Pubdate: Mon, 06 Jun 2016 Source: Baltimore Sun (MD) Copyright: 2016 The Baltimore Sun Company Contact: http://www.baltimoresun.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/37 Author: Zeke Cohen Note: Zeke Cohen is the Democratic nominee for Baltimore's City Council in the 1st District. These Democratic nominees also contributed to the op-ed: Isaac Schleifer, 5th District; Kris Burnett, 8th District; John Bullock, 9th REBUILDING FAITH IN BALTIMORE CITY Throughout Baltimore, citizens' faith in our public institutions has been badly shaken. Last year saw the most murders per capita on record. Scandals have hobbled our housing and police departments. The recent election resulted in "widespread irregularities." Full agency audits have proven elusive amid continual delays. Our Affordable Housing Trust Fund is broke. Over a year after Freddie Gray's untimely death, we have not fully addressed any of the inequities that haunted his short life Yet there are glimmers of hope. Throughout the city, citizens are digging in, reinvesting, rebuilding community and creating new opportunities. In the most recent election, voters were energized and turned out in unprecedented numbers. They selected eight new Democratic nominees for the City Council. Five of us have come together to offer an alternative vision for what our city could look like. We reflect the diversity that makes Baltimore great. In our day jobs, we share a commitment to raising the next generation of healthy, well-informed citizens. We are educators, community organizers, small business owners and mentors. And while our policy preferences may differ, we ran for office because we believe in Baltimore, and we know that rebuilding our city will require us to work together across lines of difference. We reject the provincialism that has kept our city separate and segregated. We believe that economic development must be evenly shared across communities. And we believe that government must operate with transparency, efficiency and inclusiveness. Our city cannot survive if we continue to have large pockets of poverty near areas of affluence. We are committed to building affordable integrated housing, creating a transit system that effectively serves all citizens and helping to usher in a new era of excellence in our schools. We believe that members of the City Council must reassert ourselves in the conversations about how our institutions are governed as we work with our partners in Annapolis. We believe that expanding opportunities for citizens who have felt voiceless does not need to come at the expense of public safety. We reject the misguided impulse to fear our children, even those who are hard to reach. We have wasted too many precious lives and dollars on our failed War on Drugs and the resultant wave of mass incarceration. We must invest in services and programs that we know will keep our kids on the right track. Here is one policy proposal to consider: What if we shifted our past commitment away from "zero tolerance for drug use" toward "zero tolerance for youth unemployment"? The goal would be to make sure every young person between the ages of 16 and 24 who wants to work is able to attain a decent job with a path toward a career. We would marshal all sectors including business, philanthropic and government toward this end. There is already good work being done to make sure our young people have job opportunities, but with the full commitment and entrepreneurial spirit of our citizens we could do even better. We know that rebuilding faith in Baltimore will not be easy. Nothing worth doing ever is. But we also know that through collective action, and a renewed commitment to civic engagement, we can fix what's been broken over so many years. We are excited to learn from our elders, while also forging a new generation of leadership. We hope to help build a city that is worthy of its great citizens. We hope that you will join us in this effort. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom