This story is part of the series, “Voter Voices.” 草莓传媒 asked voters across Maryland what issues concerned them, and who would be getting their vote in the upcoming election for governor. Other chapters have included stops in Montgomery County, Howard County, Frederick County,听补苍诲 Prince George’s and Calvert counties.
BALTIMORE, Md. 鈥� While Republican Gov. Larry Hogan and his Democratic challenger Ben Jealous crisscross the state and trade barbs ahead of the upcoming election, residents of Baltimore City go about their lives with a steady drumbeat of grim news reports in the background.
The city鈥檚 tally of homicides and opioid-related overdoses continues to tick upward. In the first quarter of 2018, there were 221 opioid-related deaths, up from 159 for the same period last year.
As of Thursday, Baltimore had recorded 244 homicides, with 44 recorded in a period of just 30 days.
The city鈥檚 police department has been in turmoil, with a succession of police commissioners leaving 鈥� the latest candidate for the job, Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle, announced he鈥檇 withdrawn from consideration for the top spot last week.
The police department鈥檚 own spokesman, whose younger brother was shot to death last summer, also resigned, saying he鈥檇 had it with the 鈥減olitical turmoil鈥� swirling around the department.
But at Baltimore鈥檚 Lexington Market, where vendors offer everything from fresh fish and fruit to baked goods, Leo Fonseca, who introduces himself as 鈥淢r. Leo,鈥� is relentlessly sunny, offering a broad smile and warm greeting to everyone who approaches his kiosk where Avon products are on offer. 鈥淚鈥檓 a people鈥檚 person!鈥� he declares with a laugh, inviting passers-by to check out the latest products, and pointing out a top-seller: the Skin So Soft cream. It not only moisturizes, but customers tell him it keeps mosquitoes at bay, too, he says.
When a reporter asks to attach a small microphone to his collar for an interview he says yes, but then asks: 鈥淵ou sure you鈥檙e not going to kill me now?鈥� before bursting into laughter.
鈥淚鈥檓 just messing with you!鈥� the 80-year-old said. 鈥淲hen people tell me to be safe, I say, tell the crooks to be safe, because I鈥檓 a street person too!鈥�
He laments the escalating violence in the city. 鈥淲hen we were teenagers, maybe the guys would fight each other 鈥� then you wind up being friends. The girls, the same way. They wasn鈥檛 shooting or cutting one another.鈥� Shaking his head he said, 鈥淧eople today, they just shoot and kill each other for nothing.鈥�
Baltimore City 鈥� by the numbers
Total population: 611,648
Median household income: $44,262
Racial demographics: 30.3 percent white; 63 percent African American; 2.5 percent Asian; 4.8 percent Hispanic/Latino
Registered voters
- Active registered Democrats: 303,597
- Active registered Republicans: 30,791
- Active registered unaffiliated voters: 46,495
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Maryland State Board of Elections
Bruce DePuyt, a senior reporter with Maryland Matters, said Jealous鈥� strategy has been to target areas where he can expect to get support and to push for high turnout. The campaign is banking on Baltimore being once of those places.
鈥淭hey believe they can reach and motivate the people they need to turn out at the polls. In some cases, they鈥檙e people who haven鈥檛 voted before because they鈥檙e very young, or they鈥檙e people who don鈥檛 tend to vote, but who might be motivated to vote this time,” DePuyt said of the Jealous campaign.
Asked about the upcoming governor鈥檚 race, Fonseca says he hasn鈥檛 voted in years.
鈥淚 haven鈥檛 voted in a while. I鈥檓 being truthful,鈥� he said. Though he doesn鈥檛 vote, he鈥檚 got a request for whoever ends up as governor of Maryland: Help get Baltimore City鈥檚 violent crime under control.
鈥淚 would like for the citizens of Baltimore to be able to come out their house whenever you want to, sit on your porch, whenever you want to 鈥� without the little young people that鈥檒l mess with you,鈥� he said, referring to the April killings of a 65-year-old woman and a 22-year-old man who were shot to death as they sat on their porch on West Mulberry Street.
Fonseca draws a direct line between the violence and the city鈥檚 opioid crisis. 鈥淚f they got rid of the drugs, they鈥檇 get rid of a lot of the nonsense,鈥� he said.
‘He needs to let us know … what he stands for’
While Fonseca talked to a reporter, another man, Lawrence Green, stopped by to ask for change for a parking meter. Green handed over a $20 bill and Fonseca joked, 鈥淭hat鈥檒l cost you $38!鈥� and then, still laughing, he broke the $20.
As Green walked to the parking meter to avoid a ticket, he said he鈥檚 still considering who to vote for in the governor鈥檚 race.
Green said he鈥檚 seen Hogan鈥檚 television ads and said he thinks that Jealous needs to catch up.
鈥淗e needs to get out here and let us know what he represents, what he stands for!鈥� Green said
Even though Jealous often refers to his ties to Baltimore, Green said: 鈥淢ost of the people I know don鈥檛 know nothing about him.鈥�
What about Hogan?
“I know his approval rating is good, I know he鈥檚 done a lot for Maryland,” Green said, before adding: 鈥淚鈥檓 a Democrat.鈥�
Still, Green said that鈥檚 not an automatic vote for Jealous.
鈥淚 have to wait and see what type of information I鈥檓 going to get on Ben Jealous,” he said.
‘Off the rails’
Wylie Shaw ambles on over to finish a cup of coffee and chat with Fonseca. 鈥淚 never seen the politics go off the rails like it is now,鈥� he said.
A registered Democrat, Shaw said he watches the news like a hawk ever since President Donald Trump was elected.
鈥淚 feel as though he鈥檚 messing the country up, big time,” Shaw said of Trump.
Yet, when asked about the Republican governor running for re-election, Shaw said: 鈥淚 only know bits and pieces about Hogan. I kinda like him. I don鈥檛 think he鈥檚 a right-wing conservative. I don鈥檛 look at him in that way.鈥�
Democrats have tried, and in many cases, failed, to link Hogan, a Republican, to the Trump administration. It鈥檚 a comparison that has rankled Hogan, who complained to reporters about it in news conferences soon after Trump was elected.
Even though he said he has a favorable impression of Hogan, Shaw said, 鈥淲hen it comes time to vote, I鈥檒l probably vote for Ben Jealous 鈥� because he鈥檚 a Democrat.鈥�
‘Nobody knew nothing about this dude’
Robert Carter, who was on crutches after the recent amputation of one of his legs, came over to catch up with Fonseca and sign a card for a friend who recently passed away. Carter said no matter the party, politicians tend to overpromise and underperform. A veteran who used to be a registered Democrat and is now unaffiliated, he takes a harsh view of Jealous.
鈥淣obody knows Jealous. Just like Anthony Brown,鈥� he said, referring to the former Maryland lieutenant governor who ran against Hogan in 2014. (Brown now serves in Congress).
Carter said Democrats count on the votes of urban residents, but seldom spend time in the neighborhoods where those voters live. Referring to Brown鈥檚 2014 campaign, Carter said: 鈥淣obody knew nothing about this dude. That dude didn鈥檛 have a chance in hell of becoming no daggone governor.鈥�
He sees the same thing happening in the case of Ben Jealous, who鈥檚 touted his time as president of the NAACP and his family ties to Baltimore. 鈥淲hat else did he do? Seriously, what did he do?鈥� Carter asked.
Still referring to Jealous, Carter said, 鈥淗e could walk, right now, in the pit of the 鈥榟ood and nobody would know who this dude is. They wouldn鈥檛 even know who Hogan is 鈥� for real.鈥�
Todd Eberly, associate professor of political science at St. Mary鈥檚 College of Maryland, said Democrats thought they might have more leverage over Hogan in Baltimore.
鈥淒emocrats have sort of counted on the idea that maybe they could use the cancellation of the planned Red Line in Baltimore City to undermine support for Larry Hogan,鈥� he said. But the subject of the project that was left unfunded by Hogan in 2015 hasn鈥檛 affected the governor’s performance in the polls, where Hogan is 18 to 20 points ahead of Jealous.
A reluctant vote for Hogan?
Carter said the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-old man who died in the back of a police van in 2015, remains a divisive issue. While the city grapples with an accelerating homicide rate and an opioid crisis that has exacted a heavy toll, there鈥檚 little trust in the police. The department has struggled to attract and retain leaders, and even the police department鈥檚 spokesman, TJ Smith, recently stepped down, citing what he called 鈥渁 systematic failure in policing in Baltimore鈥�.
Turned off Democrats by policies dating back to then Mayor Martin O鈥橫alley鈥檚 鈥渮ero tolerance鈥� approach to street crime in which African-Americans were subject to being stopped and frisked, sometimes on flimsy grounds, Carter said he鈥檒l seriously consider voting for Hogan.
But Carter says his won鈥檛 be an enthusiastic vote. It’s not because he doesn鈥檛 like Hogan; he described the governor as someone 鈥渨ho really does seem to care.” But because he said politics follows the money in places, such as Montgomery and Prince George鈥檚 Counties.
鈥淥h, they got crime and stuff, but not like here,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd any politician that comes in the 鈥榟ood 鈥� the poorest neighborhoods suffering the most violence, he said 鈥� 鈥漷hey only come down here if it鈥檚 going to benefit them, not the people.鈥�
