Baltimore is accustomed to taking broadsides from President Donald Trump. His latest — that the city is “too far gone,” meaning that his administration’s recent decision to dispatch federal law enforcement and National Guard troops to the District of Columbia might prove an insufficient approach to addressing crime in Charm City — was not exactly shocking. He’s also called Maryland’s largest city “filthy,” the “worst in the USA” and a “disgusting rat and rodent infested mess” in 2019 in response to the late Rep. Elijah Cummings’ criticism.
Unfortunately, Democrats are quick to see Trump’s faults but not so fast to recognize their own — or opportunities to find common ground. While it’s fair to question President Trump’s motives in deploying federal agents to fight crime in cities, the legitimate concerns of urban crime can’t be dismissed with a wave of a disinterested hand. Nor by statistics that — as welcome as they may be — show a decline in homicides including in Baltimore. Crime-related ills (and related epidemics of concentrated poverty and drug abuse) are too big, too complicated, too destructive to treat so lightly.
That’s why it was disappointing to hear Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott’s comments during an appearance on CNN on Wednesday with Jake Tapper, who asked the mayor if he was concerned about his city’s crime and the possibility of Trump sending federal law enforcement to Baltimore. Scott started off by dismissing the president’s actions as a “distraction” from the Epstein files and other issues. Then, Tapper asked Scott about a recent front-page article in The Baltimore Sun about residents of Curtis Bay and other neighborhoods feeling “trapped” in Baltimore because of crime and the high property tax rate. One 77-year-old woman is quoted as fearing for her own safety and her home’s property value because of open drug-dealing across the street. When Mayor Brandon Scott was asked about this by Tapper on live television, his first reaction was to dismiss the issue entirely by claiming The Baltimore Sun was part of Trump’s “propaganda machine” and saying he no longer reads The Sun at all.
Mayor Scott could have sincerely addressed a real problem and offered some authentic sincerity to the plight of Baltimore residents, yet he chose instead to attack the messenger. This has sadly become a common refrain from politicians — don’t like the story? Attack the media. Credit to Tapper for taking issue with Scott’s characterization, essentially stating that whatever animosity you feel toward The Sun, the story is one “worth reading.” If Scott actually bothered to read the paper, he might have also noticed, for example, the praise the editorial board has heaped on his administration’s accomplishments and his personal success story as someone who witnessed more than his share of violence growing up in Park Heights. Or the many times this board and The Sun’s reporters have held Trump and members of his staff to account.
Alas, what we have here is the kind of tit-for-tat politics that treats a serious matter — and they don’t get more grave than violent crime — as a talking point to score partisan points. Muriel Bowser, D.C’s politically canny mayor, on the other hand, is not dismissing the president’s actions completely out of hand. Rather, she seems to be looking for opportunities to steer it in a more productive form. The influx of federal resources to fight crime, she has noted, “may be positive” for the city.
We couldn’t agree more. And that’s how Mayor Scott might see this historic moment. It may also prove an opportunity. Is the administration willing to spend enormous sums to lower crime? Let’s sit down and negotiate a more productive way to use those resources: Hiring more police officers? Possibly, given the Baltimore Police Department remains about 500 officers short and trained officers are far more impactful than soldiers standing on street corners. But also, how about more drug treatment, community outreach and job training?
We elect presidents, governors, mayors and lawmakers to get things done, not to posture or get social media clicks. And maybe while you’re at it, don’t shoot the messenger? Or at least give the content a read first and then draw your own conclusions.
Baltimore Sun editorial writers offer opinions and analysis on news and issues relevant to readers. They operate separately from the newsroom.