Baltimore's potential is being stifled

After four years at Hopkins, I have a small observation I would like to address: Students here tend not to like Baltimore.

As a western Marylander, I tend to be sympathetic. Baltimore is not what its benches call "the greatest city in America," by any means. Also, as a Marylander, I have a tendency from time to time to look at Baltimore as something akin to a black hole that siphons off much our state's money and then uses it irresponsibly.

Many students at Hopkins are relatively new to Baltimore. They tend to be more accustomed to grander cities such as New York, Chicago, Seattle, San Diego, Boston, etc. So for that reason they often look at Baltimore with disdain.Now, as I'm finishing up my final months living in Baltimore, I think it might be worth considering for a moment some of the better aspects of this city that has hosted me for the past four years.

Many friends of mine point out the glorious quirks of Baltimore as one of its high points. I'm not a very quirky person, but I'm also not much of a city person. One of Baltimore's greatest aspects is that it has a certain small-town feel, despite its big-city problems. Baltimore does not make you claustrophobic. In that way, Baltimore is certainly charming and I'm starting to see that.

One of my favorite aspects of Baltimore, and Maryland in general is that they are a clash of American subcultures. Maryland is certainly a Mid-Atlantic State, and therefore has an interesting mix of the north and south. Maryland has many elements of the cultural and industrial fervor that is so very northern, but retains a level of humility and charm that is not often as pronounced in the cultures of our northern brothers.

The problem with Baltimore is that many of its problems are overshadowing its great potential. The high crime rate here is understandable, but not excusable. Baltimore is not alone in terms of violent crimes, as it is very much a part of a consistent triangle of violence in the east along with Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia.

However, the crime here is also inexcusable. It is the product of a deeply flawed education system that rewards bureaucrats instead of children. This is not to mention a police-politician infrastructure that seems unable or unwilling to break the culture of violence. Those are only a few of the key problems that afflict Baltimoreans who do not have the luxury of getting out of the city.

Another major problem with Baltimore is in race relations. This is not unlike much of America, where race relations are pushed under the rug rather than actually dealt with. Much of America thought that New Orleans was filled with a bunch of happy jazz players before Hurricane Katrina exposed the harsh reality of that city.

Thinking of this, I recall speaking to a man who works at the sports store down by the Inner Harbor. We were talking enthusiastically about the Baltimore Ravens, because it looked like it would be a promising year following the Ravens' 13-3 performance the season before. The man got to reminiscing about when the Ravens came to Baltimore in 1996 from Cleveland. He told me how there quickly developed a certain camaraderie among individuals sporting their Ravens pride.

He said this camaraderie was among blacks and whites and how whites would wave to blacks in the city now, something that he claimed many didn't do before the Ravens. The man noticed that football brought the races together in a common cause in a way that Orioles baseball or Bullets basketball have been unable to accomplish. He looked at me and said he was disappointed that "it took them a football team to realize there was color in this city."

Baltimore has its problems - they are many and they are obvious. It has other problems that speak less loudly. But this city also has great potential. That's why it saddens me that with every passing year the only changes seem to be negative. If 1980s New York could be turned into the city it is now, so can Baltimore, maybe not in the same way, but in a distinct, Baltimorean way.

What the city needs is action. It needs to happen from the bottom up, with individuals who desire significant change, ministers calling for a new civil rights movement and the valiant efforts of small businesses. And action is needed from the top-down, from politicians driven to change the status quo. Only then can Baltimore reach its full potential.