Letter from the editor-in-chief
Letter from the Editor
This issue of Baltimore Beat marks a new phase in a project that began six years ago. Back in November 2017, I began Baltimore Beat to continue the work of the now-defunct Baltimore City Paper. With me, were now-Director of Operations Brandon Soderberg and then-Arts Editor Maura Callahan. We wanted to tell stories that reflected…
In this issue
Black Neighborhoods Matter
For the Eaddys, their home, located in the Poppleton neighborhood, means roots—a place that family can go. Sonia Eaddy said that her grandson, who just got out of school, is staying with her now, in this four-bedroom home tucked into a quiet corner of West Baltimore.
Black Lightning In a Bottle
Seeing and hearing BLKVAPOR is the best way to fully understand the queer punk band’s mission and message. “If you…
Prize-Winning and Absurdly Beautiful
The 2022 Janet & Walter Sondheim Arts Prize winner James Williams II creates sculptural paintings about identity, self-portraiture, parenthood, and Blackness. His three-dimensional works vary in size and in media (oil paint, fiber, video, a lot of velcro) and all elicit a sense of naïveté and wonder. At the same time, the work unravels the…
Baltimore Government and Community Events 8/10/22-8/24/22
Here’s our weekly listing of government and community events around the city. Wednesday, Aug. 10 West Wednesdays: Hear…
Bail Review For Jan.-June 2022 Reveals Far Less Forgiving Criminal Justice System Than Pundits Claim
Baltimore Courtwatch: What we do, how we do it, and why we do it Baltimore Courtwatch is a nonprofit, volunteer-based…
Truth Cult, Mowder Oyal, and Other Baltimore Bands Bending—and Sometimes Breaking—Hardcore
Recommended If You Like BOOT BOYS soundcloud.com/bootboysRIYL: Triple 6 Mafia, the wrestler New…
Land Grab: Why a Desperate City Kept Cutting Deals With a Developer Who Didn’t Deliver
Sweat trickled down Dan Bythewood’s forehead under the hot July sun. He promised the West Baltimore crowd he would keep his comments short so the 100 or so people who watched—activists, press, residents, and political leaders—could quickly retreat from the heatwave gripping the city. The developer, who is Black, stood behind a podium placed in…
Jordan Peele’s “Nope”: You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Screen
At a time where there are only two other directors in Hollywood who can get original, non-superhero movie-related ideas greenlit (1), director Jordan Peele has doubled down on the success of his back-to-back “social horror” thrillers Get Out and Us with a new film that’s more ferociously ambitious than his debut and even more harrowing…
“We’re All Lifeguards”: An Illegal and Legal Overdose Prevention Site
“They Want Us Dead”: An illegal OPS, Jan. 2020 Back in 2020, I hid behind an abandoned building in East Baltimore with three guys who all used heroin together as they tested their drugs, injected them, and made sure they were there for each other in case any of them overdosed. It was about 8…
“Dandelion” by Brooke Bourne
Did you know that I am a dandelion? My hair grows like a wildflower and is hard to tame Don’t touch my hair. To me, it’s a prized possession. With it, I’m like a lion with its mane I’m very hard to get rid of, like a beautiful nightmare I am powered by the sun.…
