What’s happening?
A crowd of nearly 100 people attended a Save Our Block rally to fight displacement in Poppleton—a majority-Black community that’s home to one of the oldest public housing developments in Baltimore. Attendees received literature about the historic area and were encouraged to sign an online petition for the city to preserve the neighborhood.
Please, tell me more.
The city is asking residents to leave their homes to make way for new development by a group of New York investors. “Leaving your home, it’s like a death,” Carolyn Shoemaker, a long-time renter in Poppleton told The Baltimore Brew. “It’s like you lost a mom or your sister.”
While residents see this as forced displacement, the city argues that they are offering resources and funds to help residents relocate.
Anything else I should know?
While a number of prominent community activists spoke at the rally, none of the invited elected officials from City Hall showed up.
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