Baltimore-area district pushes back against Trump comments

BALTIM O RE» As Latoya Peoples painted a mural with high school-age students Monday in Baltimore, she was determined not to let President Donald Trump’s recent tweets about the city “sink in too much.”

Peoples was in SandtownWinchester, the West Baltimore neighborhood where Freddie Gray grew up years before his death in police custody in 2015 prompted a racial uprising. Now Baltimore is in the spotlight again, this time because of the president’s recent attacks on Rep. Elijah Cummings, a powerful Trump critic who has represented Maryland in Congress for decades. Trump called the congressman’s district a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess” where “no human being would want to live.”

While parts of Maryland’s 7th Congressional District have struggled with poverty and crime, it also includes more affluent areas and famous Baltimore landmarks such as Johns Hopkins University and its hospital, as well as the Social Security Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Elsewhere are cultural touchstones like the Baltimore Museum of Art and the worldclass Walters Art Museum.

The president’s comments have rocked Maryland’s largest city, and residents say their home bears no resemblance to the place Trump described.

“People think you can’t walk through here. It’s intimidating,” Peoples said of her district. “It’s nothing like that.”

The district is a study in contrasts, with long stretches of empty storefronts and boardedup homes, and trendy neighborhoods dotted with manicured parks and restaurants. It also includes Pimlico Race Course, which is home to the Preakness Stakes, the second jewel of horse-racing’s annual Triple Crown.

Cummings’ district, which is nearly 53 percent black, stretches beyond Baltimore to include parts of Baltimore and Howard counties. The latter is routinely counted among the nation’s most affluent counties. The district’s median household income is $60,929, though there is a sizeable wealth gap between white and black residents.

Few residents will deny that Baltimore is struggling, particularly when it comes to violent crime and drugs. The city’s murder rate has soared in recent years, with Baltimore recording more than 300 homicides in 2018, most from gunfire. Residents say those struggles have compounded over the years, owing to institutional segregation and neglect by the federal government.

Other parts of the city are represented by two other Democratic lawmakers: Reps. John Sarbanes and Dutch Ruppersburger. Statewide, Democrats outnumber Republicans 2 to 1.

Earlier Monday, the Rev. Al Sharpton held a news conference at a West Baltimore church alongside former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, a Republican.

Trump has described Sharpton as “a con man” who “Hates Whites & Cops!” Sharpton said Trump “has a particular venom for blacks and people of color.”

For his part, Steele challenged Trump to visit blighted areas of West Baltimore and talk with residents to learn about their challenges and understand their “hard work and commitment.”

“Mr. President, come on down,” Steele said. “The streets are ready for you. The neighborhoods are ready for you ... Put the tweet down, brother, and show up.”