Completed with Annapolis Collaborative for Change work group
- High levels of racial tension in communities of color since 2016 elections
- One of highest rates of public housing per capita in Annapolis for the nation
- Inter-neighborhood conflicts
- High rates of drug use/drug sales
- Even when dealers are imprisoned, there are still "turf" conflicts between neighborhoods
- "stay in your lane"
- Large Latinx population - MS 13 (though they use knives more than guns)
- Sometimes people just disappear - contracts out, running away from violence, people murdered but bodies are hidden
- Most of the violence happens inside public and subsidized housing
- Lack of affordable housing makes it hard for people to break away from public housing
- Huge gap between haves and have-nots
- All Housing Authority youth are in the same feeder so they all end up in the same high school - so violence trickles over from neighborhood to school which impacts kids academic outcomes and ability to engage in school
- Schools not safe - contributes to kids not going to school
- Lots of single, female head of household or are being cared by kinship caregivers - families lack support
- Neighborhood crews vs. true "gangs" - Intergenerational conflicts
- Lots of younger parents now that lack skills/tools to parent effectively
- Single mom's working multiple jobs to meet basic needs but then they are not able to be around as much for their kids
- Economics and housing costs in the County make it hard to transition out of public/subsidized housing
- People are afraid to leave Annapolis even if they could move out of the neighborhood - family has been there for generations, feels comfortable/safe
- Lack of transportation also makes it really hard - if you work in Annapolis moving to an area outside of
- Need a car in most parts of the county - but lot's of barriers! Drivers Ed, cost of purchasing a car, insurance, gas, etc.
- Housing models re: cost make mobility hard - increase in income changes rent which makes it hard to save
- High cost of
- Federal poverty level is so low and families above that line - even 200% of FPL isn't really financially stable
- Many families living paycheck to paycheck which creates no opportunity for saving and makes them vulnerable to even small issues (payday loans, "owe" people that helped you in the neighborhood)
- Drug trade/competition contributes to the riffs/battles between neighborhoods
- Dealers from Baltimore/DC coming down and preying on single moms as ways to move in to these neighborhoods - easy markets
- Heroine, PCP, marijuana all big in sales but people often buying the drugs are from outside the community
- "Tennis shoe dealers" - small dealers just making enough money to buy shoes
- Drug trade is a more appealing economic opportunity for a lot of the young people in the community - why work at McDonalds for $8 if they can make more selling drugs?
- And what happens when these young men go to prison/jail and try to come back into the community? Lots of barriers, lots of things that contribute to recidivism, lack of supports. Almost seems recidivism is inevitable.
- Viable means for supporting a family despite the risks.
- So many of these young men do not expect to live beyond 25 but feel like this is the best option they have available
- Institutional and systemic racism stacks the deck against young men of colors
- Many want to do better but don't know how - or really can't - break the cycle
- Lack of access to supports can often make smaller offenses (fines, court costs, etc.) snowball into huge amounts of money, bench warrents, jail time which is a dangerous path
- Lack of lifeskills education in elementary/middle schools to help give kids tools to prepare for "the real world" - be able to envision their futures and see the impact their choices have
- Lack of opportunities and pathways other than college - need trade schools, skilled training, etc. Votech has limited capacity and is hard to access.
- Mental health issues - lack of supports but also cultural taboos around getting help