Baltimore – A city criticized by Trump is back in force

In recent months, Stephanie Keith, a Reuters photographer, has documented some residents working for change in Baltimore, United States.

The city has been in the spotlight following a number of tweets from President Donald Trump, who described the district representative Representative Elijah Cummings as "a disgusting mess, infested with rats and rodents."

Baltimore, a city of approximately 625,000 inhabitants known for its picturesque harbor and historic districts, as well as for its urban problems, is located approximately 65 km north of Washington DC.

While many people in Baltimore have criticized Mr. Trump's language – he also tweeted that no human being would want to live there ", some residents have recognized not only the city's crime problems, but also that its leaders policies had not taken enough action.

Blondina Bean, a resident of Baltimore, had mixed feelings about the president's tweets. Ms. Bean, whose 19-year-old son, George Phillips, was killed during an attempted armed robbery in Baltimore, said she was torn apart because she thought she was right about The city's high crime rate, but was wrong to use what it called a "racist language". ".

"I unfortunately agree with what he said," Ms. Bean said. "We should totally be in a state of emergency.I do not agree with his message.I look at him and I think:" Wow, do I really want this message from his "Because his character showed who he is."

For many in Baltimore, Mr. Trump's remarks added to the damage that these episodes had caused to the city's image. This has both unstable and vibrant community activists dedicated to improving life in the city.

Brion Gill is a member of Baltimore's Young Activists "Leaders of A Beautiful Struggle", a public policy advocacy group created a decade ago.

"Communities like Pennsylvania Avenue have been neglected in many ways, economically and socially," Gill said.

"We are trying to change that with places to enjoy the arts, eat, create jobs and tourism, it will be a model of change",

Francina Townes is an 18-year-old entrepreneur and high school graduate who has had a difficult education in West Baltimore.

She says she grew up seeing other young people getting pregnant or going to jail and was determined to find an alternative.

Two years ago, she started her own home-based business by applying false eyelashes and gradually built a loyal clientele. She is now renting space in a living room and wants to own her own store someday.

"One thing about Baltimore, we can talk about ourselves, but if someone from outside intervenes and tries to do something, we stay united," Ms. Townes said.

Derrick Chase, of the Baltimore Stand Up organization, talks with teens at a YouthWorks site in the Curtis Bay area of ​​Baltimore. YouthWorks is a summer program that offers employment and mentoring to teens.

According to the Mayor's Office of Employment and Development: "More than 8,300 young and young adults in Baltimore City have been offered summer jobs by YouthWorks for 2019, with over 700 employers on 900 different workplaces ".

Edwin Avent participates with a student in a learning exercise during a summer session of the Baltimore Collegiate School for Boys.

Mr. Avent co-founded Black Professional Men Inc. in 1991 to challenge African American men, offering courses on topics ranging from financial literacy to rap.

Black Professional Men Inc. mentored 3,000 boys and awarded 225 scholarships, using education and positive reinforcement to keep young men away from gangs, drugs and guns.

"What we do, is to incorporate black boys into the next generation of doctors, lawyers, scientists and leaders, perhaps even the next Barack Obama," he said. Mr. Avent.

Young people ride a bicycle in front of the car park of a fast food restaurant HipHop Fish and Chicken. Every Sunday, they gather to ride a bike and meet in a group of relatively affiliated bikers.

A woman takes care of the child of a friend at an event called Feed the City, which provides free food, mostly to the homeless one day a month. This initiative was launched and funded by Charm City Cee, a local R & B and hip-hop artist.

People dance on the street holding signs saying "Ceasefire". Ceasefire is an organization that organizes events to draw attention to gun violence in Baltimore.

All Photos Stephanie Keith / Reuters