Letter from the editor-in-chief
Letter from the Editor – Issue 2
I’m happy that Baltimore Beat can be a place where music made by our neighbors, family, and friends is chronicled with care and thoughtfulness.
In this issue
Capacity Crisis
Maryland, a “safe state” for abortion, will ramp up its resources in a post-Roe v. Wade landscape. After the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, abortion providers and funders in “safe states” like Maryland, where abortion care is comprehensive and protected by state law, anticipate their own set of challenges.
The Melancholy Boogie
At the beginning of director Shirley Clarke’s 1985 documentary Ornette: Made in America, free jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman returns to…
Illusions Shatter, Art Remains
The dual exhibition What’s Left to Give? features a range of media, sculptures, paintings, video work, and installations from Gen Fraser, a community artist and educator, and Ky Vassor, a mixed media artist and curator. The exhibition speaks to the persistent tug that Black women and femmes experience from everyone and from everything around them.…
Baltimore Government and Community Events 8/24/22-9/7/22
Wednesday, Aug. 24 Workforce Wednesday Career Clinics: Drop-in assistance for jobseekers. 2-4 p.m., Enoch Pratt…
Criminalizing Survival
No one should be punished for defending themselves against domestic violence. And yet, across…
Baltimore Arts and Culture Events 8/24/22 – 9/7/22
Wednesday, Aug. 24 The Poetry Party Live Open Mic: An open mic night…
“Day Shift” is a Charming Throwback in a Sea of Throwaways
The directorial debut from stunt coordinator J.J. Perry, Day Shift follows Foxx as Bud Jablonski, a man whose pool cleaning service is a front for his real work as a freelance killer of the undead. Rather than some tortured blood oath sworn in service to an arcane order of hunters, however, Jablonski is pretty blue…
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…
Yesterday’s Prices are not Today’s Prices
Since 2014, when cannabis possession of 10 grams or less was decriminalized across the state, Baltimore City has become a fascinating experiment in patchwork drug policy. Attempts to make cannabis legal in Maryland have failed for many years, resulting in more stopgap interventions, leading to an especially confusing situation for those who use or sell…
