BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Residents packed Federal Hill Park for a public safety meeting Tuesday aimed at addressing crime in the neighborhood, but some left saying they still do not believe meaningful change is coming.
The neighborhood’s public safety chair Jen Covino said they routinely visit crime scenes after incidents to check on the aftermath for residents.
“I make it a point the morning after to go check the crime scenes out to ensure that none of my neighbors are subject to the trauma that follows these crimes,” Covino said.
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Baltimore police also attended and emphasized outreach.
“This is more of a conversation coming to me than it is me coming to you,” a police officer said.
The Baltimore sheriff called for coordination among agencies and elected leaders.
“I think that when we all cooperate together, when the sheriff’s office and the police department and the legislature and the city council come together that’s how we can make effective change,” Sheriff Sam Cogen said.
Senate President Bill Ferguson pointed to what he described as improvement.
“We have seen real progress, right? And I think I can list off statistics about you’ve seen violence, crime, the lowest it being in the last number of years because of some of the investment,” he said.
Still, some residents said the message did not match what they are experiencing.
“I’m not very hopeful,” one resident said.
Another added, “There’s been no effort to change anything in this neighborhood.”
Sandra Seward, who has lived in Federal Hill for 35 years, said an Easter morning homicide was the latest reason she has lost hope and why she is taking concerns directly to lawmakers.
“We have almost 800 signatures from the Southern District that are going to be hand-delivered to a group of people,” Seward said.
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She said residents’ demands will be delivered to the mayor.
“Nobody cares, alright, until the mayor says ‘all of you take care of this neighborhood,'” Seward said.
Seward also criticized the governor’s leadership and said she plans to deliver the petition to a political opponent as well.
“He wants to run for higher office he has to first perform as governor,” she said. “I’m hand delivering it to Ed Hale, who’s also running for governor.”
Seward said she is not expecting much response from either the mayor or the governor and believes it may be time for new leadership.
“Right now, I’m not feeling very hopeful, but not ready to give up, but getting close, all right? I mean, I think we need a change of who’s at the top in our state and in our city,” she said.
It is unsafe to go out in this neighborhood at night. Sometimes it’s unsafe to be out here during the day, quite honestly.”
Seward said the situation has worsened in recent weeks.
“This neighborhood was never like this. It has been taken over. It is early April, it is out of control, completely out of control.”
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