♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Soft music plays ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Telephone line ringing ] -Hey, what's up?

-Rich, what's going on.

How are you?

-I'm good.

What's going on?

-Man?

What the hell's been going on today?

-Well, the one, is uh... You knew that.

-Yeah.

Yeah, Natalie told me about that.

-The second one was the body that got dumped, but we knew about that.

He took us, right -- He took us to the body.

-The Western one?

-No, no, no, the one we ended up finding in the water.

-Oh, yeah.

Oh, geez... -We know he killed his roommate.

That was his roommate.

He killed him and dumped him.

-Wow.

-The Western one is, I don't know how we get a shooting in the West.

We were just talking about that.

I got every resource I have -- spare resource I have in the Western, plus all eight districts were sending officers there, so.

-[ Groans ] Yeah.

-I don't know how we get that one on Lexington.

-Right.

-The two up here in Southern, looks like they probably -- and just keep this between us.

-Yeah.

-They probably shot each other.

-Oh, Jesus.

-Because we got somewhat of a video of the gunfight a little bit, so.

-Yeah, I was wondering if that was gonna be connected to the stuff from last week down there.

-No, it's connected to the one from yesterday.

-Yeah, yup, yeah.

-You can't make this up.

It's like a movie.

And that's only one day!

-I know.

[ Stammers ] I'll hit you up later if I got anything else.

-All right, sounds good.

-All right, bye.

-Bye.

♪♪ ♪♪ [ Indistinct chatter ] [ Gavel bangs ] -Good evening.

This 77th meeting of the 72nd term of the Baltimore City Council is now called to order.

Coming into today we have a 17% increase for homicides over what we had last year -- and we all know last year is the worst year that we ever had.

We're gonna make every effort to making sure that we're investing in the long-term root causes to deal with violence, but that does not mean that we forget about the people that are dying every day.

I would like to ask you to honor a moment of silence for the victims of homicides in Baltimore.

♪♪ Violence is what's dominated our city for the 37 years that I've been alive.

I'm not supposed to be here by the statistics.

I grew up in Park Heights, one of the most under-served and violent neighborhoods in Baltimore.

I saw my first shooting before I was 10 years old.

I grew up in the 1980s and '90s, and that was really the beginning of the war on drugs and zero-tolerance policing.

If you clean the corners up and you go after anybody that has drugs on them, anybody that's drinking outside or anybody that's loitering, then crime will just magically disappear.

Well, it didn't.

If you were Black and you were outside, you could be set in handcuffs, you could be taken to jail for any simple thing.

We had families ruined over nothing, people who were falsely incarcerated for crimes they didn't commit.

We've been doing this all my life, but violence is still here.

We have to change the approach.

[ Indistinct radio chatter ] [ Car horn honking in distance ] You cannot go anywhere in Baltimore without seeing the aftermath of gun violence, a disease we have been unable to cure.

This is not normal.

Most people do not live like this.

Why must we?

It is unacceptable, and we must change it.

My entire life I've heard from our elders that they can't wait for my generation to produce a leader that is ready to take the reins, stand on their shoulders, and take us to higher heights.

I am that leader.

[ Cheers and applause ] I am that servant.

I am a son of Baltimore, and today I am announcing my candidacy to be the next mayor of Baltimore City.

[ Cheers and applause ] -Yeah.

[ Laughs ] -Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

-It is your time.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Peace and clarity.

Peace and clarity at the crossroads, peace and clarity, peace and clarity.

Peace and clarity.

You live around here?

Somebody got killed in a car this morning, and we're looking for the spot where the car was, so we can bless the space.

That's why we're here.

-Thank you for what y'all do.

-Thank you so much.

-Yeah.

We want murder to understand it cannot have the last say.

Just 'cause you showed up, love is showing up behind.

Just like, murder gonna be persistent, we gotta be persistent.

You gonna keep seeing murder?

You gonna keep seeing us.

Since I started showing up at every murder space, I done lost homeboys, cousins, and I've had to come and bless those spaces.

We call redemption into this whole community.

Any toxic energy that's trying to take hold in this space, we've been here before saying, "No, thank you."

We stand here again saying, "No, thank you!"

We reclaim this space as sacred ground, sacred concrete, sacred grass, sacred air molecules, sacred birds out this bitch, sacred everything in this space.

-Yes!

-Because we understand and we acknowledge we are one with your light.

Violence is a disease.

Murder is an epidemic that we're dealing with.

Sometimes when you're in the midst of healing, you don't know, because all you see is the pain, and the pus, and the infection, and so it looks like things are getting worse.

But really what's happening is you are, you know, you're part of the balm that's actually healing things.

♪♪ -You're a baby?

Hmm?

You're an old-man baby?

[ Dog barking ] Don't hurt yourself.

I'm willing to do whatever I have to, to heal my city.

Baltimore is worth fighting for because the people of Baltimore are worth fighting for.

-♪ Johnny Blaze ♪ -♪ Oh, man ♪ -♪ I pledge allegiance to the Hip Hop ♪ -♪ Maximillion y'all, Maximillion y'all ♪ ♪ I breaks it down to the bone gristle ♪ ♪ Ill-speaking scud missile heat-seeking ♪ ♪ Johnny Blazing, my third eye seen it coming ♪ ♪ Before it happen, you know about them Staten kids ♪ ♪ They smashing everything, huh ♪ ♪ In any shape, form, or fashion ♪ ♪ Now everybody talking 'bout they blasting ♪ ♪ Hmm, burning to a third degree ♪ ♪ Sneaky-ass alley cat top pedigree ♪ ♪ The head toucher, industry party bum rusher ♪ -♪ Oh, man ♪ ♪ Oh, man ♪ -Be safe out here, yo.

What's up, brother?

Take these masks, man.

-That is me.

The mask throws you off.

That's all.

The things that everyone's talking about in this race, the violence, schools with no heat and air.

I'm the only person that actually lived it.

I'm saying the structure itself is broken.

-Sir, information on the candidates.

Information on candidates.

-Brandon Scott at just 10% in this mayor's race, he's going to need to convert a lot of voters, and we're not really, right now, seeing that.

The polls show a mayor's race that is still wide open.

-You know you're the underdog, right?

I don't have to tell you that.

You know that.

Because you haven't been in politics for so long, and they're gonna be saying you don't have no experience, and you're a young Black man and all this, so you know that's coming.

-Yeah, it is.

They gonna say and do anything.

-The water pump over on this side.

-Damn, I thought it was under there.

-Not no more.

-Alright, take that from over there.

Here, screwdriver still in the same place it used to be.

It ain't changed.

-'Cause it ain't no way in hell we getting it this way.

-You gotta go through the bottom.

[ Drilling ] -Well, if they thought my ass was bringing it into the dealership, they're sadly mistaken.

-Brandon, you headstrong, nobody, you know, you gonna do what you want.

And that's just the way it is.

-I'm headstrong.

[ Laughs ] -You know what it meant.

-[ Laughs ] -What was your mother was telling me about?

When y'all was playing ball and somebody got killed or something?

-I was probably around... 7 or 8 when this happened.

We were just out on the basketball court like we would be every day, every night, and someone just came to the top of the lot and started shooting.

I jumped the fence over on the side by the church, well, you know how you can walk through there?

-Mm-hmm.

-And just laid in the damn grass.

I just wanted to get back into the house, which was literally, you know, 15 seconds away.

But I couldn't get to it.

Like, the day after it was, like, back to normal.

They thought we're just gonna go back to life as normal.

I guess that's the way they expected it to be for us.

And I just kept asking my mother why nobody cared.

But she just looked at me and said, "Well, if you want it to change, you're gonna have to change it.

No one is going to do it for you.

No one is going to come save us.

If you want to see change, you gotta do it yourself."

And I never forgot it.

Never, never forgot it.

[ Drilling ] -You are looking live down at Baltimore City, as thousands of people have gathered.

-Say his name!

-George Floyd!

-Say his name!

-George Floyd!

-In recent days, protests have been held in Baltimore City.

But you can't just let lawlessness take control of the streets of the city.

-Unrest is now being compared to the riots that rocked Baltimore after the 2015 death of Freddie Gray.

-Our community is on fire.

[ Protestors chanting ] ♪♪ ♪♪ -Yo, but you gotta understand, who gonna pay for it when you tear it down?

-The city.

-Where the city get their money from?

-It's our money!

-I know!

That's what I'm saying!

-If you feel as though they taking your money, don't spend your money on the city.

-Yo!

Yo.

Chill.

Chill.

C'mon, yo.

C'mon down, bruh.

Go ahead, jump down.

-Holler at me.

Holler at me.

-This does not work for our people.

And maybe now people are gonna wake up so that we can actually change it.

No one should be hurting anybody, punching anybody, burning stuff -- we get that.

But people also have to understand the frustration.

People also have to understand that this is not the reaction of one incident, but literally of hundreds of years of mistreatment.

It's exhausting being a Black man in America.

We're all tired.

We all can't breathe, because this country has been trying to suffocate and kill each and every one of us since they brought us here.

We have to care about ourselves.

We have to be the solution for ourselves.

We have to work for ourselves.

We have to change things for ourselves, because no one's going to do it for us.

No matter what happens in this election, I'm not going to give up.

I'm going to be here.

I'm gonna be serving my community.

How y'all doing?

How y'all doing?

Y'all got any questions you want to ask me?

-It is election day, and the polls are now open across Maryland.

-What's up, man?

Thank you.

-How are you feeling about the election today?

-I'm feeling good.

Young people are coming out in droves, and it's such an exciting thing to see 'cause we know, change and movement in this country always starts with young people.

-The votes are still being counted.

The race for mayor is tight.

-There were 10,000 more new voters than the ones traditionally cast.

-Scott stormed from behind in the past week.

Brandon Scott really is Baltimore's comeback kid.

-Hello.

I'm good.

How are you?

-I'm good, buddy.

I just wanted to call you, man, and congratulate you on your win.

[ Cheering ] -The youngest mayor in the city's history, trying to restore trust in government.

During one of the most uncertain times in the nation's history, as the city copes with the violence and the pandemic.

-We can work to right the historical wrongs that have divided Baltimore for too long and held us back.

And putting Baltimore on the right track, like setting a new and better course for America, will not happen overnight.

-The city just won.

Like, the city won tonight.

Like, that's crazy.

We just won the mayor's race!

-I didn't see you in time.

You need something?

-No, I was just saying, we just won the mayor's race.

-Oh, okay, congrats.

-[ Laughs ] See you guys!

-We have to work together as a city, unified to make Baltimore better.

One person cannot fix problems that have existed longer than I've been alive.

Ah, we'll see.

I like the afro.

I've taken it back to my roots.

We believe in freedom of hairstyle here in the State of Maryland.

[ The California Honeydrops' "Gonna Be Alright" plays ] -♪ Said I got a joy ♪ ♪ Joy in my heart to sing ♪ ♪ And I got a song ♪ ♪ From the air beneath an angel's wings ♪ ♪ I got a love, I got a light ♪ ♪ Shines my way through the night ♪ ♪ And every, every, every little thing's ♪ ♪ Gonna be alright ♪ ♪ Whoo-ooh-ooh ♪ -Nice.

Hold that right there.

[ Camera shutter clicks ] Perfect.

-I will diligently and faithfully execute the office of... -Mayor of the City of Baltimore.

-Mayor of the City of Baltimore.

I am unafraid to do the right thing over the popular one even if it hurts me politically.

You will not agree with everything that I do, but I know you agree that the status quo cannot continue, and under my leadership it will not.

The trauma and violence in our city is personal for you, just like it is for me.

And the only way forward is together.

-♪ It's gonna be alright ♪ ♪ Whoo-ooh-ooh ♪ [ Song fades ] -I feel a deep sense of responsibility to the legacy of George Floyd because of the way this election happened.

These new voters, many of whom are young, they pushed me to victory, and that sends a signal to me that I have to make the changes now.

[ Indistinct conversations ] Amazing that this picture is still allowed to be here.

That young man, that's not his nephew.

That's not the neighbor's child.

That's someone that works for him, that he thinks that he owns that person.

To have an image like that in a majority Black city, in city hall -- that ain't it.

-That ain't it.

-That is not it.

[ Indistinct chatter ] -So, this will be your liaison office.

-Damn.

-This here will be like a conference room.

[ Hammering ] -So, that's a lock.

Get in there, girl.

-What's up, Mr. Mayor?

-What's up, man?

What's up?

How are you?

-Mr. Mayor.

-Sir, how are you?

Ma'am, how are you?

You doing all right?

'Sup, gentlemen?

-Good morning.

-Y'all good?

Everybody all right?

I mean, man, it's just something that should have been done a long time ago.

-And then, you're just gonna set it down on the floor, right?

-Yep.

-If you drop it, it's okay.

[ Laughter ] -Appreciate y'all.

-Yeah, thank y'all so much.

[ Soft music plays ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Ahh, man.

They ain't got the links.

Dang it!

Don't want the spicy ones, either.

I will not be getting that.

No, no.

These the only ones I rock with now, man, the Beyond joints.

-For real?

-They are good, man.

-I'ma try it.

-I'm telling you.

Everything cool?

I'm cool.

Let me get two of them sockeye.

Oh, hey, ma'am.

How are you?

-Keep up the good work.

-Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Eggs... [ Cellphone vibrating ] Are you -- - On duty.

-You [bleep] gotta be kidding me.

[ Turn signal clicking ] [ Dramatic music plays ] -We have twelve casings inside the bus, one outside.

So, it appears the incident took place inside the bus.

-God almighty, man.

-We did a quick canvas, talked to some of the apartment goers.

They heard a brief argument.

-You gotta be kidding me.

-Good evening.

Mayor Brandon Scott here joined by Police Commissioner Michael Harrison.

We are on the scene of a very tragic incident here in Northeast Baltimore.

-Anyone with any information about the vehicle, and/or about the person or persons inside the vehicle... -The violence over the weekend, widespread and deadly.

Three people killed in separate shootings in a 2-hour span.

How are residents expected to feel safe in a city consumed by violent crime?

♪♪ -Tough weekend, nine shooting and homicide incidents with 12 victims.

I'll start on Saturday.

Western district 4:00 in the morning, 300 North Stricker.

It's a homicide with a male victim.

2228 Wilkins non-fatal shooting, male victim.

This is... -That's the 5-year-old, right?

-...inside the home hit the 5-year-old with a stray bullet.

-Damn.

How do we really impact what we can impact?

-I'm just -- I'm really anxious to find something to really get at the heart of the problem, 'cause as much deployment as we're putting out, it's happening a block away.

♪♪ ♪♪ -As a young Black man growing up in Baltimore, I was once the victim of zero-tolerance policing.

But now I'm the commander in chief of the Baltimore Police Department.

We're not gonna do what they did before, and if you are Black, and young and breathing outside, we're gonna put you in handcuffs just because.

-It is my pleasure to welcome each of you to the graduation for academy class 20-04.

-You are coming into this profession at the most trying time probably in its history.

So you're gonna have to do your job in a new, different way, that's understanding of the mistakes that we made in the past.

We have to police better, because we have to have a relationship between our police and our community that allows us to make our city safer.

Good afternoon, everyone.

The goal for me is to get our murders under 300, and that's a reduction of 15%.

We are going to be reimagining public safety in Baltimore.

-As the mayor thinks through what transformation of our city looks like, we not only need to be focusing on intervention, but also prevention.

And that prevention is a longer-term portion of the work.

-Some of our local analysts do a review of every single homicide and non-fatal shooting case.

We hear all the time the narrative about the drug trade kind of driving violence in Baltimore City.

That is decidedly not true, and in fact our number-one cause is interpersonal disputes, whether that's domestic-related or, you know, someone feeling insulted, a comment on Instagram, things like that.

♪♪ -We have a plan to address violence -- The Group Violence Reduction Strategy.

But in order to start it, we need federal funding.

We have to talk to our congressional delegation.

People think that as mayor, I can do whatever I want, but without the support of our federal partners, this plan won't happen.

Senator.

Sir, how are you?

You alright?

-Yeah, we're doing fine.

-Sir, how are you?

-You don't mind if I'm sitting?

-No, you know I don't.

You're good.

[ Indistinct chatter ] -The homicide rate in Baltimore is a national focal point.

There's a lot of gang activity in Baltimore, and a lot of this is retribution-type violence.

How do we deal with that?

-So, Senator, what I'll say to a few things, while the common thought is that drugs and gangs are driving the violence, the reality is the number-one cause of a homicide this year is an interpersonal dispute.

It's things as simple as the Commissioner and I have the same girlfriend, and we don't find out until we find out on the Internet, or -- -We don't have the same girlfriend!

[ Laughter ] -We are gonna have the police being focused on what they should be focused on, but the police are never going to be everywhere.

We want to see lives saved in Baltimore and we wanna do that in a total way, not just a policing way.

-The Group Violence Reduction Strategy seeks to call in folks who are at the highest risk of either being a shooter or being shot themselves, to give them two options.

One, keep doing what you're doing and we're going to make sure that you deal with the consequences.

Option two, ask for help.

Step away from the life.

We've got community-based supports, real transitional employment.

If we need to move you, we will move you.

-The city has tried Group Violence Reduction Strategy, not once, but twice, and failed.

And they failed because, two things -- One, the people sitting in my chair didn't really believe in it, and they only focused on the law-enforcement portion.

You can go out and tell someone that, yeah, if you don't change your life, we're gonna send you to jail, and what if they raise their hand and say, "All right, I wanna change my life."

If you don't offer people another way out, jobs, services, they will revert back to what they know.

-This is where we'd like to see partnership and investment.

We're looking at about anywhere between a $6 million and an $8 million annual investment in order to build something that's going to be sustainable across Baltimore City.

-I want to just, if I might, just kind of state the obvious.

The murder rate here in Baltimore is the number-one issue for people who live here, and the number-one talked-about issue for people who don't live here, but who want to beat up on the city.

The violence-reduction efforts are good, but there's gonna be a ton of press outside the door, asking what came out of this meeting.

If we don't come up with results, this meeting, like so many others that I've sat at this table on, will be looked at by people in a very, very negative way.

♪♪ -The federal delegation is committed to working with the Mayor to provide support and help.

We have confidence that we can do this.

We know it's not easy, but there's no simple answer to this problem.

-The plan will work, but getting it started is complex.

We have the support of our federal partners, but this will not work without state support.

We need the help of state agencies, like parole and probation, like corrections, like juvenile services, and all of them work for Governor Hogan.

-Yesterday, Governor Larry Hogan sent a letter to Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott questioning the city's crime plan.

-You know, I don't know whether it's smart or it's dumb.

I just hope that they'll do something about the violent crime and stop the shootings that are taking place every day.

Baltimore City will never get control of the violence if they don't arrest more, prosecute more, and sentence more.

-I can't even get the Governor to meet with me.

I've been trying to meet with the Governor since I won the primary election.

That's months now.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -When I turn down this block, I get emotional, because many of the houses that I grew up in aren't even here anymore, because they became vacants.

So, all of the houses on this side of the street are gone.

I remember Double Dutch with just bare feet on the ground, 'cause nothing slaps the ground like a bare foot.

It's where I remember hearing gunshots for the first time and ducking under a car with my cousin.

And I think that the only thing that I remember seeing... are two things -- feet running past us, and getting out from under the car and my favorite shirt having a grease stain on it.

The Mayor announced that I was going to become the director of his office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement.

The Mayor has charged me with doing a comprehensive evaluation of the communities.

We really need to make sure that we can unpack what's working well and what needs to change.

[ Indistinct chatter ] -Good evening, everybody.

GVRS stands for Group Violence Reduction Strategy.

So, what we're doing right now is giving recommendations from the community to the GVRS team as they're building GVRS.

-The Group Violence Reduction Strategy is about helping folks who are about to either be shot or who are about to be a shooter and say, "What do you need in order to walk away from the life?"

-So we got a -- we got a few hands.

And we're gonna take you, back there.

-One thing I can tell you is '91, '92, '93, the most notorious years Baltimore ever seen, and now we in 2021, and ain't nothing changed.

-Something that's different this time is that the community is being asked to be involved in building what it looks like, because it is important that people with lived experience, specifically around gun violence, are in these conversations giving their ideas.

The question really is people who are about to shoot somebody, who do they listen to?

-My suggestion is a bit different.

If GVRS is designed to target and stop people that's shooting and killing, you wanna go and get the people that have been convicted for shooting and killing.

They can identify with that youngster that got that gun.

-Firefighters, paramedics... [ Indistinct chatter ] ♪♪ -Mayor Scott's strategy includes community violence-intervention programs, like Safe Streets.

These programs engage violence interrupters, often people who themselves have been incarcerated, to concentrate primarily on preventing conflicts between individuals from spiraling into violence.

-Do you see an expanded role for the Safe Streets program moving forward?

-I am the biggest champion of Safe Streets that there is, actually saving it from elimination under a previous mayor.

We take guys who used to be shooters and killers, and they're now interceding in the violence.

Safe Streets is in less than 3 square miles of a 93-square-mile city.

My goal is to expand and deepen the program.

-Safe Streets zones across the city, they're chosen because they are at the highest percentile of violent crime.

Where we are, right...here is the Safe Streets Belair-Edison catchment zone, we work this whole post in orange, looking for potentially violent situations that could possibly lead to shootings and homicides.

What's up, short?

Alright.

We down here trying to figure out if there's some [bleep] going on.

We see the police down here, trying to stop something from jumping off.

What's up, short?

There are thousands of people that live in this neighborhood, but only seven of us work here.

We need more help.

We're the peacemakers, and everybody want peace.

I don't give a [bleep] who you is.

You could be the most meanest person in the world, at night when you lay that head down, you want some peace.

When they see us, they see peace.

-That's who y'all looking for, right there.

-That's who we are looking for.

[ Laughter ] -My man Dante, what's up?

We're just out here having a good time, trying to chase a l'il dollar.

-For real?

'Cause y'all always -- -I got him, damn.

-We don't, like, ostracize them 'cause they doing their thing, 'cause we've been there.

We understand you gotta feed your family.

So, it is what it is.

But you know that don't mean you gotta kill nobody in the midst of doing that, neither.

Many of us have been to prison, and most of us have had experience with violence.

But now we work to diffuse violence in our community.

We work off our own credibility in the streets.

That's how this program thrives.

But some people don't like Safe Streets because some of us have been to prison.

-Safe Streets is controversial, because there is nothing less valued by the masses in this country than a Black man, except one thing -- a Black man that's been to prison.

-I've been out the game now for 10 years.

Not selling no drugs, not committing no crimes, no robberies, no shootings, no nothing like that.

But not only just being a citizen, but fighting for my community.

Once I got with Safe Streets, I just thought about everything differently.

Where'd man go at?

As a violence interrupter, man, you gotta know who on these blocks.

Who the biggest drug dealer on the block.

Who's the dude that gonna shoot somebody?

You know what I'm saying, 'cause when a shooting take place, that's the first thing you gonna do.

You gonna really talk to one of them block captains.

[ Indistinct chatter ] If Safe Streets had 50 employees in this area, I think it would be a major impact on violence, because I believe that the way you get rid of violence is like dudes like us having a relationship.

♪♪ -Good morning, everybody.

We're gonna get started.

We will go to...Sunny.

-I wanted to give everyone an update on where we are on gun violence.

Year-to-date, we've had 96 homicides.

That's up 14% over the same time last year.

We've had 183 non-fatal shootings.

That's up 8% over the same time last year.

-So, what you're saying is, is that he's not gonna meet.

Did they give us a reason why?

Okay.

-So, what's going on?

-Governor Hogan still won't meet.

They haven't responded to the request for meeting.

It's frustrating as [bleep] but... the day goes on, the work goes on.

♪♪ Hey, Director.

-Yes?

-When we grow the pilots, this little section of Belair-Edison here and across the street is perfect for it.

-We've seen other strategies that are rooted in penalty, but now's the time for us to be doing something that we know is gonna last.

-Thank you.

-We are rebuilding from the ground up, and that means getting out in the streets and talking to people.

We need the community involved this time.

What's the title?

[ Laughs ] So the Fish Boy is gonna take care of the galactic aliens?

-Yep.

-My man.

-So, as we walk through these neighborhoods, it would be helpful for me to understand, like, where the team is spending most of its time.

-Okay.

So, this block right here -- -It's hot?

-One of our main blocks.

And so, all of this is technically not in the catchment zone, across the street is.

-But it's hot.

So you spend time here.

-Right.

It's basically petty stuff -- stealing each other's dirt bikes.

We recently just had a double shooting up here.

-Over dirt bikes?

-Dirt bikes.

-Really?

-Yeah.

Yup.

-How can I help?

What do you need?

-We need more people.

There are only a few of us for this whole neighborhood.

-I'm working on it.

-I think at some point we should have people working all day long.

When's the last time you did a mediation on this strip?

-Uh...probably Monday.

-And the likelihood for escalation into -- -Very high.

[ Dialing ] -Tonight the City of Baltimore is mourning the loss of a beloved community activist.

-46-year-old Barksdale, known as Tater, was dedicated to ending gun violence.

-Tater was like a big brother to me.

He was the heart and soul of Safe Streets.

Tater was murdered while working to stop a violent situation from escalating.

-Start living!

-Stop shooting!

-Start living!

-What do we want?

-Safe Streets!

-When do we want it?

-Now!

When I think about this city -- I love Baltimore City.

♪♪ -We miss you, yo.

We miss you, we miss you.

This not easy.

He was a warrior.

He was a friend.

He was a confidant.

There was no moves I made in this city that I didn't call Tater.

I just needed to be here with my dude.

You know, like... ♪♪ ♪♪ Allow him to still hug you and wrap you in his warm embrace.

Because he's still here, willing and ready to do it.

With a fighter and a warrior like Tater on the other side, it's no reason we can't fix this city.

There's only about 80 Safe Streets workers in a city of over 600,000 people.

Him and none of the Safe Streets workers get enough support.

-Tater was the leader for Safe Streets city-wide.

He brought me into Safe Streets.

He brought 70 other guys into Safe Streets.

I just love the guy, man.

He my hero.

♪♪ ♪♪ - We come together virtually tonight connected by both our love for and the light that is Tater's legacy.

-I was reminded of what he would say to me, "The most gangster [bleep] in the world is forgiveness," and that level set me to where he would want me to be right now.

We have to continue to invest in the work of Safe Streets and our violence interrupters and all the things that they need.

This is a reminder of how important and dangerous their frontline work is.

Thank you.

♪♪ ♪♪ -Unfortunately, we are continuing with very concerning numbers for our gun violence for the year.

We've had 111 homicides this year, year-to-date.

That's an 8% increase over the same period last year.

We've had 222 non-fatal shooting victims.

That's an increase of 13% over the same time last year.

-Murders are outpacing last year's numbers and keep climbing.

Reaction from the Governor today.

-This horrifying violence is tearing Baltimore City apart, and enough is enough.

The Mayor plans to get to the bottom of the root causes of crime, but I'm concerned about people getting shot this week, and that doesn't do anything to stop that.

It's a lack of leadership.

You can't do something about the crime without getting tough on the crime.

- Why should folks be at all optimistic that this plan is in fact going to turn the tide and do what other plans have not been able to do, over these last many years?

-There are so many folks who want to easily be able to say, "See, this is why we have to go back to the old days, to only thinking about mass arresting everybody."

They're looking and waiting for me to make that mistake.

I'm not gonna give them that pleasure, but I'm also gonna do what I've always done, it's do the right thing, not the popular one, but do it in the right pace and right order.

-How you doing?

Can I give you a Baltimore Ceasefire flyer?

We're promoting our upcoming Ceasefire weekend.

We have a Ceasefire weekend coming up.

So there are events happening all over the city to celebrate life and encourage peace.

-Right?

You're still up there?

-Okay, so, so what makes you say that it's not working?

-Well, I'm asking you.

I'm not interested in my question, I'm interested in your answer.

-But your question -- So, this is what's important for media to understand.

-Right.

Okay.

-Your question frames a narrative.

If you understand that it is a product of violent systems of racism and oppression, then you would understand why one thing is not going to automatically bring numbers down.

But that one thing will give people hope every single day.

Everything we're doing right now, 50 years from now or however long it takes, people will know, "Us now, we must have been doing a lot of good work in order for it to get that way."

But we have to be doing the work every single day and we cannot feed into a narrative about "Is what we're doing really working?"

because that kind of narrative encourages us to give up, and it doesn't make us do what we need to do, which is vibrate higher.

-Thank you.

-You're welcome.

-Amen!

Preach it!

-It took me years to be able to do what you saw me do with that lady.

-Really?

-Years of being irritated by the question and just getting mad.

-And just shutting down or just still answering... -Well, I would still answer it, but I didn't have the language yet to ask them, "First of all, why did you ask me that question?"

Like, I didn't know that that was even something you could do.

'Cause you think you in an interview, so only -- that's why she got mad, like, what?

"I don't care about my opinion.

I care about you."

You do care about your opinion, 'cause your opinion framed that question.

-What you mean?

-Is it really working?

They look at numbers of how many people who got killed, because that's all they can look at, 'cause they never going to get in these streets and really help people.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -Damn.

-Al, what's -- what's going on, man?

These mother [bleep] won't let me cross the line.

-Ain't nobody dead, is they?

-No, I don't think nobody dead.

The worst person, he got hit three times.

-Is the staff good?

-Yeah, the staff good.

We got, just a couple of the volunteers got scrapes because they dived on porches and stuff.

We was just setting up for the cookout.

There was guys on the corner, they were having a big dice game.

Somebody walked up with two guns and... And -- and just went off.

So we trying to get the kids down, the grown-ups to safety.

Trying to make sure everybody that's with us is good.

In the middle of the action, a shot came our direction, our grill got hit.

-Take the tent down, bro.

Like, the news going to make it look like we a part of the shooting.

-Okay.

Yo, Tay said -- Tay said take the tent down.

Just take the tent down.

Nah 'cause the helicopter.

It's gonna be on the news, "Safe Streets."

♪♪ -I'm headed to see one of the victims from the shooting that happened near our cookout.

He just came home from the hospital.

It's a real touchy time right now.

I'll try to talk to him about maybe talking to his guys, get them from retaliating, and offer him some help in getting through some of this emotional stuff that he going through right now.

So, I'm gonna go in here, man, and you gonna have to kind of shut those cameras down because this is, like, you know, this camera thing, it just can't be trusted.

[ Engine starts ] -How'd it go in there?

-Oh, man, I don't... [ Sighs ] It's sad, bro.

Um... We gotta try to get this brother some help.

He don't know what's going on.

He don't know who shot him or nothing like that.

So, at the end of the day he understand it was meant for somebody else.

His family in there with him.

You know, we talked briefly about it, you know.

He said he was good.

He was just laying back.

He's sick and tired of living this kind of life, of being out in these streets like this.

The good thing is he told me he's not gonna retaliate.

Even though I do this all the time, one thing I'm realizing is that these guys be really more traumatized than you would ever assume.

You see them out here, they so G'd up and, you know, just, you know, we go hard in Baltimore.

So, we ain't used to all of the emotions that come along with the wounded, man.

-[ Laughs ] -Hi!

Hi, you guys.

How are you?

-We were learning about you.

-Really?

-Yeah!

-What did you learn about me?

-We were like, uh, learning - -I forgot.

-You forgot?

Did y'all learn that I can play basketball?

Y'all didn't learn that?

[ Students exclaim ] Get it, get it, get it.

-No!

-[ Laughs ] Oh, they're going.

-That's what they supposed to be.

Tear 'em up.

Tear 'em up.

[ Cheering ] Hi, everybody.

-Hi!

-Hi!

How's everybody doing?

-Good.

-Good, good.

I am honored to join you today.

This is the best part about my job -- it is that I get to come and talk and listen and learn from the future of our city, which is you.

And with that, I will let you guys ask me any questions that you want to ask me.

-Yes.

-How is my life?

Sandy has the question of the year.

My life is wonderful because I get to be the mayor of the city that I love, but also that I get to work every day to help and improve other people's lives.

First thing you can do is continue to dress so sharply as you are today, sir.

Be involved in your community, start in your school, organize, run for student government.

So that when you become 18, 19, 20 years old, you'll be well on your way.

Uh, yep!

You want me to come back?

Or, you want me to read it from the card?

Alright, I'll read it for you.

No worries.

"Am I going to stop violence?"

The answer to that question is -- We are going to stop violence, right?

We have to do a lot of work to make sure that people can have issue or conflict, but it doesn't end up in people dying in our city, right?

The hardest part of my job is having to be there and deal with families when young people are injured in violence.

That's tough, because you never want to see someone go through something like that.

We had a 12-year-old shot, and I'm just following up with the parent.

[ Line ringing ] -Hello?

-Ms. Dyson?

-Yes.

-Hey, ma'am, this is Mayor Scott calling.

How -- -How are you?

-I'm okay.

I am calling to see how you are doing and how your young man is doing.

Just wanted to personally check in on you guys and let you know how personally sorry I am that you guys are going through this, but really just wanted to check in on you guys and see how everything is going.

-Yes ma'am.

Aw.

Yes, ma'am.

Yes, ma'am.

-He's... Football, basketball.

He's active and to not have his legs... [ Indistinct ] that's a big deal for him.

-[ Sighs ] [bleep] -Baltimore reaches the grim milestone of 300 people killed sooner than the city did last year.

Today the numbers continue to climb.

Fox 45's Mikenzie Frost continues to demand answers from city leaders.

Mikenzie?

-So, Mayor, what happened this last weekend?

-Too many people got shot and killed.

After what happened this weekend, I don't feel like nothing's really working.

Clearly.

[ Indistinct chatter ] ♪♪ ♪♪ -At or around 2:23 this afternoon, Baltimore Police received a ShotSpotter alert for gunfire discharge in the 2100 block of West Lexington.

What we have learned was that there were 4 other individuals who were in that block who were shot, who went to area hospitals by private conveyance... ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -The blood of 300 will be on your hands, Mr. Mayor!

The blood of 300 will be on your hands, Mr. Mayor!

The blood of 300 will be on your hands, Mr. Mayor!

-What do you say to the families who say that the crime plan is just simply taking too long?

-Can you handle this crime situation right now?

-We know that we can, but it's not just about the city.

The Governor and all these other folks, they play a big part.

-The Governor today insisted the city's cure will not work.

-The City of Baltimore is a poster child for the basic failure to stop lawlessness.

Crime seems to be the last thing that they're concerned about.

-We're clearing more cases than we have in many, many years in Baltimore City.

-What is your response to that?

-Well, I'm not happy, but I want to also say that that includes the Governor.

As so many public safety agencies work for him.

I have asked the Governor for meetings about public safety, but I'm still hoping that he and I get to discuss that at length.

-Trying to reduce crime by defunding police is dangerous, radical, far-left lunacy.

-D.O.T.

has put together a pothole, you know, push, a proposal that largely centers around the equity zones called out in the Complete Streets manual.

Also in that proposal, I asked them to make a couple... - Right now, Wolf, we are at George Floyd Square.

This is ground zero for where George Floyd's final moments -- - Hold on, Omar.

This is the Hennepin County Judge, Peter Cahill.

- All rise for the jury.

-Come here.

Hurry up!

-Members of the jury, I understand you have a verdict.

-We, the jury in the above entitled matter, as to count one, unintentional second-degree murder while committing a felony find the defendant guilty.

-Damn!

-Signed by the jury foreperson... -He's shocked.

Look at his face.

He is shocked.

-Same caption, verdict count three: "We, the jury in the above entitled matter, as to count three, second-degree manslaughter, culpable negligence, creating an unreasonable risk, find the defendant guilty."

Juror number 2, are these your true and correct verdicts?

-Yes.

-Juror number 9, are these your true and correct verdicts?

-Yes.

-Juror number 19, are these your true and correct verdicts?

-Yes.

-Juror number 79, are these your true and correct verdicts?

-Yes.

-Juror number 85, are these your true and correct verdicts?

-Yes.

-Juror number 89, are these your true and correct verdicts?

-Yes.

-Juror number 91, are these your true and correct verdicts?

-Yes.

-Juror number 92, are these your true and correct verdicts?

-Yes.

-Are these your verdicts?

So say you one, so say you all.

-Yes.

-Members of the jury, I find that the verdicts as read reflect the will of the jury and will be filed accordingly.

I have to thank you on behalf of the people of the State of Minnesota for not only jury service but heavy-duty jury service.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -So, we are laser-focused on one goal, and that is the 15% reduction of homicides.

-Like, what's the argument for continuing to use this 15%?

-Because we already said it.

-But what would the goal be?

-It would be unidentified.

-Then we -- we can't do that.

We're not gonna have an unidentified goal, because it'll be out of step with everything we've done.

The media is gonna say, "If you said that you guys want to reduce violent crime by 15%, are you guys now saying that you're not gonna reduce violent crime?"

That's what it's going to be.

-So, I guess the thing that I'm trying to wrestle with is, like, people are going to know that this year we're going to fall short, and is that gonna cause them to then disregard the entire plan, because of this number, that as you point out, everyone's gonna focus on?

-What we have to do is make sure that we tell folks that we're gonna do the right work, regardless, and stay focused on it.

♪♪ Many of the folks that came before me, those folks would always kowtow to the pressure.

If the forces come to get me in 4 years, 8 years, and make me no longer mayor, so be it.

But I know when I'm done, I'll be able to say that I never compromised myself or my city.

♪♪ [ Rap music playing over speakers ] -Mayor, thank you so much for your time.

So, we have to talk to you about this issue with the Governor.

The Governor said, "It seems as if the Mayor is focusing on defunding police."

You chuckle about that.

What's the reality of this?

-For the entirety of my lifetime, BPD has got the lion's share of the city's budget.

Guess what?

Baltimore's been one of the most violent cities every year I've been alive.

It's about how we can do something that Baltimore should have done years ago and that is strategically alleviate some of the burden on things that we put on BPD that are not their responsibility, and put them in other agencies.

It's not about defunding.

It's re-imagining policing, but we need everyone at the table.

I really hope the Governor of Maryland, who consistently says he wants to help Baltimore City with violent crime, actually meets with me so that we can talk about the things that we can work better together on.

The Governor is not meeting with me, because it doesn't fit his political agenda.

Baltimore is a majority Black city, a majority Black poor city.

He has nothing to lose by not investing in Baltimore, supporting Baltimore, lifting up Baltimore, because we didn't vote for him.

-Well, this crime war has become one big political war, and tonight politicians are duking it out over whose plan is the right plan.

Mayor Brandon Scott fired back, saying in a tweet, "Rather than relying solely on status quo 'solutions' and MAGA talking points, how about actually meeting with me to discuss violent crime as I've asked before?"

-The Mayor says that he has reached out to you and he's willing to talk to you.

When will you meet with the Mayor?

-We reached out to ask the Mayor and his police commissioner to come down to Annapolis so we can hear what kind of a plan they do have.

-Hey, sir, we can get started.

- Good morning, Mr. Mayor.

-So we're all in agreement that he won't actually talk about reducing crime.

There's just gonna be a bunch of talking points.

-So, the last two times I've been in the Governor's presence in a meeting like that, he really over-talks you.

-As much as he tries to act like he knows about this, knowing that there's nothing beneath the surface.

What we have to do is come out swinging and showing him what we are doing and what the focus is, but also letting that ass [bleep] know that, like, "Hey, if you guys were doing your [bleep] job, someone on parole and probation or someone on home monitoring wouldn't be getting shot in a car."

♪♪ ♪♪ The Governor controls parole and probation, corrections, DJS, even the city jail.

We need the state agencies at the table with us sin order to reduce violence in Baltimore.

♪♪ Guess we know that he told the media, huh?

[ Laughter ] Ugh.

Rotten [bleep] Sir.

You all right?

-I'm good, sir.

How you doing?

-I'm cool.

So much for private meeting, huh?

I'm shocked.

-Folks, you're good to go in.

-Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

Well, good morning.

-Good morning.

-Sir, how are you?

-Good to see you.

-Thank you.

-Good having you guys.

Thanks for coming down.

-Mr.

Governor, I'll say this it this way -- I've had a front-row seat of how my predecessors have operated since 2007.

I know exactly the mistakes they made.

I could pinpoint dates when I think, like, that's where it took a turn.

What we are actually wanting to implement now is our Group Violence Reduction Strategy.

We're here to talk to you guys about things that we think that we can collaborate on.

-Have a good day, Mayor.

-Have a good day, Mayor.

-He's out of his league talking to me about that [bleep] -You did very well at getting him to shut up and listen.

His responses and statements were totally different than I've ever seen.

-I just wanted to show him, like, for me, this isn't a joke.

Like, this stuff impacts people that I know.

It impacts me.

We can't play around with this thing like it's some kind of political football.

-Governor Hogan and Mayor Scott finally met face-to-face to talk about the issue.

-Both of them say it was a productive meeting.

-I've been the governor for six years and this is my fourth mayor to come into my office to talk about a crime plan.

And I would say that I was very impressed that the Mayor had actually put a lot of effort and thought into it, and, you know, we're looking forward to following up and assisting them in whatever way we can.

-Hogan was an obstruction.

It was all about politics.

Now we can get to the work of saving lives.

-All right, good seeing you.

-Hey, Senator!

-How are you, Mr. Mayor?

-I'm good.

You doing alright?

-I'm doing great.

Good to see you.

-Mr. Mayor, good to see you.

-You good today?

-I'm good today.

-Commissioner.

-Are you?

-Yes!

Whoo!

-[ Laughs ] -We'll be piloting the Group Violence Reduction Strategy in the Western District.

This partnership with agencies at the state, city, and federal levels will allow us to focus on those individuals who are the most violent in our community.

This is what a public-health approach to violence is all about.

It's about simultaneously addressing gun violence and unearthing its root causes.

-I am not naive to the work that we have ahead.

No single policy or initiative serves as a cure-all for the long legacy of violence that Baltimore has endured.

There is no silver bullet.

However, I believe wholeheartedly that this transformative approach can move the needle and make every neighborhood in Baltimore a safer place to live.

For the Group Violence Reduction Strategy, we're starting in the Western District.

The Western District has had more murders than any other district.

The first step is making contact with individuals most at risk for violence.

-We're gonna go out and do our custom notifications.

Today, we have three candidates.

We'll be knocking on doors to deliver the notification to citizens that may have been involved in violence.

This letter is from The Mayor's Office trying to offer some type of services to help them.

-"I'm writing you because you are a citizen of Baltimore, who because of your high-risk behavior and association with group violence may be at very high risk of engaging in and or being a victim of violence.

As Mayor of Baltimore and as your neighbor, I am committed to doing everything we can to keep you alive, safe, and free.

We have tried to stop the violence solely with law enforcement, but this has meant arresting and imprisoning far too many young men and women.

This has also hurt our families and communities and failed to make Baltimore a safer place.

We would like to help you."

-"We can offer you education, job training, job placement, emergency assistance, and other services.

We are eager to help you succeed, which is ultimately all we want.

Sincerely, Brandon Scott, Mayor, City of Baltimore."

-All right.

Thank you for your time, sir.

-Have a good one.

-All right you, too.

Take care.

-The next step is to dedicate people and resources to help individuals move away from a life of violence.

-Today we're going to see one of our participants that has been in the program for some months now.

We can't show this individual's face on camera, for his safety.

-Hey, Ms. Irene.

-Hey!

-How you doing?

-After I was shot, I was contacted by the program.

-Do you think if I hadn't have stepped in, you would've retaliated for that shooting?

-Yeah, probably so.

The way I was going, it was a lot.

With the relocation part, like, I can sit out front of my house.

I don't have to worry about nobody shooting at me.

I'm releasing the fear.

-I wanted to come out here and talk to you today about getting you placed into a job.

-I'll try to get into doing mechanics again, but then, you know, they got some desk jobs, too.

-We're gonna put a plan together to see exactly where we can go in order to move forward with the job-placement thing, right?

If you're good, I'm good.

-Yes, ma'am.

-All right.

It does work, and it is working, and it's going to continue to work.

Is it a fast-paced thing?

Mm, not by any stretch of the imagination, but we are making strides, and the word is out.

-Stop shooting!

-Start living!

-Stop shooting!

-Start living!

-Stop shooting!

-Start living!

-Stop shooting!

-Start living!

-We're sick and tired of y'all showing up, killing our brothers, shooting our sisters, hurting our kids, killing our communities.

We're sick and tired of being sick and tired.

-We offer job opportunities.

We offer educational opportunities.

We offer resources.

-Safe Streets!

-When do want it?

-Now!

-We are expanding the program.

I'm happy to see Safe Streets getting the support it deserves.

-Stop shooting!

-Start living!

-Stop shooting!

-Start living!

-Stop shooting!

-Start living!

♪♪ ♪♪ -City leaders announced plans to expand a crime-fighting tactic called the Group Violence Reduction Strategy.

-Since GVRS launched in the Western District, data shows a decrease in the amount of people killed or shot in West Baltimore.

Meanwhile, citywide homicides still surpassing 300 for the year.

[ Indistinct chatter ] -Much of our work during this foundational year has been about laying out the groundwork and ensuring that we have staff to support the implementation of the Mayor's comprehensive violence-prevention plan.

We began the implementation of the Group Violence Reduction Strategy in the Western District.

Violence in the Western District, which has historically been the most violent district in our city, is down 25%.

Baltimore can expect to see an expansion to at least one additional police district that will be informed by the data.

-There's a long-term approach, a medium-term approach, and there has got to be a short-term approach.

And I believe that is where the city has fallen short.

-Everything is in West Baltimore and people in my district are steadily dying in shootings every day and every time you got pilot programs, they in West Baltimore.

When you gonna come over here?

Because in East Baltimore, there's violence just as bad.

-And when do you expect a reduction in crime for the entire City of Baltimore as a result of the Mayor's plan?

-I think that, um... ...it would be... ...premature of me to speculate, at this point in the year, when we're going to realize sustained reductions, and we stand by the Mayor's position of a 15% reduction of homicides year-over-year and non-fatal shootings year-over-year.

That... we are actively working on that, and... we'll continue to.

-I appreciate the response, um...

Unfortunately, on behalf of the sixty-plus-thousand constituents that I represent, I am not satisfied with that response.

-It is totally unacceptable.

This 3-year, 4-year, 5-year plan is not the plan that I want to see.

We need things done immediately.

-It's not enough.

It's not gonna be enough until we don't see any homicides or any shootings in our city.

We've been really clear about that.

I've alluded to the gains that we're already starting to see in the Western District.

That's short-term work.

No one, not the Mayor, nor I are happy with where we are yet.

We know that we absolutely have more work to do.

Baltimore's counting on us to come together for the greater good and to take this moment as one that we can look back on and say that we moved the city in a new direction.

-It's frustrating.

That's 300 people gone, but I feel personally responsible, and I feel like it makes you think to yourself, what else could you have changed?

What else could you have done?

Where in the system did we miss this person that did this?

You know, how did they get that gun?

Where did the gun come from?

That's what I start to think about when I see this because it just makes me think about the responsibility of the lives of those 300 people.

♪♪ Dealing with, like, death of people, and young people in particular, you start to question, "Could I have stopped that?"

It hurts every time, and you have to deal with your feelings in ways that most people don't.

And for me, most of the time that's just quietly.

Like they say I'm emotionless or detached.

They forget where I grew up and how I grew up and the [bleep] that I saw.

They forget that, like, you gotta build those kind of walls.

-I need you to be well, whether you're mayor or not.

I'm really encouraging so many people on the front lines that when it gets bad, that's definitely not the time to give up.

I get that it's darkness trying to grab onto you in these spaces.

So, I'm proud of you, Brandon.

Something that I have had to learn early on, when I first started doing this work -- my joy is important.

Even if people are devastated, at some point you really have to understand, yo, I'm gonna [bleep] be gone way sooner if I'm swallowed up by other people's pain every single time.

Like, murder is this arrogant energy that make you feel, "Ain't [bleep] you can do about me.

I'm gonna take you out regardless."

So, your joy is the thing that [bleep] up murder's plan for you.

I wanna bless you.

Is that okay?

People want you to go in the direction of what they telling you.

So I wanna thank you for going in the direction of your spirit.

I wanna thank you for going in the direction of what your heart knows, even when it's unpopular.

And I am asking all of our ancestors, all of our spirit guides, bless my brother, stay with my brother and camp around him, in his silence, in his pain, in his joys.

Young Black man, rumble and shine.

We love him.

Let him know that he is loved in all that he does.

Ase.

-Honk those horns!

Honk those horns!

Honk your horns for peace, y'all!

[ Horn honking ] -Honk your horns!

-Honk them!

-What you see happening right here has been happening all over the city all weekend long.

Baltimore Ceasefire happens four times a year.

We just have a peace challenge asking everybody not to kill anybody, but also, you be peaceful.

So this is a way that we raise the vibration and inject joy into Baltimore.

[ Upbeat music playing over speakers ] -You wanna say anything to Ceasefire weekend?

-Nobody kill nobody.

-Look who I got with me!

Look who I got with me!

Oh, hey, hey, hey!

-[ Laughs ] -Hi, Brandon!

-Organizing stuff is hard.

-Yeah.

You know I know.

[ Laughter ] I forgot.

I was like, "Uhhh!"

[ Drums playing ] ♪♪ -People will say that we failed because we didn't reach that goal of 15% this year in the city.

Politically, it'd be easy for me to just say, "All right, go out and arrest everybody," and make everybody feel safer, but they're not going to be safer because we've been there before.

This for me has never been about my political career.

This is about Baltimore.

This is about me building systems that will save lives, so that young boys and girls don't have to live through what I lived through.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -How's that?

-That's cool.

-Push it in as much as you need to.

-Stand by, folks.

We're good?

-We're good.

-All right.

Stand by.

-337 homicides.

And every lost life leaves behind a web of people left to grapple with that pain.

And we must remember those we lost as people and not just numbers.

As a city, we must wrap our arms around the loved ones they leave behind and commit ourselves to collective healing, all while working every single day to build a safer Baltimore.

-In years past, we've read the names of homicide victims in chronological order by the date of their deaths.

This year, we'll be reading the names of homicide victims by age.

-Zorii Pitts, age 2 months.

Aubrey Faulkner, age 3.

Deyonte Davis, age 4.

Nivea Anderson, age 5.

Da'Neria Thomas, age 6.

Daven Thomas, age 8.

Maliyah Turner, age 13.

-Delmonte Keels, age 16.

Tavon King, age 17.

Terry Williams, age 18.

Curtis Berry, age 18.

Dayeion Diggs-Smalls, age 19... ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪