The meeting was called to order at 7:05PM. There were 29 participants in attendance.
MEMBERSHIP UPDATE
96 active members
Membership dues renewal is in full swing. Payment can be made via PayPal (BrewersHillBaltimore@gmail.com) or Venmo (@BHNeighbors). To make other arrangements, send an email.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Recycling carts have been delivered to all houses in Brewers Hill. Councilperson Cohen posted on Facebook that it take a few days for the lids to settle and closer properly.
The next dumpster day will be Saturday, January 29 at the corner of Dillion and Grundy Streets. Expected time of arrival is 9AM but an announcement will be posted when it arrives. The dumpster will be onsite for 4 hours or until filled. Bulk trash items only.
The BHN board will work with DPW to arrange a collection of the old yellow recycling bins. It sounds that if we can collect them in a central location, DPW will work with the community to schedule a pickup. Please do not place old bins in the dumpster on January 29.
A Conversation with Dr. Stanley Andrisse hosted by the Canton Community Association. The virtual event in on January 19, 2022 at 6PM via this link - https://fb.me/e/23KnOXo0s
Photos of the preparation and delivery of gifts to Graceland Park was shared. The event is always a great event highlighting the generosity of neighbors in Brewers Hill. Thanks to everyone for their participation and support.
The next meeting will be next year on April 12, 2022.
GUEST SPEAKERS
Evan Chiarelli, Team 46 campaign manager Evan introduced himself and gave condolences for Officer Holley whose funeral was earlier today. He mentioned Team 46’s dedication to secure funding to open or renovate 7 schools in the district with 2 more projects on the way. Sen Ferguson often speaks of 2/3 of Baltimore City students won’t even achieve an associate degree. Team 46 is focused on making sure the foundations of education are present so students can achieve their potential. Having up to date 21st century buildings is a top priority. They are also looking for improving MTA with having all buses with zero emissions. Since the pandemic, Team 46 has handled over 1100 unemployment cases. They also handle rental and energy cases to ensure money and resources flow to the people that need it the most. Team 46 is also working to secure funding for the rails to trail program and also to improve Haven street especially with traffic calming. They have a strong focus on neighborhoods and are proud of the work they have done but know that there is more that they need to do. Evan mentioned that they are looking for volunteers to help with the campaign. He provided his contact info in the chat for anyone who wants to be involved or to bring up a constituent concern.
Contact info: www.team46md.org
evan@team46md.org
Vince Andrews, candidate for state delegate, District 46
Vince introduced himself as a former teacher at Patterson.He moved here to teach and after moving here, fell in love with the city, despite the reputation that Baltimore gets.After teaching, he went to law school and now works at a non-profit attorney to increase access to healthcare.The big issues like crime, racism, and poverty are really state level problems but Baltimore gets the blame. His focus would be on addressing these issues at the state level to make sure Baltimore gets the resources it needs.He mentioned how Baltimore City is the only jurisdiction that does not have a bus system for students.He believes that if we work collectively to build systems that work, we will be able to break the cycles related to addiction and crime.He believes the state needs to address the systemic issues that are present in neighborhoods throughout Baltimore.If we talk about policing, there needs to be a relationship between officers and members of the community, but currently there is a lack of trust.Vince is a supporter of universal prek and after school programs.
Contact Info:
www.vinceandrewsforbaltimore.com
vince@vinceandrewsforbaltimore.com
Roya Hanna, candidate for Baltimore City State's Attorney Roya introduced herself as loving Baltimore too! But her frustration is on non common sense approaches to crime. She was a city prosecutor for 12 years and during her last 4 years, many of the cases she tired were murder cases. She knows we cannot rely on mass incarceration, but the criminals who are terrorizing the community need to go. That can only happen with building strong cases that are solid for a jury to stand behind. Currently they are not at the level to convict beyond a reasonable doubt. Other things are needed to help with crime such as providing jobs and other services through community services and to establish a community task force. Roya wants to be a voice of the victim. She knows that we can fix crime in Baltimore. Every other city has brought numbers back even with surge, but Baltimore has been surging for 7 years. Contact info:
info@electroyahanna.com Q&A with Roya Hanna Q: 1. Many communities are in tune with crime. How will you use that data to help solve cases but then once convicted relay that info back to the community as follow-up? 2. What is the plan to work with the SA general office in regards to gun cases to drive the state or federal to bring in stiffer penalties. A: 1. The SAO must be in constant communication with victims and community. The victim needs to be involved in every step of the process. Community Impact statements are really important and has worked well in the past. Eg. A statement like “shutting this drug house down for me…” has a big impact in court. There are rules with what can be discussed during ligation, but follow-up and engagement during and after is important. 2. A lot of cases are going to federal for gun charges currently. But this goes back to strengthen the case from the beginning. Feds won’t take a case that is not rock solid to win.