Good morning, everybody.
Good. [music] I thank y'all for being here. As always, I'll start at
Oh, actually, come this way. There you go, superstar.
Uh I'll start That's an inside joke.
Uh I'll start where we always do with progress in the city. As of today, there
are now 11,620 vacant in the city. That's a net
decrease of 18 since the last time we were together.
And there have been 53 homicides this year compared to 77.
That is a decrease of 31%. We have seen
174 non-fatal shootings compared to 172. Something that we are vehemently working
on. And uh burglaries are down 17%. Carjackings are down
41%. And as we begin to shape our next 5-year comprehensive
violent prevention plan, we will continue to let the data and our
residents guide that work. And as a reminder, residents can submit feedback
to help shape the next CVIP online or and attend one of the sessions that we
are having. And you can find more information on that on Muncie's website
or on their social media. With that, we have uh three items at the top. First,
for the last 3 months, DOT, wreck and parks, DPW, and our agencies have been
out in the communities working to meet the six goals that I laid out during the
state of the city. Over this 90-day sprint from April 12th to July 11th, our
wonderful workers who you see here today, let's give them all a big round
of applause right there.
» [applause]
» Not only met, but they exceeded every single goal. Wreck and parks maintained
622 tree pits, 122 more than their goal. DPW
removed 6,172 graffiti marks, completed nearly 20,000
bulk waste pickups, 9,000 more than their goal, and swept
more than 38,000 miles of road, 11,000 more than their goal. DOT resurfaced
more than 28 lane miles and filled 36,000
potholes, 11,000 more than what we challenged them to do. We'll take off
100 cuz I think I did 100 of it. Uh I have to give a huge shout-out again
to all of our workers who uh contributed to this effort, including all of the
folks that we have in the audience and the people standing here today. Uh they
go above and beyond every day, not just during the time of sprints. Uh they do
this work on days like today when it is really, really, really hot, and we want
to thank them for their service to the city and the residents of Baltimore. Uh
from DPW, uh Morton, Leticia, George, and Britney. DOT, Biente, Keena, and KC.
Uh these folks who uh do this incredible work and all of their colleagues, we
really, really want to thank you very much. But I also encourage our residents
to thank our workers. Give them some water. Talk to them when they're picking
up your trash or you see them working on the street. You'll learn a lot about
what public service and what they do each and every day and really a deep
appreciation for folks who serve your community. Which brings me to my second
item. Uh last year we launched the first ever Charm City Cleanup, the largest
citywide cleanup effort ever, and we're doing it again this year. Uh we are
going to, over the next 24 weeks, our workers and residents will be working
together to tackle projects across the city of Baltimore, building on the
progress that we made during our sprints. Our residents can sign up to
visit uh by visiting baltimorecity.gov or scanning that QR code. We'll have
that all over social media. And if you need an area have an area that you
believe needs service, you can report it through 311 via the app or by the phone.
And finally, as we move even deeper into summer, our youth engagement strategy in
the mixed 26 is active across our city, bringing together my office and and many
partners across the city of Baltimore to balance engagement, outreach, and
enforcement when necessary. We've seen the impact of this coordinated approach
in our previous years from 2023 to 2025 alone of youth victims of non-fatal
shootings fell by 57% and youth victims of aggravated assaults fell by 40% and
we're building on that progress this summer. City workers and our community
partners have already documented over 950
positive interactions and have connect our young people with resources
including employment and financial assistance to name a few. This week
we're also kicking off a Rock the Block, which of course is our summer block
party series that the city has had for quite some time. Last summer 1,700 young
people attended these block parties and we want even more folks to come out this
year. Moco will be sharing information about the Rock the Blocks in the
neighborhoods as they're coming up. Tomorrow the first one is actually in
East Baltimore right by Chick Webb Rec Center and you can visit
bmorethissummer.org to find out all of this information. And
with that, I will open it up for questions.
After I take a seat.
» Okay, any questions? We're not coming up.
First questions up here. Up. Chris. Chris.
» Go ahead, Chris. You're fine. >> Good morning, Mayor Scott. Good morning.
» Good morning. >> How many officers is it was last night?
A lot of them >> around football here because the
All-Star Game hasn't been in Baltimore since 1993.
» I remember. >> Have you had any conversations about the
bringing that perhaps back to Baltimore? >> I think everyone knows that
this is that Oriole Park is my favorite place in Baltimore City. It's literally
why my daughter was in my office right now. Her name is Camden because of
Camden Yards. I want nothing better. Camden Yards literally is the ballpark
that every ballpark today is built on its foundation. It deserves the All-Star
Game and we're going to be working with anybody that wants to make that happen.
» Okay. Next question.
» Yep. I know you're going to ask me about two big changes in Lake Clifton Park.
Can you talk about what's going on over there?
» Yeah, so we we broke ground on a new stadium, a Senator Robert Dalton,
a stadium for Lake Clifton Reach Partnership Academy
High School. They're also have a track and football field, soccer field.
It's really about improving the area. The school deserves it, but I think
what's very unique about this is this is the first time to our knowledge that
Recreation and Parks and City Schools partner on construction of a facility
like that. We know Clifton Park is a very well-used facility. And it's
something that I've been personally involved in and Senator McCray has been
personally involved in because we know the history of Lake Clifton. We know the
history of the people, Coach Tree and others that have put so many young
Baltimoreans on the right path and into greatness in their own life and we want
to make sure that this new school, 21st Century School and their their student
athletes have the same opportunity as well as the residents in Chum. I know
Mark Washington, community leader, is very excited about it. He tells me every
time I talk to him about how excited they are to see that investment coming
to their park that quite frankly had not had a lot of investment in many many
years. >> Okay.
Come on. >> Sorry. Uh cuz that's a huge property.
There's the section that was sold to >> Morgan State, yeah.
» Uh I assume that's separate from the stadium you're talking about.
» Yes. The stadium's on the other side.
» Well, on the west side. >> Yeah, the stadium's No, the stadium's
what we call that the the southern side of the park, right? And and we're very
excited about Morgan State and their development, too, right? Morgan is a
fast-growing a university. We know that they are having a record classes of
incoming freshmen every year. We know that they're going to soon be another
top-tier research institution, even more of a top-tier research institution for
us. And to have them in Clifton Park is a big thing. I know that again, the
community supports it. People are excited about excited about it. While
many of us who who grew up going to see plays and things at the old Lake Clifton
High School, we also understand, you know,
uh that things have to change. We have a brand
new school that they're in. Uh we're going to see what Morgan State
does, and we're excited. >> We're going to stay
» last one. >> Last one? Okay.
» A huge feature in the park, and part of the agreement of the sale was the valve
house. >> Valve house, uh-huh.
» Valve house, yeah. Can you tell me about what was in the agreement?
» Uh I can't. We can follow up on that. I do not have the details. I can I cannot
remember. >> Okay. We're going to keep it back. Uh
welcome to Bmore. >> Good morning, Minister
» Hey, man. How are you? >> Uh this is a question about the curfew
enforcement. >> Yeah.
» BPT referred us to Morgan State because BPT is not enforcing curfew. How is a
rule with no consequences a solution to an ongoing issue surrounding juveniles?
Is it time for BPT to start enforcing a city mandate?
» Well, I don't know who BTP is, but uh I'll start here. First of all,
everybody's in part of of doing it, right? BPD has a role, Morgan State has
a role. And when we talk about curfew enforcement, uh curfew enforcement isn't
just about the police department. It's about our youth engagement folks through
Munsey. It's about BPD. It's about other police agencies like school police. This
is something that Baltimore has done for quite some time. This is not anything
new. And we have to make sure that that accountability is is not just with those
young people, with their parents, right? There was a time
uh that people if a young person was out on the streets of Baltimore that we
would go and arrest the parents, right? Well, if you arrest the parents, where
you think the kids are going to be the next night? We are smarter and now
that's what we're going to be doing is making sure there is accountability uh
for for everyone involved, but also uh creating opportunity because uh while
while most of the focus is always on like teenagers, 13, 14, 15, 16, uh if
you work the curfew center like I have, you would know that sometimes they're
like four, five, six-year-olds wandering miles away from home at night. And
that's not about holding just simply that young person accountable.
Something's broken there with their family and we have to make sure that we
help them so that that young person does not uh grow into uh having something
very bad happen to them. >> Okay. And we're going to kick it
» Excuse me, uh go ahead, sir. Yeah, you're fine.
» Okay. >> Mayor?
Mayor, if you could just talk um I again we we've got a serious heat and
uh code red. If you could talk about that and an extension of anything that's
going on. >> Yeah, it's going to be very hot, right?
So, we extended all public pools to 8:30 today. Uh we want people to stay
hydrated, uh stay inside if you can, use our cooling centers. Please check on
elderly and vulnerable neighbors uh because this is going to be a very hot
day as is tomorrow, right? We just went through a wave of this a few weeks ago.
We have to take the heat very seriously because it can kill you. Uh uh don't do
things that push yourself too hard. Make sure that if you have to work outside,
that you're taking appropriate breaks and things like that.
» Here. >> Well, um and this this deals with um
Lake Montebello and the dredging. >> Yeah.
» Um it's a project of uh $23 million.
And just just checking on that in terms of the cost of that, um the issues that
that that are that led to that, and and uh
why it's taking so long. >> Matt.
» Mhm.
» Uh yes, hey Barry, good to see you. Um yeah, so this project is actually was
awarded today about $23 million. It's actually been bid three times. Uh part
of what we are seeing that project really encompasses the issues we're
seeing with supply chain disruption, issues around the world, which have
increased the pricing. Um we have now gotten to a point where the
estimate that we have uh meets that uh pricing that we actually got, so we were
able to award the bid. So, it was something that's been a couple years in
the making, but if anyone's been out at Lake Montebello, you know that it needs
to be dredged. And this is going to start this fall, and it should be about
a 2-year project. >> Okay.
Emily. >> Oh.
» For Madison Town, I was just wondering if you could explain how the walking
path situation is going to be and if it's going to stay open or how that
» Yes, so what's going to happen is there is going to be um
basically a bypass that's going to go up and around so that we can take stuff out
of the lake without impacting the walking path. There's going to be some
periods where we have to move equipment that's going to require the walking path
to be closed, but we heard from uh the council member there as well as the
communities that they really want this to stay open, so we made that uh
contingent part of the design. >> And how how long will it from the
dredging you're talking about starting in the fall, how long will it take?
» About 2 years. >> Okay.
» Emily, you know there's a a certain high school with a great track team across
the street that they they did not want to hear from
me about that. >> Emily.
» I just one more question about the Mechanic Theater. I recently the city
cited the owners of that property for the first time, you know, even though
it's sat vacant here for a long while. So, I guess I'm wondering if they can
expect more citations and if this is a part of a kind of coordinated squeeze on
the city's part to try to push development on that site.
» They should develop on the site and keep the site up to code. If not, they will
get citations. That simple. >> Have you seen any response to this?
There's a new program that could eventually help them.
» I have not heard Yeah, I have not heard yet, but we're hoping so. As you like uh
that site has been vacant Emily looking like that longer than I've been in City
Hall and I've been here 19 years. So, we we know that people want to
uh uh see a development and so do we. We think it can be a crucial part of I
think about the investment that went into the arena, some of the other things
going on around the area. It can be a crucial part of of downtown having its
rebirth. >> Okay.
Uh Chris >> Mayor Scott, uh police reported eight
arrests this past weekend in Fells Point, uh seven involving youths.
» Yep. >> And some one of the
TV colleagues reported that she spoke to somebody who this has been kind of going
on a number of people descending upon Fells Point since 2020.
» I think they've been descending on Fells Point a longer than 2020, but yes, sir.
» Yeah, I guess that's kind of uh answered my question. That is it kind of the
norm, I guess, that in the summertime large groups are going to gather there
and you know, that's just kind of the reality.
» Listen, I think that that I think what has happened Chris to your point uh
post 2020, post pandemic, it's not just in Baltimore, this is this
around the country. Uh um
people are going to places where folks were already gathering and now they're
gathering outside instead of going everyone going inside. Well, I grew up
at a time where we went into the club. You didn't stand outside of the club or
parking lot pimp unless you couldn't get in as they used to say, right? But, it's
a cultural thing, right now that folks are doing this. People have always
descended on Fells Point and at the entertainment areas where the bars are,
where their bars are, young people are going to go to to hang out. People want
to meet guys, they want to meet girls, they want to have a good time with their
friends. Uh we understand that. We know that since the pandemic, it has grown in
a different way because folks, like I said, don't do clubs and to the level
and other things that they used to do. But, that's also why we have increased
our resources there. That's why you see not just all the police presence there,
but city agency presence there, uh Muncie and the other folks there uh
trying to deal with the issues there because uh while it's okay for adults to
to be there and in bars, it's not okay for people to be selling alcohol to
kids. It's not okay for parents to know that their 14-year-old daughter is at
Fells Point at 1:00 in the morning. That's not okay. And that's why we're
working with the community and working through with law enforcement, our
partners to address the issue. If I had my way, people would go back into
hanging in clubs cuz I'm not standing outside in the heat, but I'm not them,
right? >> Okay, last call for questions.
All right, thank you very much. >> Thank you, everybody.
» [music]
[music]