I was born in Baltimore, lived there for several years, went to college there, and visit it several times a year. I still consider it my home and have an intens

I was born in Baltimore, lived there for several years, went to college there, and visit it several times a year. I still consider it my home and have an intense amount of love for it. So "no meaningful experience with the city" does not apply here. Baltimore has serious crippling problems and denying that does the city no favors. Outside of very small pockets of often-non-organic gentrification (usually driven by the city or Hopkins), the city is at a nadir. Baltimore is the smallest it's been since WWI (for a few years now, to a rounding error), and the per-capita homicide rate is the highest it's ever been. Two awesome, solid people I know were murdered the last year I lived in Baltimore - in "safe" neighborhoods in unrelated incidents totally beyond their control. The fact that the homicide rate is now 30% higher is terrifying.