Overview

• Maryland’s Board of Public Works approved more than $15 million for Baltimore, including $6.1 million for We Our Us and $9.45 million for nonprofits focused on violence intervention, housing and economic development.
• President Donald Trump labeled Baltimore a “hellhole” and threatened to send federal troops, while Gov. Wes Moore rejected National Guard policing and pointed to falling violent crime.
• Baltimore is on pace for homicides to drop by nearly one-third this year compared with last year, according to state and local officials’ data and reporting.
• The Baltimore Sun reported roughly 2,500 crimes over 17 days following the D.C. Guard deployment, with a violent-crime rate nine times higher than Washington during that span, drawing resident frustration and criticism from the National Police Association.
• Mayor Brandon Scott credits a Group Violence Reduction strategy and more than 12,000 illegal gun seizures, and State’s Attorney Ivan Bates cites higher homicide convictions, while analyst Jeff Asher notes broader national trends and federal social-service investments as key forces.