Professor Matthew Crenson asks 'Believe' spokesman Richard Burton a question at the All Politics symposium. (Denise Terry / News-Letter)
Baltimore Believe is a community improvement program that initially focused on reducing Baltimore City's drug problem through advertising. The campaign has spent $2 million on television commercials, t-shirts and decals.
Burton shared his personal story about growing up in low-income housing developments in East Baltimore. He told the audience how he became involved in community improvement projects through his friendship with Mayor O'Malley who he knew from his career as a musician. In addition to his work for the Believe campaign, Burton is also the city-wide community coordinator of the Mayor's Office of Neighborhoods.
Burton clarified the intended goals of the Believe campaign by saying, "This was meant to be an awareness campaign to get people to simply believe in themselves. Believe that you can make a difference, believe that you don't have to get high, believe that you don't have to drop out of school, believe that you don't have to get pregnant at the age of 14, believe that you don't have to sell drugs and become a statistic at the age of eighteen or twenty-one."
The Believe campaign was created by Mayor O'Malley along with businessmen and clergy members. Burton said he feels that clergy are especially important in attacking the city's problems at a spiritual level.
Burton addressed the issue of drug abuse in Baltimore, which is highly personal for him since his mother struggled with heroin addiction for 30 years. Burton stressed that everyone contributes in some way to Baltimore's drug problem. He also discussed the nature of drug abuse.
"If you try it once and it grabs you, it has you," Burton said in describing why drug abuse is so rampant. "People will watch their kids starve to get high, it's that powerful." Burton emphasized that the Believe campaign has had a large, positive affect on Baltimore that has gone largely unnoticed. He said that he attributes this to the media focusing on only the negative aspects of life in Baltimore.
Although Burton said he did not come to speak to recruit, he implored the audience to volunteer and get involved in Baltimore. "Believe is hope. Believe is us pulling together believing that we can change this city. Stop being content with your lifestyle," said Burton.
Burton also talked about the next steps in the Believe campaign's plan, which are more concrete then just advertising. The campaign is setting up drug treatment centers and after school and mentoring programs for students. An unusual project of the Believe campaign is the BelieveMobile, which is a 28-foot trailer that opens into a performance stage.
The BelieveMobile will travel around the city and present musical shows to youth. The BelieveMobile was inspired by Operation Champ, a similar vehicle which traveled around Baltimore City 20 years ago, which Burton performed on as a teenager.
Andrew Kelly, co-chair and co-founder of the Symposium said he was pleased with their final event.
"We had a speaker last week who said that activism was at an all time low in the city and it is programs like Believe that motivate people. Like he said many times, it is the people in this room who are going to be the ones who need to first start believing and thinking that they can make a difference. I was happy overall with tonight's event and the overall symposium which ended tonight."
Co-chair and co founder Brendan Costigan agreed. "I thought it was good," he said. "I think from a sociological perspective. Any symposium dealing with politics and society and economics in Baltimore City would be incomplete without a discussion of the Baltimore Believe campaign because it is such a prevalent part of the City."