https://youtu.be/nzLVuSff_rc Bryan Sears - state government reporter for the Daily Record - and I discuss the state of Maryland politics following the 2016 election. At the end of the segment, host Jeff Salkin refers to me hopefully getting my press pass back at Baltimore City Hall. He is referring to the incident where I was … Continue reading Post-election 2016 Analysis
Originally posted on wypr.org on Oct. 14, 2016 In case you missed it, the Baltimore City Police Department is a state agency. It has been that way since the 19th century and it might affect the city’s negotiations with the Department of Justice for sweeping police reforms. It all started in 1854 when the Know-Nothing … Continue reading Baltimore Police a state agency? What does that mean for consent decree?
From September 2015 through July 2016, I covered the trials of police officers accused of the in-custody death of Freddie Gray. Coverage of this story includes pre-trial motions, an appeal to Maryland's highest court and the trials themselves. In addition to covering the case for WYPR, I contributed stories to NPR News. UPDATE: April 18, … Continue reading Police on trial for Freddie Gray death
https://youtu.be/BUgR8jZTRew Appearance on MPT's State Circle to analyze the verdict in the trial of police Officer Caesar Goodson, one of six officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray. This segment aired on June 25, 2016
//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js Baltimore’s farewell to local rap artist Tyriece Watson took a New Orleans flavor Friday; a somber funeral in the morning at the Empowerment Temple AME Church in Park Heights and an upbeat community repast in the afternoon at Pennsylvania Avenue and McMechen Street. But instead of jazz, the music was hip-hop. Watson, known as … Continue reading Baltimore celebrates Lor Scoota
Story originally posted on news.wypr.org on Feb. 25, 2016. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake often talks of her commitment to police reform. She says her background shows she’s "very meaningful" and "intentional" about "getting [it] right." But her record is a mixed bag of pushing her own ideas for reform and avoiding a definitive stance on a … Continue reading SRB’s Mixed Record on Police Reform
Story originally posted at news.wypr.org on Jan. 28, 2016. Some residents in East Baltimore did not heed the pleas from Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake to be patient as city crews work to clear streets after the biggest snow storm in city history. Individually or, in some cases, as a block, people shoveled their streets out. Mark Pash shoveled … Continue reading D.I.Y. Snow Removal In East Baltimore
Story originally posted at news.wypr.org on Jan. 8, 2016. While 2016 is a new year, the public frustrations and political criticisms from 2015 that followed high profile police incidents - like the deaths of Freddie Gray locally and Sandra Bland in Texas – continue to plague officers. Many of them are worrying over whether or not … Continue reading Cops Ask If They Can Do Their Job This Year
Story originally posted at news.wypr.org on Sept. 11, 2015. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced Friday she will not seek re-election in 2016; leveling the playing field for mayoral candidates. Political observers said her decision will limit some of the clout she has while she’s still in office. The mayor said she thought about whether to pursue re-election … Continue reading Countdown Clock Begins On Rawlings-Blake Administration
Story originally posted at news.wypr.org on Aug 27, 2015. There are three options to pay for Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s $136 million plan to overhaul aging city rec centers. But no matter which one city leaders choose, at least one economist says they should choose wisely. The mayor prefers her plan to sell four downtown parking garages, which … Continue reading Making Dollars And Sense Out Of City Rec Center Funding
P. Kenneth Burns 