As a Hopkins-funded development of a biotechnology park in the East Baltimore Midway neighborhood moves forward, younger residents are underrepresented in local community meetings that may decide the fate of their homes.
"Older residents are more engaged in community endeavors," said Chris Shea, chief real estate officer for East Baltimore Development Inc., the nonprofit organization in charge of directing construction.
"Homeowners tend to be older and really have more roots in the community. The rental population tends to be younger," he said.
According to Baltimore City Department of Planning, the median age of residents in the East Baltimore Midway neighborhood is 35 years old.
At a Nov. 14 EBDI Housing and Relocation Committee meeting, however, young people were heavily outnumbered by community members closer to retirement age.
The meeting was one in a series of discussions led by EBDI on housing relocation and acquisition planned by the city will continue to affect residents.
Bessie Smith, a young mother living in a rental property in Patterson Park, was one of the most outspoken people at the meeting.
"I'd be happier if they would try to help people instead of trying to kick them out," Smith said.
Many residents echoed her opposition to being forcibly removed from their homes during this urban renewal project, which relies heavily on the use of eminent domain by the city of Baltimore.
"I was born and raised in East Baltimore, and I do not want to leave my community," Donald Gresham said.
A lifelong resident turned activist, Gresham is president of Save Middle East Action Committee, an organization dedicated to representing the interests of community residents.
But some residents are happy at the prospect of being able to leave the area, which has been marred by crime and economic depression.
"There are only three [occupied] houses on my entire block and I'm ready to go," Ashland Avenue resident Thelma Wade said.
According to the Baltimore City Department of Planning, the median household income in the neighborhood is $27,824. The federal poverty level for a family of three is $17,170, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
"Seventy percent of the buildings are vacant. There is dramatic abandonment," Shea said.
But some residents have seen improvements in the area. The crime rate "has gotten a lot better since I grew up," Smith said.
After the first third of the project, more than 300 households have been relocated.
"It is not in our interest to set people up for failure. We are here to set people up for success," Shea said.
Most at the meeting seemed to agree that money should be spent in the area and that the city should pay attention to the needs of the community, but forcing residents from their homes is not the way to do it.
"We grew up in these homes. We don't want to leave," one resident bemoaned to the crowd.
"All equity wealth is tied up in their house," Shea said.
"Their house is their livelihood. They come to these meetings for their homes."
