Reflections on April 26th Incident at City Hall and why I am opposed to the proposed dollar house program.
I am deeply grateful to all of you who have reached out to me in the past few days. What happened on April 26th in the City Council Chambers was an embarrassment to the City and the City Council. My colleagues and I wrote our reflections in this Op-Ed you can read here without the Sun paper pay wall.
I was personally attacked by Mr. Bruce Marks from a Boston based organization called Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA), who was brought in to convince my colleagues and I to vote for the flawed dollar house legislation. Instead of convincing us, the entire thing backfired into targeted attacks on my record when I challenged Mr. Marks on NACA's business practices. I defended myself during the meeting which then lead to more insults and yelling from both of us. As you know, my record of work in Baltimore city includes initiatives such as leading the Affordable Housing Trust Fund effort, advocating to end source of income discrimination, creating more tools to address vacant and abandoned properties, and introducing inclusionary housing legislation. I've worked in the community development field for my entire career from an organizer to where I am now. I defended myself the best I could in the moment.
The entire ordeal, which included Mr. Marks pounding on the Mayor's door, put my colleagues and I possibly at risk for our safety. Mr. Marks and his organization have a sordid history - raising concerns about why he was even invited. The people with him were required to come as a condition of being in the NACA program and most were not from Baltimore. They all want homes and he is supposedly helping them get homes. It is not the people he brought with whom I am angry. I am angry with Mr. Marks for inciting this violence - supposedly to get his clients homes in Baltimore - or to make a name for himself here. I am deeply disappointed in our Council President for putting us in this position and not removing Mr. Marks immediately from City Hall.
Again, I'm truly humbled by all of the love and support you have shown me. I will continue to do what you elected me to do - fight for justice in housing, keep people in their homes, create more affordable housing, work to eliminate vacant properties, resolve problems in our district, and make Baltimore the best it can be. Thank you again for the opportunity to serve.
Why I’m opposed to the Dollar House program as proposed:
I am dedicated to making sure we eliminate vacant and abandoned properties by 1/2 in 9 years. I think we can do this with the outline I proposed to the Mayor’s 30 day initiative. It includes making sure that more properties are transferred to the City and that we use a community approach to make sure the community has a say in the outcomes.
I voted against the legislation for the following reasons:
It is not the right time. The city owns 1,200 vacant and abandoned properties out of the 15,000. The city owned properties are scattered throughout the city. In fact, DHCD analyzed that this program would only impact 315 homes. I would rather apply this tool to a block by block strategy, which is how the old dollar house program worked in the past. Clusters of vacant and abandoned properties were put together, the city invested in the infrastructure, lighting, parks, etc. The key to success in any revitalization effort is a block by block solution. We get there first through implementing the new Judicial In Rem process outlined in my paper (the city can foreclose when the liens are higher than the value of the property).
Residents would end up underwater. Without the clusters of properties put together, the investment would likely ensure that the person who purchases the property next to other vacant properties is completely underwater - meaning the debt they now owe is more than the house is worth. To avoid this situation, a cluster of properties should be put together and investment should be made in a block by block fashion.
Community choice. Mandating that all of the city owned properties go through this program removes the opportunity for the community to utilize city owned properties for other purposes - like to make additional greenspace, or a new community center, or a health center.
Original Homesteaders had obstacles. Few of the original homesteaders can tell success stories about the original program. Many sold after their required time because contractors took advantage of them, or some other obstacles. The communities where the dollar house took place are no longer affordable.
I will continue to work hard to eliminate vacant and abandoned properties. I introduced several pieces of legislation, and more are coming. I look forward to the dialogues with my colleagues.