We are not living in peaceful times. As we wrapped up this issue, many people took to the streets here in Baltimore and beyond to express grief and outrage over the death of Renee Good. Good, 37, was shot and killed by an ICE agent named Jonathan Ross on January 7 in Minneapolis.
At the time of her death, Good and her wife had been out protesting ICE’s activity in Minneapolis. Since President Donald Trump took office last year, the federal agency has ramped up its activity, pursuing the administration’s goals of eliminating nonwhite immigrants from this country.
It’s impossible for me to not hold the tragedy of Good’s death with other tragedies of state violence we experienced here in Baltimore last year. On social media platform X (formerly Twitter), when Mayor Brandon Scott recently reshared a post from the Baltimore City Police Department in recognition of National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, adding his own thanks, I responded with three names: Dontae Maurice Melton Jr., Pytorcarcha Brooks, and Bilal “BJ” Abdullah. All three of the people I named were Black citizens of Baltimore. All three died last summer during interactions with Baltimore City police.
We will not become a better country if we don’t figure out a way to address all instances of violence from the state.
In this issue, Logan Hullinger tackles another longstanding issue: poverty. With weeks of cold winter weather yet to come, how will Baltimore’s unhoused citizens stay safe?
“The city’s unhoused residents are facing a lack of shelter beds and freezing temperatures, a potentially lethal combination for a vulnerable population that often opts for the streets because of safety concerns at the facilities,” he writes.
In times like these, we don’t just find peace, we create it. That’s what members of the African American Quilters of Baltimore do. The practice of quilt making is cultural, artistic, and meditative.
“The African American Quilters of Baltimore is a vibrant guild of artists and craftspeople focused on sharing the tradition of quiltmaking as an expression of Black cultural heritage,” writes MacKenzie River Foy in this issue. “The organization is a crossroads for master quilters, fine artists, hobbyists, textile collectors, and beginners to gather and exchange knowledge that keeps these traditions alive and evolving.”
Last year ended with a joyful, raucous celebration of the best of what Baltimore has to offer — not just from us but from the Baltimore Crown Awards. Held at Ikonic Live, the event honors the city’s best rappers, writers, community advocates, and more (we were honored to receive the media award). Find images from the event, shot by Myles Michelin, along with a complete list of winners, in this issue.
Be sure to also check out photos from Urijah Parran, a student at Baltimore School for the Arts. Parran spends his weekends documenting the city’s skateboard scene. Markele Cullins writes about abdu mongo ali’s return to the city they were born and raised in as the Baltimore Museum of Art’s composer in residence. Dominic Griffin reviews Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s “The Smashing Machine.” Also, Iya Osundara Ogunsina delivers the themes for 2026 in her latest tarotscopes.