Baltimore
Baltimore Center Stage refuses to comply with federal anti-DEI guidelines for funding
National Endowment for the Arts has eliminated Challenge America grant program
By WESLEY CASE | The National Endowment for the Arts announced last month new guidelines and the elimination of Challenge America, a grant program that supports underserved groups and communities — moves that falls in line with President Donald Trump’s plan to reshape federal arts policy.
Now, Baltimore Center Stage, Maryland’s state theater, says it will refuse to comply with the NEA’s new guidelines — which state that applicants “will not operate any programs promoting ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’” or “gender ideology” — at the cost of its own potential federal funding in the future.
Under the new guidelines, the NEA is encouraging applicants to create projects that honor the upcoming 250th anniversary of the country’s adoption of the Declaration of Independence.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
Baltimore
Baltimore Safe Haven announces expanded services in new building
LGBTQ group provides housing, health, legal, other programs
The LGBTQ community services organization Baltimore Safe Haven announced it intends to expand its services in a recently acquired building that it’s currently renovating at 806 North Collington Avenue near the Johns Hopkins Hospital.
“The new facility, named the Mary Lynn Washington Building and the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation Community Hub and Resource Center, is set to open soon, marking a significant milestone in our ongoing mission to create safe and inclusive spaces for all,” a statement released by the group on Dec. 30 says.
“The expansion would not have been possible without the generous support and commitment of our community donors,” the statement says.
A report by Baltimore’s WMAR 2 TV news says the building’s rooms will accommodate two dozen people “who need transitional or permanent housing and will include clinical resources under the same roof.”
The TV news report says Baltimore Safe Haven’s founder and CEO, Iya Dammons, completed the purchase of the building over the Christmas weekend but neither the news report nor the Safe Haven statement disclosed the building’s purchase price.
“We extend our deepest gratitude to [Maryland State] Senator Mary Washington, Congressman Kweisi Mfume, Mayor Brandon Scott, Borealis Philanthropy, the Astraea Foundation, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, MOHS, COC, and MDH,” the statement says. “Their unwavering support has been instrumental in bringing this vision to life,” it says.
“The new community hub will serve as a one-stop resource center, providing expanded clinic services in collaboration with the University of Maryland, including mental health and wellness programming,” according to the statement.
A separate statement on its website says Dammons, a transgender rights activist, founded Baltimore Safe Haven in 2018. The statement says the group has previously expanded its services since its founding to provide housing services for members of the LGBTQ community facing homelessness and housing insecurity.
“The organization has also developed a wide range of programs and services focused on mental health support, physical health coordination, workforce development, legal support, advocacy, and community building.”
In July 2023, Safe Haven opened a D.C. office and drop-in center at 331 H St., N.E. that Dammons said would seek to provide services for the LGBTQ community, especially people in need, like the services provided in Baltimore.
Baltimore
5 more Salisbury students charged after man said he was lured to apartment attack
Suspects allegedly targeted victim on Grindr
By CODY BOTELER | Five more Salisbury University students have been charged in an alleged attack where a man said he was lured into an apartment and punched, kicked, and spat on because of his “sexual preferences,” the Salisbury Police Department said Thursday afternoon.
The latest charges come after seven students were arrested earlier in the week, in an incident law enforcement officials are investigating as a hate crime.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
‘Gay is Good’ Pride Pils Can Celebrates Frank Kameny’s 100th Birthday for WorldPride in D.C.
Comings & Goings
Calendar: April 11-17
It’s time for new leadership on the Maryland LGBTQIA+ Commission
Am I addicted to hooking up?
WorldPride organizers may warn trans people from abroad not to attend event
Local officials weighing impact of Trump’s D.C. executive order
US-funded South African LGBTQ groups curtail operations
Trans Maryland founder: Trans people ‘are afraid’
Trump’s battle with Maine over trans policies escalates
-
District of Columbia1 day agoWorldPride organizers may warn trans people from abroad not to attend event
-
District of Columbia3 days agoLocal officials weighing impact of Trump’s D.C. executive order
-
South Africa5 days agoUS-funded South African LGBTQ groups curtail operations
-
Maryland3 days agoTrans Maryland founder: Trans people ‘are afraid’