NOVEMBER 22, 2017 VOL.1 ISS.2 BALTIMOREBEAT.

COM

Stor y by Rebekah Kirkman Photos by Reginald Thomas II

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NOVEMBER 22, 2017

4 BALTIMOREBEAT.COM
 THIS WEEKS SHOWS
The Pietasters w/ Bumpin Uglies & The Players Band ......................... F NOV 24
ALL GOOD PRESENTS
Keller Williams Thanksforgrassgiving feat.
Larry & Jenny Keel, Jeremy Garrett, Danny Barnes, Jay Starling........... Sa 25

NOVEMBER DECEMBER (cont.)

Cut Copy w/ Palmbomen II........W 29 U STREET MUSIC HALL PRESENTS

Deer Tick w/ Nore Davis ..........Th 30 Flosstradamus .....................Th 28

DECEMBER SPEND NEW YEARS EVE WITH

Priests SPOON w/ White Reaper

Complimentary Champagne Toast
w/ Blacks Myths & Mellow Diamond . F 1 at Midnight! ............................ Su DEC 31
Reverend Horton Heat
w/ Big Sandy Dale Watson JANUARY
The Blasters...................................Su 3
Jungle w/ Makeness....................M 4 The Dead Milkmen
w/ Mindless Faith ...........................F 5
TEEV PRESENTS
Hadag Nahash with Boat Burning:
special guest Hanan Ben Ari ...W 6 Music for 100 Guitars
NEW MEDIA TOURING PRESENTS w/ Visuals by DC guerrilla
Matt Bellassai This is a seated show. projectionist Robin Bell .............Su 7
Everything is Awful Tour .............Th 7 The Wombats
No Scrubs: 90s Dance Party w/ Blaenavon & Courtship.............M 8 Lincoln Theatre 1215 U Street, NW Washington, D.C.
with DJs Will Eastman Cracker and THIS SUNDAY!
and Brian Billion .........................F 8 Camper Van Beethoven ....Th 11 MURRAY & PETER PRESENT
Majid Jordan w/ Stwo................... JAN 23
Gary Numan w/ Me Not You AN EVENING WITH A Drag Queen Christmas .......NOV 26 ALL GOOD PRESENTS
Early Show! 6pm Doors ....................Sa 9 The Disco Biscuits AN EVENING WITH The Wood Brothers
STEEZ PROMO PRESENTS Ticket included with purchase of tickets to David Rawlings ............................DEC 6 w/ The Stray Birds ........................... JAN 26
Bear Grillz w/ Phase One 1/13 The Disco Biscuits @ The Anthem..F 12
Robert Earl Keens Dixie Dregs
Dirt Monkey Kompany ALL GOOD PRESENTS
Merry Christmas (Complete Original Lineup
Late Show! 10pm Doors.. ..................Sa 9 Collie Buddz w/ Jo Mersa Marley From The Fam-O-Lee Show.........DEC 7 with Steve Morse, Rod Morgenstein,
Mogwai w/ Xander Harris ........Su 10 & The Holdup..............................M 15 AN ACOUSTIC EVENING WITH Allen Sloan, Andy West,
and Steve Davidowski) ..................MAR 7
AN EVENING WITH ALL GOOD PRESENTS Kip Moore, Randy Rogers,
Hiss Golden Messenger .....M 11 The Infamous and Wade Bowen...................... DEC 13 AEG PRESENTS

The White Buffalo
w/ Suzanne Santo ........................W 13
D NIGHT ADDED!
FIRST NIGHT SOLD OUT! SECON
Angel Olsen w/ White Magic.....F 15
ALL GOOD PRESENTS
Victor Wooten Trio
feat. Dennis Chambers &
Bob Franceschini ...................Sa 16
Municipal Waste
w/ NAILS Macabre Shitfucker .Su 17
Up and Vanished Live
This is a seated show. .....................M 18
STEEZ PROMO PRESENTS
Ookay .........................................F 22
OTHERFEELS PRESENTS NEXT UP II FEAT.
Tony Kill Echelon The Seeker
OG Lullabies Dawkins
FootsXColes Sugg Savage .Sa 23
MANY MORE SHOWS ON SALE!
9:30 CUPCAKES
Stringdusters ......................Sa 20
M & Cashmere Cat .............M 22
Tennis ........................................W 24
Big Head Todd
& The Monsters
w/ Luther Dickinson ..................Th 25
Enter Shikari
w/ Single Mothers & Milk Teeth..Su 28
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
w/ Night Beats .............................M 29
Kimbra w/ Arc Iris....................Tu 30
Typhoon ....................................W 31
FEBRUARY
ALL GOOD PRESENTS
Greensky Bluegrass
w/ Billy Strings
Ticket included with purchase of tickets to
2/3 Greensky Bluegrass @ The Anthem .F 2
930.com
The best thing you could possibly put in your mouth
Cupcakes by BUZZ... your neighborhood bakery in Alexandria, VA. | www.buzzonslaters.com
NEW YEARS EVE AT LINCOLN THEATRE!
White Ford Bronco:
DCs All 90s Band..................... DEC 31
Henry Rollins -
Travel Slideshow .......................... JAN 15
thelincolndc.com U Street (Green/Yellow) stop across the street!
9:30 CLUB PRESENTS AT U STREET MUSIC HALL
Maximo Park
w/ Active Bird Community ............. Tu NOV 28
Stop Light Observations
w/ Little Stranger ............................... F DEC 1 Alex Aiono ......................................... Sa 20
Allan Rayman ..................................... Sa 2
Uno The Activist & Thouxanbanfauni
w/ Warhol.ss ........................................... Tu 5
Busty and the Bass w/ Caye .............. Th 7
Rico Nasty .............................................F 8
Cousin Stizz w/ Levi Carter & Big Leano
New date! All 11/13 tickets honored. ........ Tu 12
Shamir w/ Partner ................................ F 15
Bianca Del Rio ........................... MAR 15
Rob Bell w/ Peter Rollins ............. MAR 27
Max Raabe
& Palast Orchester...................APR 11
herMajesty
& Honest Haloway
w/ Greenland ................................Sa JAN 13
Rostam w/ Joy Again .......................Th FEB 1
Flint Eastwood ......................................F 2
Mod Sun w/ Karizma .............................. M 5
Why? .......................................................F 9
Anti-Flag & Stray From The Path .. Sa 10
Wylder ................................................ Sa 17
MAGIC GIANT w/ The Brevet ............... Su 18

Buy advance tickets at the 9:30 Club box office 930.com

TICKETS for 9:30 Club shows are available through TicketFly.com, by phone at 1-877-4FLY-TIX, and at the 9:30 Club box office. PARKING: THE OFFICIAL 9:30 parking lot entrance is on
9th Street, directly behind the 9:30 Club. Buy your advance
9:30 CLUB BOX OFFICE HOURS are 12-7pm on weekdays & until 11pm on show nights, 6-11pm on Sat, and 6-10:30pm on Sun on show nights. parking tickets at the same time as your concert tickets!

HAPPY HOUR DRINK PRICES

impconcerts.com 930.com
AFTER THE SHOW AT THE BACK BAR!
 The Creek Boyz, compromised.

Screenshot courtesy YouTube

Attorneys representing the six-year-

VIOLENT JUVENILES WREAKING

Week In Review
Stories from last week in Baltimore
not covered elsewhere in this issue
old son of Korryn Gaines, a woman shot
and killed by police in Baltimore County,
are suing county policeincluding Royce
Ruby Jr., the officer who shot and killed
Gaines (and also struck Gaines son
twice)and question major details of
the days events. Namely, they say Gaines
was not aiming her gun at police when
she was shotone of the many confusing
elements of the events highlighted by
activists in the days after the shooting.
The civil trial begins on Jan. 30.
HAVOC ON THE STREETS OF
BALTIMORE. SQUARE OFF SPECIAL
SUNDAY 11AM ABC 2, local TV personality
Richard Sher tweeted just like that in
ALL CAPS to promote the latest episode
of his long-running news commentary/
debate show. The guests on this episode
of Square Off were Commissioner
Kevin Davis, States Attorney Marilyn
Mosby, Councilman Eric Costello, BPD
spokesperson T.J. Smith, and Gavin
Patasknick of the citys Juvenile Division.

In other words, all city officials very

As the Woodlawn-based rap trio
Creek Boyzs maudlin With My Team
gains more traction, moving from a local
staple and a buzzing song among serious
rap heads to potentially a national hit,
it has also been compromised. A new,
more professional video for the song was
released last week and with it, an edit
much of the we need to lock more kids
up persuasionand no youth advocates.
Skip this scaremongering nonsense
and copaganda and watch our friends
at The Real News Network talk with
Councilman Bill Henry and public
defender Jenny Egan in Questioning the
Narrative of Increased Youth Violence.

to the hook. Everyday we on our grind/
Baltimore too many niggas dying/ Gotta
watch out for me and mine/ Everyday
Im with my team, goes the original. The
line referencing Baltimores homicide
rate has been changed to, Cant nobody
stop our shineturning the touching
track into just another great rap song
about success. As Noiseys Lawrence
Burney wrote, [Creek Boyzs record
label] has deflated a song that was
initially made as a coping mechanism to
heal a city in pain.
In recent months, authorities with the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Information, or ICE, have taken full
advantage of support from the Trump
administration to lock up immigrants
in hospitals, at work, or outside schools
while they pick up their kids. Its created a
very real culture of fear here in Baltimore
and all over the country. To combat
those fears, the Open Society Institute-
Baltimore announced Safe City Baltimore
last week, a fund that will collect money

for immigrants in need. The group hopes

Eddies Market in Mount Vernon has
been approved for demolition so that
the space can be used for a new grocery
store and a mixed use development,
which as we all know by now translates
to expensive apartments and places to
eat. The plan from developer Dennis
Richter was voted on by the Commission
on Historic Architectural Preservation
due to Mount Vernons status as a
to raise $500,000 so they can help with
legal claims and provide representation
and education. Mayor Pugh has said
Baltimore is a welcoming city for
immigrants, but cant officially be termed
a sanctuary city. Thats because we dont
have control of our detention facilities
and therefore dont have a say in whether
immigrants held here are turned over to
federal officials.

historic district. For those counting: Club
Hippos now a CVS, Grand Centrals for
sale, and Eddies is good to go. It seems
Mount Vernon has moved one step
closer to morphing into Adams Morgan.
There were four homicides in
Baltimore over the past week (Nov. 13-
20, the week before the Beat goes to
press): Brandon Neville on Nov. 13; Tyrone
Rogers and Alexander Wroblewski (a
Locust Point bartender whose homicide
was highly publicized) on Nov. 14; and on
Nov. 16, Baltimore Police Detective Sean
Suiter, an 18-year veteran of the police
force. As of Nov. 20, Baltimore has had
309 homicides.

NOVEMBER 22, 2017

6 BALTIMOREBEAT.COM
 Community Events
N O V . 2 2 - 2 9
West Wednesdays. Tawanda Jones, the
sister of Tyrone West, a man killed in police
custody in July 2013 has been gathering every
Wednesday with other activists in the city to
call attention to Wests death and police brutal-
ity in Baltimore. Nov. 22, 6:30 p.m, at Northeast
District Police Station, 1900 Argonne Dr.
Thanksgiving Dinner with Hearts and
Ears. Community dinner for members and
non-members of the LGBTQIA community.
Nov. 22, 4:30-7:30 p.m., 2640 Space (St. Johns
Blackity Black Friday Pop-Up United Methodist Church), 2640 St. Paul St.,
facebook.com/events/127957911209571, free, do-
N O V . 2 4 nations accepted.
Chuckies Angels Thanksgiving. Free
Remember when Insecure star Issa Rae was at the Emmys back in September and someone on the red carpet Thanksgiving meal for those in need. Nov. 23,
asked her who she was rooting for and she was like, Im rooting for everybody black? Some white people clutched their 12:30-3 p.m., Frederick Douglass High School,
pearls at this, but black people knew she was speaking our language (why do you think the Country Music Awards got 2301 Gwynns Falls Pkwy., chuckiesangels.net/
a ratings bump the year Beyonc performed?). This is like that, but in shopping form. The pop-up is sponsored by the events.html.
groups Not Without Black Women, Leaders of the Beautiful Struggle, and the Greater Baltimore Urban League, three Bea Gaddy Thanksgiving Circus. Help
organizations that are dedicated to keeping things for us, by us. In addition to black owned and operated vendors, food entertain children and families waiting in
trucks will also be on site. 2-6 p.m., 512 Orchard St., (443) 799-5300, free admission. (Lisa Snowden-McCray) line for their Thanksgiving meals. Nov. 23, 9
a.m.-noon, Bea Gaddy Family Center, 425 N.
Chester St., (410) 563-2749, facebook.com/
events/898697346949641.
Black Friday Toy Drive. Drop off toy dona-
tions. Nov. 24, 3-7 p.m., Baltimore Legends Bar-
bershop, 23 E. North Ave., blackfridaytoydrive.
eventbrite.com.
Buy Black on Black Friday. Shop black-
owned businesses. Drum circle, ujamaa educa-
tion, musical performance, kids activities, health
demonstrations, and more. Nov. 24, 11 a.m.-5
p.m., St. Frances Academy Community Center,
501 E. Chase St., eventbrite.com/e/buy-black-
on-black-friday-tickets-39924466153?aff=es2,
free.
#HashtagLunchbag Baltimore. Pack
lunch bags and then pass them out in the com-
munity. Nov. 26, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Impact Hub, 10
E. North St., 528hzprojects.com/events/hashta-
glunchbag-baltimore, $10 donation requested
to cover the cost of food, but not mandatory.
Workplace Readiness Workshop. Learn
Word 2010, Excel 2010, and Powerpoint 2010.
Email address required. Register online, or by
calling. 5:30-7:30 p.m., Enoch Pratt Free Library
Pennsylvania Avenue Branch, Pratt Center for
Technology Training - Computer Lab , 1531 W.
North Ave., (443) 984-4944, calendar.prattli-
brary.org, free.
Trump-Republican Tax and Budget
Town Hall Meeting. Representatives Elijah
Cummings, Dutch Ruppersberger, and John
Sarbanes discuss the Trump administrations
proposed tax plan. Nov 27, 6 p.m., War Me-
morial Building, 101 N. Gay St., facebook.com/
Benefit Baltimore Market events/1914146085469875, free.
BPD Monitoring Team Community En-
N O V . 2 8 gagement Forum. The second of four planned
events held so that citizens can contribute to
You know how now we dont just have Black Friday, but also Cyber Monday and Small Business Saturday and the teams community engagement plan. Nov.
probably others too? Well the third day of splurging is Giving Tuesday, when were encouraged to donate to causes 28, 9 p.m., Douglass High School, 1400 Orleans
more worthy than Wal-Mart or Best Buy. But giving, though a pleasure in itself, sometimes comes with perks. Head to St. (410) 528-4670, bpdmonitor.com, free.
Peabody Heights Brewery to stock up on handcrafted giftssoy candles, stationery, leather goods, knitwear, silkscreen West Wednesdays. Tawanda Jones, the
posters, jewelry, and moreand enjoy grub from food trucks and beer from the resident microbrewers all while support- sister of Tyrone West, a man killed in police
ing local non-profits. Each vendor will give 20 percent of their sales to one of five non-profits, choosing from Bikemore, custody in July 2013 has been gathering every
Blue Water Baltimore, Open Works, Village Learning Place, and Youth Empowered Society. Technically, this also fulfills Wednesday with other activists in the city to
the mission of Small Business Saturday too. 5-9 p.m., Peabody Heights Brewery, 401 E. 30th St., (410) 467-7837, benefit- call attention to Wests death and police brutal-
baltimore.com, free admission. (Maura Callahan) ity in Baltimore. Nov. 29, 6:30 p.m, at the corner
of Greenmount Ave. and 33rd St.

BALTIMOREBEAT.COM
7 NOVEMBER 22, 2017
MISSING THE TARGET
Mondawmin big box store to close, and with it a community space and oasis amid a retail desert
By Brandon Soderberg
The Target at Mondawmin Mall,
which will close on Feb. 3, 2018, is not like
most other Target stores, according to
West Baltimore residents and shoppers
from all over the city. Councilperson Leon
Pinkett of the seventh district, where the
Target is located, totally agrees.
I jokingly told someone that
even as a councilperson, I dont need a
satellite office because all I have to do is
go to that Target, he said.
There he can meet his constituents
and get a sense of the mood and tenor
of not only his district but the entire
city. Along with it being the rare one-
stop shop in a part of the city mostly
full of dollar stores, convenience stores,
Target at Mondawmin Mall
Screenshot courtesy The Real News Network
and scrappy small businesses you go to
for one specific thing and one specific
thing only, the Mondawmin Target is an
inexplicable big box chain store contorted
into a community space in a notoriously
divested area lacking community spaces.
Ive only been to some of the
other Targets but that particular store
presented one of the most diverse
Targets Ive ever been ina mix of
individuals from all walks of life and from
all over the city, Pinkett said.
News of the closure was a surprise
to everyone in the community and to
elected officials, Pinkett said. What has
been related to me is that it was declining
sales over a several year period without
detail. What does that mean? The store
was not profitable or just that it was not
meeting the targets they set for a store?
I believe theyre really moving
NOVEMBER 22, 2017
bsoderberg@baltimorebeat.com
Target because its in a black community.
This is just how theyre doing it, Target
shopper Brian Singleton told The Real
News Networks Eddie Conway last week.
Another shopper, Edward Craig,
explained what Target meant to black
shoppers in particular.
This is the [Target] that we needed
for the black people, Craig said. The one
thats out in the counties, not trying to
be racist, but thats for the white people.
This decision was not made lightly,
Target spokesperson Erin Conroy wrote over
email about Target closing the Mondawmin
location. We have a rigorous process in
place to evaluate the performance of
every store on an annual basis, closing or
relocating underperforming locations as
needed. Stores that are closed as a result
of that evaluation process have shown
decreasing profitability over time. However,
we dont share any details beyond that in
terms of how the process unfolds, as its
internal to Target.
Conroy said she could not answer
further questions about general protocol
for this rigorous process. The Beat also did
not receive any clarification on whether or
not a store is less apt or more apt to be
closed if its near other stores (the Target
in Canton opened in 2013, for example)
or if Target, which touts its corporate
wokeness, considers how specific closings
might impact a specific community.
I can tell you that Target has a
legacy of giving back to the communities
we serve, and Baltimore is no different.
Conroy said. In Baltimore County, Target
operates eight stores and employs more
than 1800 people. Giving back to the
communities we serve is part of Targets
DNA, and something we know our
guests appreciate. In 2016, Target gave
over $1.9 million in cash and product
donations in the Baltimore area and our
team members volunteered over 9,000
hours in the community.
People recognize that there are
certain areas of the city where theres
a lack of fresh foodfood deserts, but
they dont acknowledge the lack of retail
opportunities in our communities as
well, Pinkett said, calling West Baltimore
a retail desert. And Target presented for
the community in a retail desert a place to
get the products they need in one stop.
On Nov. 13, about 200 people from
the community gathered for a public
meeting about the Target closure at
Baltimore City Community College. No
Target representative was present at
the meeting, residents noted. The forum
focused on the ongoing rumor that it
was theft (though Pinkett said that if
this was the problem Target should have
communicated this sooner) and the
aftermath from the Baltimore Uprising
(residents also noted that the Target was
protected during April 27s rioting) that
led to the store closing.
Also mentioned: Target leaving so
soon after getting financial help from
the city. Target indirectly benefitted
from a 2008 $15 million Tax Increment
Financing (TIF) via noted mall and
shopping center investor General Growth
8 BALTIMOREBEAT.COM
Properties (GGP) for improvements to
Mondawmin Mall, improvements that
arguably made it easier and cheaper for
Target to open up there.
Meanwhile, employees of the
Target will potentially lose their jobs
and shoppers will have to schlep across
the city to Canton to go to a Target in
Baltimore City. According to Google
Maps, to get from Mondawmin to
the Target in Canton takes about a
25-minute drive or a 36-minute bus ride
on the Navy Link, followed by a 12-minute
walk from the closest stop (ODonnell
and Dean streets) to the store.
One of the reasons that Target is
such a critical asset is because in a city
that is challenged with transportation, it
provides a resource and an employerwe
can debate about the wages but Target
also employs 200 people in a community
that desperately needs employment.
Pinkett said. If theres no transit accessible
its a challenge to get [to another Target],
employee or customer.
Target spokesperson Conroy said
over email that Target has offered
employees the chance to relocate to
another store.
Our team is one of our greatest
assets and all eligible Target store team
members are being offered the option to
transfer to other Target stores, she said.
In what can only be described
as a maddeningthough telling
conversation, Conroy remained on the
defensive, disinterested in Mondawmin
Targets specifics.
For context, this year we are closing
12 stores on a base of more than 1800,
and last year it was about 5. Thats in
comparison to chains that are closing
hundreds of underperforming locations,
she said.
At her weekly press conference on
Nov. 15, Mayor Catherine Pugh said she
reached out to Target and is intent on
changing their minds.
I know that the mayor has been
intimately involved in reaching out to
Target all way the up to the president
[of Target], and I support that effort,
Pinkett said.
He is also focused on finding
something else to replace that large
retail space so that it doesnt go dark in
West Baltimores long-term growth.
I want the community to know that
West Baltimore is in a better place than it
was 10 years ago. Do we wish that Target
reconsiders? Absolutely, he said. But lets
work towards getting some retail or business
to relocate. Theres a lot going on in West
Baltimore. The future of West Baltimore is
bright and whether Target wants to be a
part of that future is up to them.
Additional reporting by Eddie Conway
of the Real News Network.
Police Tragedy, Police State
Detective Sean Suiter is killed in Harlem Parkand the communitys put on lockdown
By Brandon Soderberg
Just a few hours after a Baltimore
Police officer was shot in the head
around 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 15,
cops swarm around some vacants on the
900 block of Bennett Placethe shooter
may be inside one of them, some people
say, but residents of Harlem Park just
want to get into their homes. This crime
scene isnt going to let that happen.
Big-ass crime scene right there,
one resident declares, then puts his
phone to his ear and tries to duck under
the yellow police tape casual-like. Hes
stopped and told to go another way.
Another gets into it with the police.
Hes trying to get to his bus and starts
to cut across Schroeder Street near
the scene of the shooting to ensure he
doesnt miss it.
Baltimore police search a home near the site of where Det. Suiter was shot.
Photo by J.M. Giordano
Get out of my motherfuckin space,
fuck you mean? I dont got to do shit.
You being a bitch about it, he yells.
Police nearby tense up except for the
one being beratedhe gently gets the
man on the other side of the tape.
Theyre not letting people go in, I
got told around 5:15, I had my I.D. and
everything ready, a woman who just got
off work says. I just want to go inside,
shut the door, and not come back out.
This isnt long after the shooting
of Det. Sean Suiter, but Harlem Park
already knows whats up and whats
about to happen. This is different than
all the other shootings that happen near
here. Theres little lip service paid to the
shot cop here, only frustration and fear
(this is why the Beat has decided not to
identify any of the residents we spoke to,
BALTIMOREBEAT.COM
bsoderberg@baltimorebeat.com
even those willing to give their names
most who didnt give their names said
they were either afraid of drug dealers,
cops, or both).
Residents say they have requested
blue light cameras be placed on the
blockan Open Baltimore map shows
the closest one is about five blocks away.
There have been 11 other homicides on
this block since 2013.
Not long after Det. Suiter was shot
and not too far away from Harlem Park,
there was a car accident involving a
cop car over on Martin Luther King Jr.
Boulevard, now closed. Theres a sense
that the city may once again totally fall
apart. It would later be revealed that the
police vehicle in the accident was driven
by Suiters partner, who was taking him
to the hospital.
Commissioner Kevin Davis, clearly
rattled in the many tough press
conferences hes had to givethe night
of the shooting he accidentally calls
Suiters shooter a killer before Suiter
is declared deadrefuses to explain
why or how Suiter was taken in a car
instead of an ambulance and says he
wont Monday morning quarterback
the situation. Emails to the police
about standard operating procedure
for transporting wounded police officers
were not answered.
According to police, Suiter and his
partner were investigating a homicide in
the area, and he was shot after observing
suspicious activity and approaching a
suspect. Police also say that Suiters gun
was fired twice and that he may have
been shot with his own gun.
On Thursday, Nov. 16, at an afternoon
press conference, Commissioner Davis
announces that Det. Sean Suiter18
years on the force, a veteran, a father of
five, 43 years oldis dead.
By the weekend, the reward for
information on Suiters killer reaches
$215,000.
Harlem Park, meanwhile, is on
lockdown. Lines of police officers walk
the streets and knock on doors for
information and the crime scene stays
sprawling. Police search Harlem Park
residents and pat them down. Mail
isnt arriving, kids miss school, no one is
outside except for cops, and the same
people who asked not to have their
names in this story because theyre
scared of dealers and cops must show
the police their identification whenever
they ask for it.
Its still a very active crime scene in
that were looking for evidence. Forensic
evidence. Were knocking on doors,
two three times, looking for witnesses
whether its an eyewitness or an ear
witness, Commissioner Davis tells the
Beat on Nov. 16. So its still a very active
scene. Our police academy class was out
there this morning, theyre looking for
the smallest bits of evidence that can
help us solve this case.
Around 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov.
18, three days after the shooting, two
detectives lift up the manhole covers on
Schroeder Street not far from Bennett
Place and look inside. Theyre outside
the yellow tape marking off the crime
scene, so a few members of activist
group Baltimore Bloc observe them
closelyit all has echoes of the curfew
during the uprising, and so the police
should be observed. A pissed-off cop
tells Bloc and Beat reporters they cannot
cross the street, though the yellow tape
doesnt begin until after you cross the
street. He sarcastically offers to move the
tape across the street if it would make it
clearer for everybody.
Residents who walk up to the yellow
tape show ID or wave a yellow piece of
paper around and the police let them
through. One man pulls his car closely to
cop cars, parks, shakes his yellow paper,
dashes into his house, and comes back
out with a big bag so he can leave for the
next few days and avoid this altogether.
A hashtag #FreeWestBaltimore
darts around Baltimore Twitter thanks
to Baltimore Bloc, who observed the
police Saturday night and Sunday
night, spreading the word about what is
essentially an occupation.
Erricka Bridgeford, the most public
face of Baltimore Ceasefire who has
been practicing the act of pouring light
9 NOVEMBER 22, 2017
into concrete and meditatively standing
where people in Baltimore have been
killed, intended to do the same for
Det. Suiter, but cant get to the location
because of the lockdown.
Once its no longer a crime scene,
shell show up and mourn.
This particular incident has put
their community on lock down for days
because of the investigation, Bridgeford
says. This space and these people have
experienced more than usual trauma.
As Harlem Park residents show their
papers to police and are occasionally
searched and patted down before
they can proceed, Commissioner Davis
addresses 500 or so Baltimoreans in
Locust Point, part of a vigil for Alex
Wroblewski, a bartender murdered
during a robbery on Nov. 14.
Your police department, I promise
you, will work with you hand in hand
until we get there. I feel every anxiety,
every frustration that you do, my heart
breaks like yours does, Davis tells the
crowd. Youre here for a reason. Stay.
Fight. Work harder. Work with us.
On Sunday, Nov. 19, David Rocah,
senior staff attorney for the ACLU of
Maryland, released a statement about
the Harlem Park lockdown.
The ACLU is concerned about the
police cordon that is being imposed
on the Harlem Park neighborhood,
following an interaction that resulted
in the tragic death of a Baltimore
homicide detective, Rocahs statement
reads in part. The residents of Baltimore,
and, in particular, the residents of the
affected community, deserve a clear
explanation from the City as to why this
unprecedented action has been taken,
what rules are being enforced, and why
it is lawful. The need to secure a crime
scene from contamination to preserve
evidence does not, on its face, explain
the wide area to which access has been
restricted for days after the incident.
The next day, Monday, Nov. 20,
Davis says at a press conference that
the perimeter around the crime scene
is open, but that the direct area where
Suiter was shot remains closed. He also
addresses concerns about the Harlem
Park lockdown.
I would much rather endure some
predicted criticisms from the ACLU and
others about that decision than endure
a conversation with Det. Suiters wife
about why we didnt do everything we
possibly could do to recover evidence
and identify the person who murdered
her husband, a Baltimore Police officer,
Davis says.
Additional reporting by
Lisa Snowden-McCray.
 Controversial Cop on Trial Board
Makes Mockery of Process
The presence of Capt. Charles Thompson on the disciplinary board of Brian Rice, the
highest-ranking officer charged in the Freddie Gray case, nearly assured the outcome
The highest-ranking officer who
was charged in the in-custody death of
Freddie Gray in 2015 was cleared of all
charges by a departmental trial board
last week. That result is not surprising
since one of the three law enforcement
officers on the administrative trial board is
a controversial captain with a reputation
for violating the civil rights of protesters
during the protests following Grays death.
None of the officers criminally
charged for Grays death were convicted.
Lt. Brian Rice, the officer who first initiated
a foot chase with the 25-year-old African-
American man, was found not guilty of
several charges, including involuntary
manslaughter, on July 18, 2016.
Two days before the verdict was
rendered by Judge Barry Williams, a
group of activists held a protest at the
citys Artscape festival. The protest,
billed as Afromation, was shut down
when city police engaged in a mass
arrest of people near where the protest
had moved to an already-shut-down
freeway ramp. The activists have filed
a lawsuit against the Baltimore Police
Department, Commissioner Kevin Davis,
and Captain Charles Thompson.
The protest was designed to draw
attention to a series of incidents involving
the unlawful use of police force against
African-Americans, the lawsuit reads.
Thompson, about whom activists
have long complained, is one of three
members of the panel who judged Rice
in the administrative trial, where he was
charged with 10 offenses. If Rice had
been found guilty on any of them, he
could have lost his job. But, activists point
out, an officer like Thompson, who could
also potentially face charges himself, has
a vested interest in keeping the stakes
lowand clearing Rice of all wrongdoing.
Thompsons presence on the trial
board makes it clear that there is no
intention to hold anyone accountable
for the murder of Freddie Gray, the
Baltimore Bloc, an activist group
involved in the lawsuit, wrote in a
statement. Thompsons history of
violence and corruption is well known,
as his is particular hostility to people
who seek to hold other violent officers
accountable. He has physically assaulted
NOVEMBER 22, 2017
By Baynard Woods
Capt. Charles Thompson
Photo by Reginald Thomas II
and otherwise violated the rights not
only of protestors but of citizens merely
attempting to observe police in the
aftermath of the shooting of an unarmed
citizen. His inclusion on the board is an
insult to Freddie Grays memory and to
the citizens of Baltimore.
The Baltimore Police Department
says it had no role in choosing Thompson
for the three-member panel.
The Collective Bargaining
Agreement (CBA) requires members of
the Administrative Hearing Board (AHB)
to be selected randomly, spokesperson
T.J. Smith wrote in an emailed
statement. This is accomplished by a
computer randomizer. The names of
individuals are selected by a computer
program; then, the respondent officer
is given the opportunity to makes
strikes in accordance with the CBA. The
department is not permitted to make
strikes and does not have discretion in
the selection process.
After they were arrested, the plaintiffs
in the lawsuit were allegedly left in the
cramped vans at the Northern District
Police Station for between 6 and 10 hours
in 90-degree heat, according to the suit.
One prisoner passed out. All charges
against the protesters were later dropped.
The suit alleges that the officers,
including Thompson, falsely imprisoned
activists without grounds to stop or
detain them, and that they did not give
activists enough time to disperse after
instructing them to do so.
Thompsons antagonism toward
the activist community is long-standing.
He has been involved in the arrests of
10
activists on dubious grounds at least
since the earliest protests following Grays
death. He has also threatened numerous
journalists, including me, Brandon
Soderberg, and Reginald Thomas II.
The Afromation suit alleges that
Thompson has told plaintiff Christopher
Comeau that he fucking hates him and
told Comeau he was going to fucking
sue your ass if you blow my ear drums
out with a bullhorn.
Thompson arrested Comeau two
weeks after the suit was filed as Comeau
filmed the arrest of another activist
in City Hall. No one unassociated
with BPD has accused me of doing
anything beyond filming at the time
of that arrest, Comeau said, although
Thompson alleges that he was assaulted
by Comeau, whose Nov. 16 trial was
postponed because Thompson was still
serving on the trial board.
The irony is not lost on me that, at
the same time I head to court . . . [to] face
four charges, including second degree
assault, the officer who has illegally
arrested me and my friends on multiple
occasions will be judging whether or
not Brian Rice made an illegal arrest,
Comeau said.
In her criminal cases against officers
Garrett Miller and Edward Nero, States
Attorney Marilyn Mosby pressed the
novel legal theory that making an arrest
without meeting the legal standard
of probable cause is assault. Nero was
found not guilty when Miller testified
that he was the one who arrested Gray.
Charges against Miller were dropped
after Rice was found not guilty and so
the theory was never tested.
It did not even come up in the
administrative proceedings, where the
three-member panel was provided
opportunities to ask questions of the
witnesses.
Did you think that any use of force
occurred? Thompson asked Miller at
one point.
No, sir, Miller responded, satisfying
Thompson.
But if Millers case had gone forward,
it is possible that Thompson himself
would be facing criminal charges, as
well as a civil suit, over the Afromation
mass arrest.
Brian Rice had faced administrative
leave before April 12, 2017, when he called in
an order to chase Freddie Gray. Documents
obtained by the Guardian in 2015 showed
that an ex-girlfriend claimed that Rice
threatened to kill her when she tried to
leave a house they had once shared. She
filed a restraining order and said he kept
an AK-47 assault rifle in the house.
In 2012, Rice reportedly threatened
to kill both himself and the partner of
one of Rices exes. I witnessed Brian Rice
remove a black semiautomatic handgun
from the trunk of his vehicle, the man
wrote, adding that Rice sent harassing
and sexually explicit text messages and
caused me to become distraught and
fear my life was about to end.
The man added that Rice
encouraged his children to use a gun to
shoot photographs of their mother and
her new partner.
After this alleged confrontation,
Rices guns were confiscated and he was
temporarily relieved of duty.
But he was back in office by April
2015 and in charge of other officers. If
there were a more robust trial board
or disciplinary system that did not rely
on officers like Thompson, perhaps he
would not have been on the street when
Gray was killed.
Visit therealnews.com for
independent local, national, and
international journalisms that
examines the underlying causes of
chronic problems and searches for
effective solutions.
BALTIMOREBEAT.COM
 A roundup of LGBTQ news
from the region and around
the world courtesy the
Washington Blade
between me and him was obviously
negative at best.
A Grindr screenshot reveals TGIF
messaged Humphries from less than
500 feet away, which indicates the
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser addresses a rally in support of D.C.s bid for the user was in the Capitol Hill area where
Gay Games in June. Hong Kong won the bid. Humphries lives.
After the exchange, Humphries
Photo by Michael Key / Courtesy Washington Blade alerted his boyfriend, Joel Garcia, and his
friend, Matt Curtis. Garcia, a 27-year-old
teacher, said he had a different reaction
than Humphries over the exchange and
Trump to blame for D.C.s Gay Games loss? was more upset and like ticked off than
his boyfriend.
Two weeks after the Federation of Gay Games announced it had selected Garcia and Curtis took it upon
Hong Kong over D.C. and Guadalajara, Mexico to host the 2022 Gay Games, officials themselves to uncover the identity
with the D.C. bid committee said they dont begrudge Hong Kong winning the bid. of TGIF. Under the false pretense of
But bid committee chair Brent Minor joined D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and arranging sexual encounters, Garcia,
City Council member Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) in saying issues beyond what they whos Latino, and Curtis, whos white,
called D.C.s extraordinarily comprehensive bid were at play in the selection of both exchanged messages with TGIF
Hong Kong. on the same day.
Minor, Bowser and Evans were among the citys 32-member contingent that I reached out to him and basically...
traveled to Paris last month to advocate for D.C.s bid in the final round of the pretended to be like someone who
FGGs site selection process during its annual General Assembly meeting. wanted to meet up and hook up with
All three said they believe the FGG clearly had been leaning heavily toward him, Curtis said. My sole motive was to
bringing the quadrennial international LGBT sports event, which attracts try to find out who this person is.
thousands of athletes and thousands more spectators, to Asia where it had never Instead of proceeding to meet for
been since the Gay Games founding in 1982. the sexual encounter, Curtis immediately
I would only be telling you what my feeling is, Bowser told the Washington sent the photos and TGIFs identity to
Blade on Monday. And my feeling is that they were set to go to Asia. That is what Humphries, who posted the information
I would surmise. on Facebook alerting others to the
Minor agrees with that assessment and says he also agrees with others exchange of hate speech on Grindr and
involved in D.C.s effort to host the 2022 Games that a dislike for President Donald the identity of TGIF.
Trump by at least some of the Europeans and Australians who were among those Humphries said TGIF was alerted
who voted on the selection placed D.C. at a disadvantage. to the Facebook post when someone
I think that was a factor, absolutely, Minor said. I think that was part of it. I he knew tagged him in it. The Grindr
think there is kind of a natural bias against the U.S. by some folks. We heard from user sent text messages to Curtis, which
some folks that the Games are going to come back to the United States at some were shown to the Blade. Curtis also said
point and that was just not going to be this time around, he said. (Lou Chibbaro Jr.) TGIF attempted to call about 10 times.
In apparent alarm, TGIF urged that
the post be deleted because he wasnt
open about his sexual orientation.
Look man, I truly apologize, the
Grindr user wrote in one text. I truly
Rep. Wilsons former user followed up with another message, apologize. Im just now coming to terms
intern caught using Fuck me nigga.
Bro you think using nigga in any
with who I am.
In a subsequent text, TGIF says, Im
racist epithets on Grindr context would make a black person want fucking crying. And in a subsequent
to fuck you? Humphries responded. Get text, he writes, Please tell him to delete
At a time of growing concern about the fuck outta here with that racist shit. the post.
racism in gay social media apps, a former The Grindr user responded, Nigger. Curtis said he hopes the fallout of
campaign intern for Rep. Joe Wilson Humphries, a 27-year-old former making the exchange public will make
(R-S.C.) was recently caught using racist Marine whos now an administrative people start to think before they send
epithets on Grindr while on Capitol Hill. specialist for the U.S. government, told these messages.
Rep. Wilson was widely criticized the Washington Blade the exchange He kind of felt that Grindr was
in 2009 for shouting You lie! at former was an unfortunate situation and he protecting him and he could act a
President Obama during the 2009 State wanted to make it public because it was certain way anonymously and not be
of the Union Address. the last straw in being subjected to held accountable...a total disregard for
The Grindr user messaged D.C. racism in the LGBT community. the other persons feelings, Curtis said.
resident Rashad Humphries, whos I became upset, more so annoyed, I feel like people shouldnt be able to issue. Their current meal capacity is 20
black, on Nov. 9 from a profile named Humphries said. I wanted to find out get away with that. Its 2017.
TGIF with the words sup nigga. The who he was because the communication The Blade has more information
BALTIMOREBEAT.COM
11
about TGIFs identity including his
name and photos but has decided
to withhold that information from this
article. (Chris Johnson)
Puerto Rico
AIDS organization
still without power
An organization that delivers meals
to people with HIV/AIDS in hurricane-
ravaged Puerto Rico has been without
electricity for more than two months.
Food and Friends in D.C. has
pledged to donate between $30,000-
$35,000 from its annual Slice of Life
pie sales fundraiser to the San Juan-
based Bills Kitchen. Food and Friends
spokesperson Abigail Seiler told the
Washington Blade the donation will
help Bills Kitchen purchase a generator
that will power their facility.
Food and Friends Executive Director
Craig Shniderman spoke with Bills
Kitchen Executive Director Sandy Torres
last week, according to Seiler.
Torres told Shniderman that Bills
Kitchen has not had electricity since
Hurricane Irma brushed Puerto Ricos
northern coast on Sept. 7. Hurricane Maria
devastated the U.S. commonwealth on
Sept. 20 when it made landfall on the
islands southeast coast with 155 mph
winds.
They have been without electricity
for more than 70 days, Seiler told the
Blade, referring to what Torres told
Shniderman. [The] power went out
during the first hurricane, Irma, and
never came back.
Statistics from the Puerto Rican
government indicate that half of the
island remains without power two
months after Maria made landfall.
Torres told Shniderman that 25 of
the 28 people who work for Bills Kitchen
have no electricity at home. Torres
also said the small generator that her
organization is using to prepare meals
periodically breaks down and it cant
run their (air conditioner) or walk-in
(refrigerators) in any case.
Its in the mid- to upper 80s with
high humidity, Seiler told the Blade.
Their staff are starting to experience
significant stress related anxiety and
depression. Clean water is still a serious
percent of the pre-hurricane service.
(Michael K. Lavers)
NOVEMBER 22, 2017
 THE REAL RESISTANCE
Finding the heroes in the global fight against fascism

By Baynard Woods

A couple weeks ago, when tens of
thousands of Polish fascists marched in
the streets of Warsaw, a smaller group
of anti-fascists confronted themmany
carrying images of slain Charlottesville
anti-fascist Heather Heyer.
Heyers image also adorns walls in
Exarchia, the anarchist neighborhood in
Athens, where 3,000 protesters took to
the streets in September, marching to
the U.S. Embassy to honor Heyer.
In the United States, we dont know
how to honor the martyrs of our politi-
cal movements as wellwe dont have as
much experience.
Its also tricky. Heyers mother, Su-
san Bro, told the Guardians Lois Beckett
that she did not want a park in Charlot-
tesville to be named after Heyer.
Everyone who knows Heather
knows that she hated statues of any
kind, she said.
I think its a damn shame that a
white girl had to die for people to have to
pay attention, Bro said of the spotlight
her daughters death has cast on racism
and the rise of fascism in America.
When the Greek protesters
marched to the U.S. Embassy to honor
Heyer, they were also commemorating
the 2013 murder of anti-fascist rapper
Killah P (whose real name was Pavlos
Fyssas) by members of the fascist group
the Golden Dawn, which is both a para-
military-style criminal organization and
a political party.
One of their black-shirt security
groups came to Fyssas working-class neigh-
borhood in Athens in order to sow terror,
according to the group Jail Golden Dawn.
Fyssas stood up to them. He was
surrounded by a number of black-shirt-
ed Golden Dawn operatives with sticks.
He fought them in hopes that his friends
could escape. Then Giorgos Roupakias, a
member of the party, allegedly came up
and stabbed him.
The attacks were tactical, launched
by two or three people at a time, Pan-
giotis Fyssas, Pavlos father, said in the
subsequent trial. I dont know how long
this lasted. Until the professional killer
Roupakias showed up.
Roupakias is among several Golden
Dawn members on trial for the murder
of Fyssas. The leaders claim that he was
a rogue actor not really affiliated with
the party. Some have even claimed he
is a communist infiltratorall of which
should be familiar from our own fascists
attempt to distance themselves from
James Alex Fields, Heather Heyers killer.
Like American Nazis, the Golden
Dawn fascists claim they are being pros-
ecuted for their ideasfree speech, as neo-Nazi organization. The trial frightens
Richard Spencer and his racist comrades
have put it.
But in Greece, the groups leader
and some of its parliamentary members
are also facing charges for belonging to
a criminal organization involved with the
murder. They are being tried as a crime
syndicate for: homicides, attempted ho-
micides, serious intentional physical in-
juries, explosions, robberies, blackmail,
possession of firearms and explosives,
drug law offenses, Golden Dawn Watch,
an anti-fascist group monitoring the tri-
al, wrote in a recent post.
When asked why his son was killed,
Fyssas testified: Because this organization
silences the voices that oppose it. His songs
were anti-fascist and this annoyed them.
Fyssas mother said that he had
ideas and principles. He wrote what he
believed in his songs. Before he died he
had taken to helping the homeless. He
helped, he was clean, a free spirit with
principles; those were his only weapons.
She was asked whether his music
bothered anyone. Yes, she testified. Their
anti-fascist and anti-racist content did. His
wanted to educate younger people.
When the trial began more than
two years ago, it was dubbed the trial
of the century. Now people joke it may
last that long. But Golden Dawn Watch
argues that, though the trial is slow, the
system is working. Golden Dawn has
ceased violent criminal activity [and]
removed the terrorist battalion from the
street. The parliamentary mantle can
no longer cover the odious face of the
extremist. They call themselves the Re-
the leadership of the [Golden Dawn] and
exacerbates the contradictions within it.
This is the same kind of slow work
we see happening in the U.S. as anti-fas-
cists and reporters work to expose the
racist dealings of fascist groups. But it is
has been a hard fight. In the U.S., as in
Greece, a great many law enforcement
officers sympathize with the far right.
While more than 200 people are on
trial for protesting Trumps inauguration,
there are no similar conspiracy charges
against Vanguard America, the group to
which Heyers killer belonged. Instead of
prosecuting the white nationalist groups
to which terrorists like Fields belong,
Trump and the American far right are in-
spiring fascists around the world.
Trumps policies have given us a new
wind of support, Elias Panagiotaros, a
Golden Dawn MP, told The Independent.
Its validating and reinforcing our nation-
alistic and patriotic policies. . . . We should
reclaim our country and our interests and
put them first, just like Trump.
The 60,000 fascists in Warsaw
marched under a banner that read We
Want God, a phrase from a Polish patri-
otic song that Trump recently quoted.
Other signs called for a white Europe
and an Islamic holocaust.
Fascists see this as a global struggle,
as they did before World War II. In hon-
oring Heyer, European anti-fascists are
helping us see the same thing. But while
American liberals hate Trump, they have
yet to become actively anti-fascist and
often demonize the real resistance as
sistance but fail to acknowledge the
examples of Fyssas, Heyer, and the activ-
ists facing decades in jail for organizing
against Trump. In order to become a real
force, this so-called Resistance against
Trump needs to recognize its heroes and
to take its villains seriously.
Baynard Woods is a reporter at the
Real News Network and the founder
of Democracy in Crisis. Email
baynar@democracyincrisis.com;
Twitter @baynardwoods

NOVEMBER 22, 2017

12 BALTIMOREBEAT.COM

On a Thursday afternoon, DaShawn, Ali,
and Kendrick sit in the Baltimore Youth
Arts gallery space on Mulberry Street
with staff members Marketa Wilson,
Leisha Winley, Bomin Jeon, and Joey, a
volunteer through MICAs Community
Art and Service program, and plan what
to sell at their table at their upcoming
holiday sale. DaShawn wants to paint on
pants and sell them, but pants are hard
to sell, Ali points out. They fit everyone
differently and people gotta try them
on before they buy them. Plus, Ali just
doesnt think painted pants are cool.
You can walk around with paint on
your pants, Ali says, cracking everybody up.
Young people come to the
community studio downtown pretty
much every day. The size of the group
varies naturallypeople come by less often
when they get jobs, or if they have to take
care of their families, or because of school.
But this fall theres been a steady group of
about five to 10 regular attendees.
NOVEMBER 22, 2017
Baltimore Youth Arts director Gianna Rodriquez talks to Kendrick Woodson
Founded in 2015, BYA provides an
afterschool program and a platform
for young people, many of whom are
involved in the juvenile justice system
(or are transitioning out of it), to create
and sell art and to be in community
with other young artists. It is a shining
example of the kind of community-
based program that can be a balm for
youth in Baltimore who face enormous,
systemic issues of poverty, trauma, and
inadequate education and housing.
The type of program that the police
commissioner admitted the city needs
more of, in a recent press conference
where he also said that the city needs to
be tougher on youth who cause violence.
BYAs approach is holistic and
interdisciplinary; the days in BYAs
community studio vary in structure
and activity. Mondays are for job
readiness training with Wilson, the
studio apprentice program coordinator,
who finds ways to get the participants
14
excited about the hunt, looking for
opportunities for youth based on their
individual interests, going over resumes
and applications with them too. On
Tuesdays the youth work on design, zines,
and blogging with Jeon, exhibition and
outreach coordinator, and volunteer
Gabriella Souza, former arts editor of
Baltimore Magazine, who helps them
with writing and interviewing techniques
for the BYA blog and their publication The
Gathering. Wednesdays are open studio;
Thursdays are for screenprinting and
meetings to figure out whatll happen in
the gallery space. On Fridays, its just the
staff there to catch up on other work and
planning, but sometimes students pop in
just to say hey.
Ali, 19, has been coming to BYA for
about a month. When he first heard
of BYA from his friend DaShawn, he
thought they probably just made
drawings and that was that; he said he
wasnt expecting to see screenprinting
or zine-making or the job readiness info,
which he says will help me out in the
long run because I like to know a lot of
stuff. Ali tells me his plans for his career,
which include getting a commercial
drivers license so he can make a lot of
money and then maybe hell do some
house-flipping and real estate, and also,
all before hes 30, he wants to sell cars
with his brother. (Hes also a Capricorn,
he tells me later on.)
He also claims hes not really an
artist: I cant even write straight, when I
write on a blank piece of paper my words
be slanted, he tells me. So then when
I draw, everything aint gonna be even.
But he walks me over to the fireplace
in the gallery where his drawing sits,
leftover there from the Halloween party
fundraiser BYA hosted. A disembodied,
blood-dripping hand holds a branch
blooming with skulls, surrounded by
blocky, bare trees and dark clouds.
Came out alright . . . for me, he razzes.
BALTIMOREBEAT.COM
 Baltimore Youth Arts
By Rebekah Kirkman
helps youth inside and Photos by Reginald Thomas II
outside the justice system

India Hill washes a palette

Ali says he appreciates the vibe of
BYA, and hes motivated to learn from
everyone he meetsthe instructors and
volunteers at BYA, the visiting artists, and
field trips to galleries and museums.
Some people dont take advice
well, dont want advice, but me, I want all
the advice I can get, he says. Ill get 10
different people to tell me they all do the
same thing, but they tell me 10 different
ways to do it, so I can put it all the way
together so I know what not to do.
A couple of weeks earlier, Im sitting in
the basement studio, the walls of which
are accented with shades of teal, green,
and aquamarine, and built out with
cubbies stuffed with student artwork
and shelves for art supplies, art books,
and magazines.
All three of them went to the job
fair this morning, Kendrick, DaShawn,
and Ali, Wilson, the studio apprentice
program coordinator, tells Gianna
Rodriguez, BYAs director and founder,
when she comes into the studio.
They didnt even come here, they
went by themselves, Wilson continues,
excited. They called me! I got here early
and I thought they was gonna meet me
here cuz I was gonna go with them and
they all text me, We on our way to the
job fair, whats the address again? So
they all three of them are there.
A bulletin board near one door is
tacked with job opportunities and job
training info; printouts of artist calls
for entry, Kondwani Fidels A Death
Note essay, and stories on aspirational
local artists like Amy Sherald and the
Balti Gurls are taped up near another
door that leads to a room for the staff
members desks and student computers.
Among photos, to-do lists, and awards
from local papers, hanging high above
Rodriguezs desk, is this quote by
Angela Davis: Prisons do not disappear
social problems, they disappear human
beings. Homelessness, unemployment,
drug addiction, mental illness, and
illiteracy are only a few of the problems
that disappear from public view when
the human beings contending with
them are relegated to cages.
Rodriguez says she wants to paint
that quote really big somewhere in their
studio, maybe on the ceiling, or in the
bathroom upstairs.
BYA acts as a conduit for youth
to other services that it cant directly
provide. Citing the mural projects
BYA members have worked on for
the past two summers, through the
citys YouthWorks program, Wilson
emphasizes that connecting young
people to communities is vital: Thats
how we all get our jobs, she says.
The programs approach, according
to Rodriguez, involves pretty much
looking at a young person as full circle;
what are the pieces? Theyre not just
artists or potential artists, theyre also in
transition from a detention facility and
are 19 and not in school and dont have
a high school diploma and need food
stamps and a jobso what the hell do
we do at that point? Its just developing
connections to other programs and
people so that what we cant provide
were able to send them to or connect
them with.
Baltimore Youth Arts has provided
art classes, job readiness, dialogue circles,
and more at various sites, including the
Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center
(BCJJC); Thomas J.S. Waxter Childrens
Center; Lillian S. Jones Recreation Center,
which started as a partnership with
Friend of a Friend, the organization co-
founded by Dominique Stevenson and
former Black Panther Eddie Conway.
Its YouthWorks partnership paid young
people to paint murals at the Waverly
Ace Hardwares garden section and
Playworkz Learning Center.
A small and motivated staffwhich

BALTIMOREBEAT.COM
15 NOVEMBER 22, 2017
 Zines line the wall of Baltimore Youth Arts space

includes Rodriguez, Wilson, Jeon, special
projects and development associate
Leisha Winley, and youth opportunities
coordinator Jonathan Jacobs, and
three volunteersworks with youth in
the community studio, located in the
basement of Platform Arts Center, every
day. Visiting artists like photographer
Shannon Wallace, painter Jerrell Gibbs,
graphic designer Jermaine Bell, and
many others have come through to work
and share with youth.
And youve probably already
encountered these young people and
their work at all kinds of art shows and
art markets around town too: at Gallery
CA, Platform Gallery, the 2640 Space,
Open Spaces Publications and Multiples
Fair, and elsewhere.
Not all of the youth who participate
in BYA are involved in the juvenile justice
systemsome are just there for after school,
because a friend told them about it.
Having a mixture of youth who
are and arent in the prison allows for
anonymity, and also peer mentorship,
says Rodriguez.
Amani, a kind, sharp, and talkative
sophomore at the Baltimore Leadership
School for Young Women, has been
coming to the BYA studio around the
corner from her school since May. She says
it feels comfortable, open, and friendly.
Rather than being out anywhere
or getting in troublelike, Im not a
troublemaker at all but I feel like this is
one of the places I feel most comfortable
being, Amani tells me, especially
coming right after school, because once
3:20 hits Im here at 3:25.
The community studio is about to
become even more robust, with a shop
and gallery which will be curated and
run by young people. BYA took over the
first floor gallery space after Platform
Gallery closed this summer. (Disclosure:
my friend Lydia Pettit owns Platform Arts
Center, a studio building; Lydia and my
friend Abigail Parrish previously co-ran
the gallery.) Every week, staffers and youth
discuss what the space will becomea
multivalent gallery/shop/community-
gathering space, not just for BYA but also
for other youth programs, people BYA
has worked with at the detention centers,
and others in the community. (The youth
are still deciding on a name.)
The first official event BYA hosted
in the space was its recent Halloween
party/fundraiser/art auction: Local
artists donated work for the auction;
there was a photobooth with terrifying
cardboard masks that youth made and
tarot readings from a deck the youth
designed. Daydrin, 17, interpreted the
cards I drew (Mr. Clean, an antique
map, and stacks of cash) to mean that
unfortunately, I was going to go bald,
but I was going to get to travel to China,
and also Id be receiving a million dollars
sometime soon. (Im totally cool with
all of that happening, for the record.)
The opening of the combination shop/
gallery will coincide with BYAs holiday
sale on Dec. 16.
The number of young people who
comprise Baltimore Youth Arts and who
come through its community studio
every day fluctuates throughout the
yearthats partly because of funding,
Rodriguez says. A few young people have
been with the program pretty much
since it started. Since the spring of 2016
until this past August, BYA had been able
to pay youth to be studio apprentices,
thanks to a grant. They didnt receive that
grant this year, which Rodriguez says was
kind of a blow to the program: Some
young people whove been paid through
the studio apprentice program for a
long time had to step aside to find work
elsewhere. In the few weeks this fall that
I spent hanging out in BYAs community
studio, there was a pretty steady group
of five to 10 people, a lower attendance
than theyve had in the past. Winley

NOVEMBER 22, 2017

16 BALTIMOREBEAT.COM
 Amani Smith talks to Jonathan Jacobs
and Rodriguez are working on ways to
expand their capacity, and mostly that
means applying for a ton of grants.
But these challenges, Rodriguez
says, are leading the team to think
about how BYA can retool its approach,
and shift more toward advocacy for
youth. She has been doing work like
this for yearsnot just in Baltimoreand
she would like Baltimore Youth Arts as
an organization to be able to be more
public about the impact of the arts on
youth inside and outside of the justice
system, as well as the impact of the
justice system on youth.
Its not just an art education
program, she says, pointing to the
myriad other important but less
publicized ways she and her staff help
young people with job and college and
FAFSA applications, driving them to the
DMV to get an ID so they can get a job,
supporting them at court hearings.
Rodriguez, an artist and teacher,
BALTIMOREBEAT.COM
founded Baltimore Youth Arts in Jan.
2015, shortly after she moved here from
Providence, Rhode Island. She knew
she wanted to teach art and work with
incarcerated peopleshe modeled
BYA in part after a similar program in
Providence, AS220 Youth, where she
worked for six and a half years. She notes
that though shes been affected by the
criminal justice systemwitnessing its
injustices, seeing family members and
friends get locked upshe knows its
not her own experience, which is why
feedback from the communities and
facilities shes worked with so far have
been invaluable.
Were not going there to save
someone, she says. We know the
impact the arts can have, we recognize
that there is a lack.
And although creative outlets are
vital, BYA isnt solely an outlet. When BYA
is present at art shows and markets to
display and sell their work, young people
17
have the chance to talk to people about
their art, sell it, and then keep most
of the money (BYA takes a small cut,
usually about 10 to 15 percent, to recoup
the materials cost).
When we have our art shows and
I have to talk to people it builds my
communication skills more, Daydrin, a
junior at BLS, tells me, because I usually
dont talk. In select professional or
school settings, that is; shes pretty vocal
in the studio, cracking jokes. Daydrin has
worked on murals the past two summers
with BYA through YouthWorks. It can
be, like, distracting sometimes, she says
and laughs, you be with your friends and
you not getting the job doneand that
can be a problem for me too, because I
like to hang out with my friends.
Outside of its community studio, BYAs
other consistent site presence this fall
has been at BCJJC. BYA is the only arts
and job readiness program offered in
BCJJC, and until they run into some
more money to pay more instructors
(and to go back into other facilities)
Rodriguez is the only instructor. Over
the course of three days a week, she
teaches 18-22 young people the basics,
like painting and drawing.
Ive done screenprinting in prison
before, Rodriguez says. I think that
would be exciting but difficult. Its hard,
you cant have scissors, you cant have
wire, they had an issue with clay, so it has
to be pretty basic.
BYA staff conduct dialogue circles
and help with resume writing and other
job readiness activities sometimes too.
The size of each class at BCJJC varies
because most youth are only there for
a week or so, awaiting their court dates.
And because of the high turnover she
says the structure winds up feeling open
and collaborative, with young people
who have been in there longer helping
out those who are newer to it.
NOVEMBER 22, 2017

Rodriguez understands shes not
necessarily training up a swarm of young
people who will all pursue a career in the
arts, but sees how the arts can provide
youth with skills they can use.
They gain something from it
because they worked with other people,
they learned how to express their ideas,
they learned how to think critically, she
says. Art is a tool to develop relationships.
Its very much about mentoring,
connection, and in the future employing
young people.
When Rodriguez and other staff
try to recruit young people at BCJJC to
join BYA when they get out, they meet
youth who are interested but have
been charged as adults and might have
longer sentences.
Thats reality, Wilson says. Its a
lot of them who was expressing major
interestI wanna work with yall, I
wanna work with yall in the community
. . . but when I give them the form to fill
out [theyre] like I got some time here, I
NOVEMBER 22, 2017
India Hill paints
could fill that out later.
Dante Scancella, a social worker
with the Maryland Office of the Public
Defenders juvenile division, has so far
worked with two youth connected to
Baltimore Youth Arts. He sees the impact
that BYA and community programs like it
can have on youthnot only while theyre
involved in the juvenile justice system
but also as a way to ideally prevent them
from having to enter the system at all.
I think we see the end resultthe
youth being charged with a delinquent
actbut we do have to look more
holistically, Scancella says.
Scancella works with young people
at various points in the justice process
and he says that a huge part of someone
going back into their community is after-
care planning, which BYA and programs
like it can help with. From a social work
perspective I see a relationship as the
vehicle for change, he says.
In particular for youth, and the youth
that we frequently see in the juvenile
justice system who have limited family
supports, sometimes no family support,
those supports [like BYA] are even more
important, he says. Not suggesting
that BYA or other any other entity can
take over the family role, [but] they can
definitely supplement and support.
Just a couple of weeks ago at a
press conference, Police Commissioner
Kevin Davis called for a crackdown
on violent juvenile repeat offenders
whose adult charges, he said, keep
getting waived down back to juvenile
court. Davis acknowledged systemic
issuespoverty, family instability,
addictionsthat are linked to crime,
but maintained that locking up more
youth for violent crimes is the best way
to hold them accountable. This reeks
of the paranoid rhetoric on youth in
the 90sthe mythic superpredator
generation of violent youthwhich led
to legislation that caused more youth
(predominantly African-American
youth) to be sentenced far more harshly,
18
instead of being funnelled through the
juvenile justice system, which, in many
jurisdictions, including in Maryland,
purports to rehabilitate youth or divert
them from the system.
Pushing to charge and sentence
young people as adults also ignores the
fact, as numerous studies and reports
have shown, that locking up young
people ultimately causes far more
harm than public good. The statistics
also indicate that youth of color are
disproportionately locked up more
than white youth are. The Annie E.
Casey Foundation has looked into this
extensively; in its 2011 report on juvenile
incarceration No Place for Kids, the
foundation wrote that incarcerating
young people is ineffective in terms of
rehabilitating themnor is it proven to
reduce juvenile crimeand its a waste
of public resources and money.
[T]he states that decreased juvenile
confinement rates most sharply (40
percent or more) saw a slightly greater
BALTIMOREBEAT.COM
 Amani Smith sketches

decline in juvenile violent crime arrest
rates than states that increased their
youth confinement rates, the report
reads. The report also notes that young
people who get detained are more
likely to recidivate, and that likelihood
increases the deeper one goes into the
system. Without proper resources and
community support and intervention, it
can be hard to break that cycle.
If we want to decrease violence, we
have to decrease the motive. We have
to make sure that kids have adequate
housing, that they have adequate
access to job training, to those that have
been pushed out of school, have a real,
concerted, trauma-specific mentor who
can bring them back in, Jenny Egan, a
public defender who works with youth,
said in a recent Real News segment
with Baynard Woods. Juvenile crime
has been steadily decreasing, she said,
and sending the youth deeper into
the system will likely do little to curb
violence thats happening now, and only
increase long-term violence.
It is also a waste of money to detain
youth, when detention is not proven
to help them. Baltimore City funds
the Baltimore Police Departments
almost-half-a-billion-dollar budget;
meanwhile, so many of the community-
based, citizen-run, and citizen-led
initiatives and programs (like BYA)
depend on grant fundingwhich can
be sparse and competitivedonations,
and an occasional city sponsorship or
partnership (i.e. Youth Works). These
programs, which provide the type of
community supports that a city needs,
are essentially DIY.
When young people work with BYA,
it is all documented: They sign in when
they come into the community studio;
at detention facilities the staff records
young peoples attendance; there
are photos of young people working
together in the studio or out on field
trips to galleries and museums. And
their worktheir artbecomes proof of
their participation too. Recently, BYA
staff went to court to support a young
person (who will remain anonymous
since he was a minor at the time) who
had been charged as an adult, hoping
that the judge would knock down the
boys charges.
Rodriguez shared with the boys
social worker and lawyer images of him
working with BYA and wrote letters of
support for him, providing proof that
he was working in his community and
trying to get right. The boy had been a
member of BYA since early 2016, before
this recent incident. BYAs presence at the
hearing, along with his family and a youth
coordinator from the boys church, helped
get his charges waived down to juvenile
court. He is currently detained at BCJJC.
In gathering information for his case,
his social worker, Scancella, said that this
youth told him about the relationships
he had with staff and his peers at BYA,
how they had benefited him.
He was getting things there that his
own family couldnt provide him, he said.
The youths mother (who wanted
to remain anonymous) said that the
workforce guidance from BYA helped
him, and that BYA kept him busy and
out of trouble.
[I] just hope he stay positive and
take this as a learning experience, she
says. I love my son and just want to see
him do right and become whatever he
set his mind to.
It was amazing, Winley says, about
the court support. After that Gianna was
like, do you see? and I was like I get it.
I really get what were doing because
if he didnt have all of this, if he didnt
have BYA, if he didnt have a resume of
art selling, a portfolio, what would have
happened? And if he didnt have five
people [at BYA] supporting him aside
from his family, his church members
and community members, what else
wouldve happened? And so many
youth, they fall through.
The past year has been particularly

BALTIMOREBEAT.COM
19 NOVEMBER 22, 2017

hard for BYA. A girl that Rodriguez
had worked with at the Lillian Jones
Recreation Center was killed in a drunk
driving accident. A young man who
had been in a class at BCJJC was shot.
Two young men who were close to BYA
were killed within a few months of each
other: Amoni Grossman, 19, was shot in
September 2016 in the Greenmount
West neighborhood. And this past
January, BYA staff and members woke up
to the news that Dasean Mcelveen, aka
Smoke, a 17-year-old who had joined the
groups studio apprentice program last
fall, had been killed. According to police,
Mcelveen had been walking around the
Coldstream-Homestead-Montebello
neighborhood with a 20-year-old man
when a black van pulled up alongside
them, and a passenger shot at them.
Rodriguez described Mcelveen as a very
driven painter and graphic designer.
The last time we spoke he said that
BYA was the only thing he had going for
him, she told me in January.
NOVEMBER 22, 2017
India Hill picks out pencils to use for a drawing
In this line of work, Rodriguez
says, you understand very clearly the
complexity of people.
And I think if you are committed
to this work youre committed to seeing
the good in youth and others, she says.
Its hard to witness youth in prison, its
hard to witness young people walking in
shackles, and imagining the prospects
of a young person being put behind bars
for years for an adult charge.
On a Tuesday evening class at BCJJC,
Rodriguez counts out the paintbrushes,
pencils, and paint tubes before the seven
young men come into the classroom.
She has to keep inventory before and
after class because if something goes
missing, the boys spaces get searched.
She counts everything out twice. This
particular group has been working with
her for a whilemany of them have been
charged as adults.
Throughout the hour-long class, the
boys mostly stay seated at their benches
and work on paintings that theyd started
20
in a previous class. There are a lot of
hearts on their canvas boards tonight: a
broken purple heart; an ultramarine blue
heart, in memoriam to someone who has
died; a cherry red, perfectly symmetrical
heart; a slightly less symmetrical one with
a pink crown painted on.
One young man focuses on
smoothing out the blue, white, and
yellow gradient background in his
painting. In the middle, a red heart with
a black Charlie Brown-like zigzag in the
middle of it bleeds red and black drips
down to the bottom edge of the canvas.
Hes concerned that his super neat hand
lettering, NO LOVE, is uneven, but it
seems pretty precise to me.
Rodriguez floats from station to
station to help the students draw out a
hand here, or a banner there, advising
them on color palettes or resolving
backgrounds or how to cover up an errant
brush stroke and make it look intentional.
You can never make a mistake
with paint, one student says to himself,
squeezing a tube of white into a well in
his plastic palette.
So when I leave you gonna hook
me up with a job, Miss G? asks another,
sitting near the back. She tells him
theyre trying to raise money so that they
can employ youth again, and lets him
know that the goal is to find a more
stable job outside of us.
She points out that his neighbor
sitting next to him, the one working on
the dripping heart, has already made
$35 or so on prints that BYA made of one
of his paintings. Hell get that money
when he gets out.
Outside on the noisy stoop at Platform,
Kendrick tells me he started with BYA
through YouthWorks in 2016.
I wasnt really interested in art until I
came to BYA cause to be honest before I
started working . . . I thought it was boring,
he says, laughing. And then when I got to
BYA I got into it, I was like, this is fun.
He says hes usually more of an
BALTIMOREBEAT.COM
 Amani Smith and Kendrick Woodson discuss a future project
abstract artist because he doesnt really
like to draw peoplehe prefers to throw
things on the canvas and just work with
that, he says. He masks off parts of his
surfaces with tape and paints over it, an
analogue version of a technique that he
uses in his graphic designs too. Kendrick
says he learned a lot about Illustrator
and Photoshop at BYA, and he shows
me a few of his designs on the computer,
including a T-shirt design collab with a
friend, an illustration of Goofy with gold
fronts and a chain.
At BYA Kendrick has designed
shirts and buttons, and he made the
cover art for the second edition of their
publication The Gathering. He shows me
the original painting, two light brown
hands with thick black outlines against
a stark white background. He says its a
reference to the hands up, dont shoot
chant; he painted this the summer after
Freddie Gray was killed.
Kendrick says hes not exactly sure
how his attitude about art changed,
BALTIMOREBEAT.COM
but he notices that making art can be
restorative.
Well I would usually be a little
grumpy in the morning but when I
would get to BYA my whole mood
changes, he says. Painting really helps
me get away from my anger.
Daydrin, a 17-year-old junior at
BLS, got placed with Baltimore Youth
Arts two summers in a row through
YouthWorks. Now she comes to BYA
after school, and she wants to become
a fashion designer. Shes looking into a
school on the eastern shore where she
can major in fashion.
Im here just to work on things that
I feel passionate about, she says.
For the spring, Jeon is trying to help
plan a fashion show, which Daydrin is
excited about. Shes working on some
designs for a class presentation (mine
will be short and sweet, she swears),
experimenting with watercolor pencils.
The figure shes drawn has an olive green
mini skirt and a beige top with puffy,
sheer sleeves.
She has been into fashion since she
was 14, but felt like she needed a push.
Now I wanna really do this, this is
my passion, she says. I really wanna try
and see where I make it with this.
Tenasia and India, both seniors at BLS,
heard about BYA from Daydrin, who told
them how much she liked it. Theyve been
coming through for a couple months.
I like how we can just sit here and
have open conversations and express
our ideas not just about art but real life
and stuff, India says, while sketching a
superbly round bird in pencil. Its like a
family here.
Yeah, the support system here is
really strong, you can just get help with
anything and they not gonna tell you
no, Tenasia affirms, and then pauses.
Well, it depends on what it is. Most of
the time its yes.
Both Tenasia and India, who
have been friends since they started
attending BLS in sixth grade, have been
21
accepted to several colleges, and theyre
trying to decide where to go. Tenasia
wants to study mortuary science, she
says, because she felt strange after her
grandmothers death.
I was sad, but I knew I had to
get over it so I was like thats really
something I really wanna do, see what
actually goes on behind the scenes at a
funeral home, she says. Im nervous but
Im gonna do it.
India wants to be an OB/GYN; she
says shes just always been interested in
childbirth and babies and health, so it
seemed like the right fit for her. At BYA, India
says shes open to trying all sorts of new
things. She started making a zine about
girl power which she thought could be
about feminism but also female health and
hygiene. Im not just interested in drawing
or making videos or making sculptures, she
says, I wanna do everything.
NOVEMBER 22, 2017
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
Newly-anointed MacArthur genius Njideka Akunyili Crosby considers domesticity for the expatriate at the BMA
By Kaila Philo
ART
Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Dwell: Aso Ebi
Photo by Brian Forrest / Courtesy the artist and Victoria Miro, London
When youre a first-generation American, you seek
home in everything. At first, you reject the old for the new
because the old feels wrong. Youre told your lunches
smell funny, or that you have an accent, or that your
country is poor. But sooner or later, you return to the one
you knewyou see it when the plantain sizzles or those
songs come onto WEAA every Saturday morningand
its imbued in the home you make for yourself.
Arriving shortly after Njideka Akunyili Crosby
received a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship, her
show Counterparts in the Baltimore Museum of Arts
Front Room features six large-scale mixed media
paintings depicting domesticity in that liminal state
of expatriation. Many center kitchens, dining rooms,
and the figures that make them. The pieces depict
interior life in juxtapositions, often between the artists
Nigerian past and American present. Her amalgams of
paint, cloth, and collage are sharp and bright without
becoming busy, achieving a synchronicity rare when
clashing colors and cultures at the same time.
One of the pieces, a two-paneled painting titled
Predecessors, depicts a dark-skinned woman in a
bright pink sweater dress sitting by a small table in her
home while staring off at the separate frame beside it,
featuring a larger table beside it that holds pots, pans,
bowls, and a blue coffeemaker. The woman seems to be
reflecting on how roomy her past seemed compared
to her present; while the large table holds the makings
of a family, her small table remains empty. Its a deeply
autobiographical text for good reason: Crosby left
Nigeria in 1999 when she was 16 for her studies. The
NOVEMBER 22, 2017
most formative years of her life happened in Enugu,
and undergoing such a drastic change at a fragile point
in ones adolescence can make one ripe for cultural
dissonance. This shows in her work, as Dwell: Aso
Ebi and Predecessors both depict rooms filled with
paraphernalia from her past; the teapots and plastic
jugs and pots and pans and countless family photos, all
painted against walls cut from commemorative cloth,
illustrate the ways Crosby projects how shes come to
understand home in her new home.
Perhaps her most subtly political piece is Tea Time
in New Haven, Enugu, which features no people at all
but a table filled with tea-time necessities that even
this writer recognized: Weetabix biscuits, Nestle Milo
chocolate, and canned condensed milk. Crosbys country
(Nigeria) and my own (Barbados) were colonized by
the same people (the British), so there is some overlap
between our cultures. Her Nigerian household, along
with many others, has adopted ostensibly European
domestic customs such as tea time while molding it
into our own. This portrait displays just how infiltrated
her inner life has become. Even in our most intimate
spaces, there remains room for our colonial past to
infiltrate what makes us who we are.
But the first thing you notice in Crosbys multimedia
pieces is the clothing. Such as in Dwell: Aso Ebi, in which
a sable woman dons a midi dress in commemorative
fabric speckled yellow, teal, black, and white, and paired
with dark blue stockings and heels that meet the
womans gaze. Across from her, past a mint coffee table
holding a black-and-yellow striped teapot, is a portrait of
22
what we presume to be her parents wearing traditional
Nigerian garb in gold with metallic spots. Recently,
author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie discussed the
importance of fashionor, at least, looking presentable
in Nigerian culture: My mother always dressed us well.
Me in little girl dresses cinched at the waist, my brothers
in suits and well-ironed shirts. To go out, she said, we had
to di ka mmadu, which translates literally to look like a
person. Crosbys figures look to follow the same credo:
looking like people where they otherwise may not.
In The Beautyful Ones, a young, dark girl with
close-cropped hair and thick-rimmed glasses poses a
bit uncomfortably in a light blue, short-sleeved jumpsuit
decorated in a collage made from magazine clippings.
The piece is staged like an old photo, and stands at five
feet, zooming in on the girls unease. This, however, only
adds to the intimacy: Its intensely personal without
giving away too much, as each portrait features a figure
reminiscent of the artist.
Crosbys paintings evoke the vulnerability of what
we call home, but empower the figures (and by
extension, the artist herself) by establishing each as the
focus in their own space. If Crosby extends Adichies
train of thought, her figures are dressed brightly to
assert their presence in an environment that would
otherwise overpower thema small but vital step for
immigrants in a new home.
Njideka Akunyili Crosbys solo show
Counterparts runs through March 18
at the Baltimore Museum of Art.
BALTIMOREBEAT.COM
 American Visionary Art Museum, 800 Key Highway. (410) 244-1900, avam.org. The Great
Mystery Show, A group exhibition of self-taught artists exploring the unknown and human
imagination. Through Sept. 2, 2018. Reverend Albert Lee Wagner: Miracle At Midnight, Art by
the late visionary artist who experienced a spiritual epiphany at age 50. Ongoing.
Area 405, 405 E. Oliver St., are405.com. Retreat, In a dual exhibition, Baltimore-based
artist Lu Zhang presents an in-flux, experimental installation Headspace alongside New
York-based artist William Lamsons video installation Untitled (Infinity Camera). Through
Jan. 13, 2018.
Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive, (443) 573-1700, artbma.org. Njideka
Akunyili Crosby: Counterparts, A suite of new paintings by 2017 MacArthur fellow Njideka
Akunyili Crosby drawing from her experience as a Nigerian immigrant. Through March
18, 2018. Phaan Howng: The Succession of Nature, in collaboration with Blue Water
Baltimore, local artist Phaan Howng highlights local environmental issues through a toxic-
toned immersive installation. Through Aug. 31, 2018. Spiral Play: Loving in the 80s, Three
dimensional collages in intense colors and spiral shapes by the late African-American
abstract expressionist Al Loving. Through April 15, 2018. Annet Couwenberg: From Digital
to Damask, Maryland-based artist Annet Couwenberg investigates the intersections
of science, art, history, and technology through 11 textile works. Through Feb. 18, 2018.
Toms Saraceno: Entangled Orbits, Web-like clusters of iridescent-paneled modules are
suspended in the museums East Lobby. Through June 10, 2018. Black Box: Kara Walker &
Hank Willis Thomas, Salvation by Kara Walker and And I Cant Run by Hank Willis Thomas Springsteens final exhibition at its current location, Sydney Shen presents a solo exhibition
are paired as explorations of the legacy of slavery. Through March 18, 2018. Crossing Borders:
Mexican Modernist Prints, 30 prints and drawings by artists including Diego Rivera, Jos
Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and Elizabeth Catlett. Through March 11, 2018.
Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave., (410) 276-1651, creativealliance.org. Erin Fostel: A
Measure of Place, Baltimore artist Erin Fostel draws from grief in her charcoal drawings of
Baltimore architecture. Through Dec. 1.
Current Space, 421 N. Howard St., (410) 343-9295, currentspace.com. Layers, Interwoven
paintings and quilts by Baltimore-based artists Elena Johnston and Monique Crabb.
Through Dec. 3. Its Not Complicated (But It Is), Paintings by Sara Havekotte. Through Dec. 3.
Guest Spot At The Reinstitute, 1715 N. Calvert St., (718) 541-9672, guestspot.org. Not
on View: Re/Activating the Archive and its A/Effects, Work from Conrad Bakker, Eric
Doeringer, Noah Fischer, Kang Seung Lee, Antoine Lefebvre, Kameelah Janan Rasheed,
and Paul Soulellis; with selected ephemera, texts, and archival materials from John Cage,
Juan Caloca, Sylvia Federici, Coco Fusco, the Guerrilla Girls, Martin Herbert, David Horvitz,
the Journal of Aesthetics & Protest, Miranda July, Sister Corita Kent, Zoe Leonard, Mess Hall,
Occupy Museums, John OConnor, Press Press, Public Collectors, The Reinstitute Press,
Gregory Sholette, Temporary Services, W.A.G.E. (Working Artists and the Greater Economy),
Kara Walker, and Caroline Woolard. Through Jan. 6, 2018.
Maryland Historical Society, 201 W. Monument St., (410) 685-3750, mdhs.org.
Unscripted Moments: The Life & Photography of Joseph Kohl, Photographs from c.1980
through 2002 by the late Baltimore photojournalist Joseph Kohl. Ongoing.
Metro Gallery, 1700 N. Charles St., (410) 244-0899, themetrogallery.net. Complicated
World Views, Works by Ryan Travis Christian, Lauren Genovese, Kat Kennedy, Matt Leines,
and Anna Silina. Through Dec. 31.
Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture, 830 E.
Pratt St., (443) 263-1800, lewismuseum.org. Maryland Collects: Jacob Lawrence, Over 50 prints
by Jacob Lawrence from personal collections in and around Maryland. Through Jan. 7, 2018.
School 33 Art Center, 1427 Light St., (410) 396-4641, school33.org. Slow Form, A juried
exhibition featuring the work of Mary Baum, Mollye Bendell, Kei Ito, Elizabeth Mead, Lake
Newton, Nick Primo, Margaret Rorison, Matthew Sepielli, and Doohyun Yoon. Through
Jan. 6, 2018. Decompositions, A solo exhibition by Chris Zickefoose employing common
construction materials and negative space. Through Jan. 6, 2018. Lost Earring, A multi-
media installation by Elliot Doughtie considers the shift of cultural touchstones and the
evolution of the artists own queer sexuality and transgender body. Through Jan. 6, 2018.
Springsteen, 502 W. Franklin St., springsteengallery.com. Four Thieves Vinegar, In
inspired by a prophylactic against bubonic plague. Through Nov. 25.
St. Charles Projects, 2701 N. Charles St., stcharlesprojects.com. Pre-Verse, Paintings
by June Culp, Joshua Bienko, and Delphine Hennelly in conversation with Grace Hartigan.
Ongoing.
The Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St., (410)547-9000, thewalters.org. Faberg
and the Russian Crafts Tradition: An Empires Legacy, 70 works including the Walters two
famed Faberg Easter eggs alongside gold and silver vessels, enamels, jewelry, carved
stones, and icons from Russia. Through June 24, 2018. After Faberg, Five digital prints of
surreal, digitally-rendered Faberg eggs by artist Jonathan Monaghan complement the
exhibition Faberg and the Russian Crafts Tradition. Through June 24, 2018.
Y:ART, 3402 Gough St., (443) 928-2272, yartgalleryandfinegifts.com. The Miniature
Holiday Exhibition, Small artworks that serve well as gifts by Craig Haupt, Diana Sanlorenzo
Campbell, Edmond Praybe, Justin Wiest, Ken Karlic, Lois Borgenicht, Mary Bickford, Nieves
Saah, Ricardo Hoegg, Roland Phillips, Sally Hopkins, and Susan McCurdy Yonkers. Opening
reception Nov. 25, 6-9 p.m.; on view Nov. 22-Jan. 13, 2018.

BALTIMOREBEAT.COM
23 NOVEMBER 15, 2017

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journalist Ida B. Wells said, The people must know before
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 Caleb Stine

Photo by Nate Payne

SUSHI HEAVEN Daniel Elder Caleb Stine & The Revelations,

Every Monday Night Faunaphor, Bottom Rung
10:30pm-12:30am Katie Elder N O V . 2 4
1/2 Price Sushi Local folk singer Caleb Stine is a on a cover of The Velvet Undergrounds
Drink Specials Vanessa Vale treasure, as both a patient and somber
solo singer and as the slightly grittier leader
Sweet Janeit was like Sweet Jane done
in the style of Exile On Main Street).
of his band the Brakemen. Now hes got That night, the Revelations also covered
409 W. Coldspring Lane another band, the Revelationsa six piece This Land Is Your Land, and This Little

HAPPY HOUR
featuring Nick Sjostrom, Burke Sampson,
Baltimore, MD 21210 EJ Thompson, Ray Eicher, Tiffany DeFoe,
and Jim Hannahwhich falls somewhere
Monday - Friday 410-646-8124
in the middle of those two projects. At a
show earlier this year at Trinacria (lotsa
cool stuff happening there by the way,
4:00pm-7:00pm including a drag show earlier this month),
1/2 Price Appetizers HAIR * ART * MUSIC the band mixed their instruments to
construct a bed of pleasant folk with lots
$1 off all Beer & Wine of moving parts, or a gnarly, kinda heavy,
facebook.com/SoulLoveSalon
$5 Cocktail of the Day heroin-era Rolling Stones with loopy horn
Light Of Mine, crowdpleasing covers for
sure, but here soaked in political context.
So join the Caleb & The Revelations at
Metro Gallery along with electro-touched
group Faunaphor and Bottom Rung,
which is a group featuring members of
the Revelations dedicated to recreating
the brilliant, short-story-esque songs of
Canadian songwriter Fred Eaglesmith.
7:30 p.m., Metro Gallery, 1700 N. Charles
St., (410) 244-0899, themetrogallery.net,

#WeAreSoulLove parts and some stinging guitar (especially $8-$12. (Brandon Soderberg)

Industry Night
Every Sunday Night
10:30pm-Last Call
1/2 off bar tabs for we
EVERYONE support
the
alternative
and
Follow us on independent
voice.
FB and IG Knuck If You Buck Party
N O V . 2 5
for up to date In March of 2016 at University of at a minor victory over The Donald was
events, congratulations Chicago, protesters successfully shut
down a Donald Trump rallythis was when
proof that 2004the year crunk broke
is as iconic as 1988, 1992, 1994, or 1998 in

specials and baltimore he was still some kind of hatemongering terms of sound-shifting moments in rap

features.
beat underdog and not yet the nominee,
mind you. Protesters inside the UIC
pavilion chanted the inspiring words of
Kendrick Lamars Alright, while outside
many more protesters also chanted fuck
Donald Trump to the tune of Crime
BmoreSticky.com Mobs Knuck If You Buck, a 2004 crunk-
era fight-rap song featuring an almost
Sticky Rice industrial kind of beat and the groups
four rappers (especially the groups
1634 Aliceanna Street, 201 e fort ave.
brilliant Diamond and Princess) plus Lil
Scrappy talking tough. Its unbelievably
Baltimore, MD 21231 south baltimore great, lots of fun, hard-as-nails, and a bit
avant-garde all at once, and its presence
443-682-8243 @idlehourbaltimore
(the song was also sampled and, some
have quipped, essentially gentrified
recently by Zay Hilfigerrr and Zayion
McCall in Juju on that Beat). So come to
the Crown to remember 2004 and the
years around it when crunk, snap, early
trap music, New Orleans bounce-tinged
rap, and Memphis buck music ruled the
charts. And make sure you float a few
fuck Donald Trump chants into the
Crime Mob classic when it drops. 9 p.m,
The Crown, 1910 N. Charles St., (410) 625-
4848, facebook.com/TheCrownBaltimore,
free. (Brandon Soderberg)

NOVEMBER 22, 2017

24 BALTIMOREBEAT.COM

Venues
An Die Musik, 409 N. Charles St., (410)
385-2638, andiemusiklive.com
Anthem, 901 Wharf St. SW, Washington,
D.C., (202) 888-0020, theanthemdc.com
Baltimore Soundstage, 124 Market Place,
(410) 244-0057, baltimoresoundstage.com
Berthas, 734 S. Broadway, (410) 327-
5795, berthas.com
The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon
Ave., Alexandria, VA, (703) 549-7500,
birchmere.com
The Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW,
Washington, D.C., (202) 667-4490,
blackcatdc.com
Cats Eye Pub, 1730 Thames St., (410)
276-9866, catseyepub.com
Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave.,
(410) 276-1651, creativealliance.org
The Crown, 1910 N. Charles St., (410) 625-
4848, facebook.com/TheCrownBaltimore
The 8x10, 10 E. Cross St., (410) 625-2000,
the8x10.com
E.M.P. Collective, 307 W. Baltimore St.,
(410) 244-0785, empcollective.org
Echostage, 2135 Queens Chapel Road
NE, Washington, D.C., (202) 503-2330,
echostage.com
The Fillmore Silver Spring, 8656
Colesville Road, (301) 960-9999,
fillmoresilverspring.com
Germanos Piattini, 300 S. High St., (410)
752-4515, germanospiattini.com
Joe Squared, 33 W. North Ave., (410) 545-
0444, joesquared.com
Lyric Opera House, 140 W. Mount Royal
Ave., (410) 685-5086, modell-lyric.com
Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little
Patuxent Pkwy., Columbia, (410) 715-
5550, merriweathermusic.com.
Metro Gallery, 1700 N. Charles St., (410)
244-0899, themetrogallery.net
Motor House, 120 W. North Ave., (410)
637-8300, motorhousebaltimore.com
9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW, Washington,
D.C., (202) 265-0930, 930.com
The Ottobar, 2549 N. Howard St., (410)
662-0069, theottobar.com
Pier Six Pavillion, 731 Eastern Ave., (410)
547-7200, livenation.com/venues/14732/
pier-six-pavilion
Rams Head Live, 20 Market Place, (410)
244-1131, ramsheadlive.com
Rams Head On Stage, 33 West
St., Annapolis, (410) 268-4545,
ramsheadonstage.com
Red Room, 425 E. 31st St., redroom.org
Reverb, 2112 N. Charles St., (443) 447-
4325, reverbcollective.com
Royal Farms Arena, 201 W. Baltimore St.,
(410) 347-2020, royalfarmsarena.com
The Sidebar, 218 E. Lexington St., (410)
659-4130, sidebarbaltimore.com
Tin Roof, 32 Market Place, (443) 873-8137,
tinroofbaltimore.com
U Street Music Hall, 1115A U St. NW,
Washington, D.C., (202) 588-1889,
ustreetmusichall.com
The Windup Space, 12 W. North Ave.,
(410) 244-8855, thewindupspace.com
B A L T I M ORE B EA T . C O M
W e d . 2 2
Baltimore Soundstage. Pierce Fulton,
Nvdes, Noosa.
The Black Cat. The Mattson 2, Foots x Coles.
Cats Eye Pub. Ruben Montoya Band.
The 8x10. Bunk Buddha, Image.nation,
Linkmindz.
Echostage. Benny Benassi, Bassjackers.
E.M.P. Collective. Null, Synodus Horrenda,
Heat Death, Lavender.
The Fillmore Silver Spring. Hoodie Allen,
Luke Christopher, Myles Parrish.
Germanos Piattini. The Hot Club Of
Baltimore.
Joe Squared. Shana Falana, Saddle of
Centaur, Christa Wilcox.
Lyric Opera House. Kirk Franklin, Ledisi.
Metro Gallery. F, Lazlo Lee & The
Motherless Children, The Expotentials,
Distinguished Gentlemen.
9:30 Club. 6lack, Sabrina Claudio, Sy Ari The
Kid.
The Ottobar. Karaoke Night; Seeing
Sounds - A Pharrell & The Neptunes Dance
Party.
Rams Head Live. Stacked Like Pancakes,
The Hollow Party, The Never Ending Fall,
PLEVYAK, Joint Operation.
Tin Roof. Whirlwind.
U Street Music Hall. Anjunadeep North
American Tour featuring David Hohme,
Jody Wisternoff, Luttrell.
The Windup Space. Windup Friendsgiving
with Liberata.
T h u . 2 3
Berthas. Jeff Reed Trio.
Cats Eye Pub. Muleman Band
F r i . 2 4
An Die Musik. Gary Bartz Blues Chronicles
Recreation.
Anthem. Odesza, Sofi Tukker, Louis Futon.
Baltimore Soundstage. Black Friday
featuring Psycho Killers (Talking Heads
tribute), Life On Mars (David Bowie tribute).
Berthas. The Juke Drivers.
The Birchmere. The Seldom Scene, Dry
Branch Fire Squad.
The Black Cat. The 9: Singer-Songwriter
Showcase; Dark & Stormy.
Cats Eye Pub. Brian Kendig; Black Falls
Band.
The Crown. Black Friday featuring Josh
Stokes, Medicine Man, Bobbi Rush,
Strawberry Sleepover; Psychd Out
Baltimore featuring Blaqstarr, Yung EBT,
Atarashi Kein, Waxo, Cash Lord Liss.
Echostage. Bro Safari, Slander, Phiso,
Electric Mantis.
The 8x10. Big Something, The Apple
Scruffs (Sgt. Pepper tribute).
The Fillmore Silver Spring. The Front
Bottoms, Basement, Bad Bad Hats.
Germanos Piattini. Steve Glasser Does
Broadway.
Metro Gallery. Caleb Stine & The
Revelations, Faunaphor, Bottom Rung.
9:30 Club. The Pietasters, Bumpin Uglies,
The Players Band.
The Ottobar. Western Star, PLRLS, The
25
Flying Faders, Unholy Sights.
Royal Farms Arena. Trans-Siberian
Orchestra.
Rams Head On Stage. Burt Bacharach &
Hal David Tribute with Julia Nixon & The
Dave Ylvisaker Dozen.
The Sidebar. Blood On The Mercy Seat,
Live Shit Binge Purge, Human Host,
Steamy Wolves, Crotch Key Kids.
Tin Roof. As If - A 90s Tribute.
U Street Music Hall. Brodinksi, DJ DeTroyt,
K Cap.
The Windup Space. Funksgiving: Swift
Smoke and the Sparks, DJ Rob Macy.
S a t . 2 5
An Die Musik. Gary Bartz Blues Chronicles
Recreation.
Anthem. Odesza, Sofi Tukker, Louis Futon.
Baltimore Soundstage. Kindred the
Family Soul, Zo! + Carmen Rodgers.
Berthas. Whale Show.
The Birchmere. David Bromberg Quintet.
The Black Cat. Church Night.
Cats Eye Pub. Ursula Ricks Project; Carl
Filipiak Jazz Band.
Creative Alliance. Baltimore Plays: Songs
from The Wiz.
The Crown. Knuck If You Buck Party; Night
Gruuvs.
The 8x10. Big Something, Chris Wilcox.
Echostage. Diplo.
The Fillmore Silver Spring. Bone Thugs-
N-Harmony.
Germanos Piattini. The Old Part of Town.
Metro Gallery. Ebb & Nova, Shelby Blondell
Trio, Brothers Clair, Jimmy Warner, Strings
Attached.
Motor House. Island Holiday featuring Jah
Works.
9:30 Club. Keller Williams
Thanksforgrassgiving.
The Ottobar. Bohtz Skate Night.
Rams Head Live. Pigeons Playing Ping
Pong, Ripe.
Rams Head On Stage. The Classic Rock
Experience.
Reverb. Saddleback Marties, Jennifer Ann
Milner.
The Sidebar. Meteor King, 96 Olympics,
Skapparoneday, Echo 2 Locate.
Tin Roof. Sons of the Radio.
U Street Music Hall. Blockhead, Kev
Brown, Flash Frequency.
The Windup Space. ZH - A Celebration
Of Life featuring Terry Kilby, William Hicks,
Bryce Kinnamon, Craig Nasteff, Mikie Love.
S u n . 2 6
An Die Musik. John Lamkin Sacred Jazz
Sextet.
Baltimore Soundstage. Hatebreed, Dying
Fetus, Code Orange, Twitching Tongues.
Berthas. Whale Show, Hootenanny.
The Black Cat. Soccer Team, Penguin,
Santics.
Cats Eye Pub. Steve Kraemer & The
Bluesicians; Timmy Shelley Band.
The Fillmore Silver Spring. Scott Bradlees
Postmodern Jukebox.
Germanos Piattini. Miki G and Miss
Dukes: Current State With Love.
Metro Gallery. Jucifer, Cloak, Gateway To
Hell, Corpse Light.
The Ottobar. The Mobtown Throwdown.
Rams Head Live. Hollywood Undead,
Butcher Babies, Demrick, Brave the Royals.
Rams Head On Stage. Norman Browns
Joyous Christmas with Bobby Caldwell
and Marion Meadows.
U Street Music Hall. Caspa, Choppy Oppy
b2b Skankuh.
The Windup Space. Drinking and
Dragons; Expert of Nothing.
M o n . 2 7
Anthem. St. Vincent.
Baltimore Soundstage. Scarface,
Gorgeous George, MC Bravado, Ill
Conscious, Icon Tha God, DJ Hi$to.
Cats Eye Pub. Phil Cunneff New Trio.
Lyric Opera House. Dream Theater.
The Ottobar. Metal Monday.
Rams Head On Stage. David Crosby &
Friends.
T u e . 2 8
Baltimore Soundstage. Frosty Blue Bash
2017 with the Kelly Bell Band.
The Birchmere. Nathan Pacheco.
The Black Cat. Beach Slang, Dave Hause &
The Mermaid, The Homeless Gospel Choir.
Cats Eye Pub. Rod & Real.
The Crown. Karaoke Forever.
The Fillmore Silver Spring. Dua Lipa,
Marteen.
Germanos Piattini. Billy Colucci.
Joe Squared. Songwriters Round Robin
with 50 Foot Woman, Yours Truly, Michele,
Kerra Holtgren, The Swedish Fist, Joseph
Mulhollen.
9:30 Club. Squeeze, Wesley Stace.
The Ottobar. Two For Tuesday with DJ
Heartbreak Beat.
Rams Head Live. Vic Mensa, BUGUS.
Rams Head On Stage. John Anderson.
The Sidebar. Final Drive, The Shape,
Namakubi.
Tin Roof. The Karikaraoke Band Gong Show.
U Street Music Hall. Maximo Park, Active
Bird Community.
The Windup Space. Brews and Board
Games.
W e d . 2 9
Anthem. DC101s Office Party featuring
The Lumineers, J Roddy Walston and the
Business, Joywave, Barns Courtney.
Baltimore Soundstage. The Menzingers,
Tigers Jaw, The Flatliners, Worriers.
The Black Cat. Dot Dash, Bottled Up,
Yesferatu.
Cats Eye Pub. Dogs Among The Bushes.
The 8x10. Bunk Buddha, Catullus Band, The
Jauntee.
9:30 Club. Cut Copy, Palmbomen II.
The Ottobar. Karaoke Night.
Rams Head On Stage. Kris Allen, Marie
Miller.
U Street Music Hall. Red Bull 3Style US
Finals featuring Trayze, Eskei83, 2.
NO V E M B ER 2 2 , 2 0 1 7
NICE SHOT
Kyle Pompey wants his photos of Baltimore to make people look at the city with fresh eyes
By Lisa Snowden-McCray lmccray@baltimorebeat.com

BOOKS

From Perspective: Baltimore
Photos by Kyle Pompey
Baltimore photographer Kyle Pompey wants his new self-published book, Perspective: Baltimore, to be an
interactive experience. The 118-page paperback is filed with street scenes and other photos the 37-year-old West
Baltimore native has snapped around Baltimore (one shot captures the top of a decaying rowhome and a police
helicopter; in another, a bundled up little boy casts a shadow from his perch on a bench; a third is mostly dark save a
panhandlers sign that reads Homeless, please help, be blessed). On the page opposite each photo is a lined sheet
that readers can fill in with whatever thoughts the image inspires in them.
Pompey was inspired to take this approach by Kerry Graham, a Patterson High School teacher who used his
photos to teach her students (she has an editor credit in the book). She invited him to come sit in on a class, and
Pompey says he was surprised by what he saw.
[The students] all had different perspectives on the pictures, way different from why I took them, and I was like,
how can I package this and, not make it a curriculum, but just make it to where I can give it to somebody and they
can make their own perspective?
Perspective: Baltimore also features writing from D. Watkins, Kondwani Fidel, and Tariq Tour. Pompey says
he hopes to create other editions with photos of other cities like Detroit, Washington, D.C., and Chicago with
contributions from creators there.
Pompey says he began taking pictures in 2007 when he was 27 and working as a truck driver. He remembers
seeing an eagle nesting in a tree whenever he had to travel to the Eastern Shore, and got frustrated that he couldnt
get the right shot of the bird on his phones camera. He bought a real camera off a friend who was also a photographer,
and soon starting shooting more frequently.
My friend, she asked me to shoot a party, I shot that party, and like three different people asked me if I could do
three different things that night and I was like, yeah, I can do it, he says. And I just went home and Googled wedding
photography, photo shoot, album covers. I got my friends, took them out, and practiced with them and I got it done.
Pompey now works full time as a photographer. Some of his gigs are more utilitarianfor instance, school
picture shoots and event photographybut he says his more artistic shots are intended to shake people out of
complacency.
These are things that everybody sees on a regular basis, especially if youre from Baltimore, he says, describing
the shots in the book. And were so numb to a lot of things, so we dont pay attention to it. So the reason why I
started taking street photos was so we can stop time to see what is going on and take it in.

For more information on Perspective: Baltimore go to kylepompey.com.

NOVEMBER 22, 2017

26 BALTIMOREBEAT.COM

6080 Falls Road @ W. Lake Avenue 11 East 33rd Street, 1 block from Johns Hopkins
Mt. Washington Charles Village
WWW. THEIVYBOOKSHOP. COM WWW. BIRDINHANDCHARLESVILLAGE. COM
 Amy Davis, Flickering Treasures
N O V . 2 8

The arrival of the gorgeous (and
gorgeously decayed) Parkway Theater
has gotten a whole lot more people in
Baltimore thinking hard about movie
theaters past and present. Currently, you
can toward downtown on Charles St. from
the Parkway and see the Charles Theater
and look across North Avenue and see
new version of the Centre Theater
resurrected cinema stand the fuck up,
am I right? And when youre wandering
through the city youll see plenty of other
former theaters such as the Boulevard
Theater on Greenmount Avenue (around
this time last year by the way, Baltimore
police shot a guy in front of it) which
might feels long lost but actually closed
back in 1989 which hey isnt that long
ago. The point is, Baltimore is a movie
theatre town even if a lot of them are now
closed and crumblingmore than 100
theaters according to veteran Baltimore
Sun photographer Amy Davis whose
book, Flickering Treasures: Rediscovering
Baltimores Forgotten Movie Theaters
offers up stunning photos of theaters
along with an incredibly useful map to
check out the 72 theaters (or theater
locations in some cases). A few favorite
images from the book: In West Baltimore,
the former Fulton theater, which partially
burned about a decade ago (and was
during the uprising mistaken as suffering
its damage during rioting); a photo of the
noted porn theatre the Apex back when
it was still open in 2013; and the Parkway
no long before its recent renovation. 7
p.m., The Ivy Bookshop, 6080 Falls Rd.,
(410) 377-2966, theivybookshop.com, free.
(Brandon Soderberg)

BOOKS
Baltimore County Public Library Cockeysville Branch, 9833 Greenside Drive,
(410) 887-7750, bcpl.info. Susan Muaddi Darraj, Jen Michalski, Lalita Norohna, Kris
Faatz, and Rebecca Faye Smith Galli discuss how their writing has been affected by
their personal experiences in a Writers Roundtable. Nov. 28, 6:30 p.m.
Baltimore County Public Library Pikesville Branch, 1301 Reisterstown Road, (410)
887-1234, bcpl.info. Kathleen Waters Sander shares her latest book about the United
States first railroad, John W. Garrett And The Baltimore And Ohio Railroad. Nov. 29,
2:30 p.m.
The Church of the Redeemer, 5603 N. Charles St., prattlibrary.org. Mark Bowden,
author of the New York Times bestseller Black Hawk Down, discusses his latest, Hu
1968, about the centerpiece of the Tet Offensive during the Vietnam War. Nov. 29, 7 p.m.
The JHU Writing Seminars, Mudd Hall, Homewood Campus, 3400 N. Charles St.,
writingseminars.jhu.edu. Novelists Alice McDermott And Katharine Noel present side-
by-side readings. Nov. 28, 6 p.m.

BALTIMOREBEAT.COM
27 NOVEMBER 22, 2017
LONG LIVE THE QUEEN
Tamika Fatgirl Raye, 1991-2017
By Errigh Neek BChillin LaBoo
STAGE
Fatgirl dancing
Screencapture Courtesy Youtube
A force in the Baltimore club community and in the
dance world beyond, Tamika Fatgirl Raye died on
Nov. 2 after succumbing to injuries from a car accident.
TT The Artist, a widely recognized club MC and director
of the upcoming documentary about Baltimore club
music and dance titled Dark City Beneath The Beat,
described Fatgirl as a legend in the making. We asked
Errigh Neek BChillin LaBoo, the founder of Bmore
Than Dance and a close friend to Fatgirl, to reflect on
the dancers legacy. (Maura Callahan)
The definition of a queen: a goddess or woman
who holds supremacy in a realm.
Imagine for a moment that the realm is Baltimore
City. A city known for violence, drugs, and poverty. In
this city and in every generation, we receive a special
goddess sent to impact our lives in a way that affects
the next generation to come.
The Queen in question here is none other than
Tamika Raye aka Fatgirl. Since birth Fatgirl showed
signs of her greatness, but it wasnt until 2008 when the
entire city became witness.
A popular dance competition hosted by Bmore
Than Dance known as The Queen of Baltimore, a spin-
off of the all-male dance competition King of Baltimore,
annually crowned the best dancer for her talent. This
year the audience was in for a major surprise.
Fatgirl came in as an underdog, but by the nights
NOVEMBER 22, 2017
end stole everyones heart with a crowd of over 1200
guest in attendance. She delivered a top-scoring
performance and eliminated her competition flawlessly
round for round. Her win was the beginning of the
city taking notice of her special talent, but her actions
moving forward established her legacy.
After her Queen of Baltimore victory, Fatgirl continued
to dominate the dance scene, leading her dance group
to win the We Run This City #WRTC dance competition
hosted by Bmore Than Dance the same year. Winning
came naturally to Fatgirl, but what was more important
was how the youth took a liking to her immediately.
Fatgirl inspired so many children in the community
to focus on staying out of trouble and using dance as an
escape from the reality of living in Baltimore City. Her
dance group, HCZ BBY, has been performing all over
the world since its members were children. HCZ BBY
has performed for the mayor and governor, and has
graced the stage of the Apollo Theater.
Her talent was so phenomenal, international
recording artists such as Rye Rye and TT The Artist
began to take notice. The chemistry she shared with
Rye Rye could be seen from the moment they began to
work with each other. TT The Artist was in attendance
when Fatgirl won Queen of Baltimore and immediately
felt a desire to help her get noticed. She traveled the
world on international tours, inspired a documentary
on Baltimore club called Dark City Beneath The Beat,
28
and raised two beautiful children in the process.
Fatgirls impact was much bigger than her personal
accomplishments. She was a mother to a community
in need. She inspired an entire generation of young
women. She loved and nurtured her peers, giving many
a place to call home in time of need. She connected
with children on an emotional level that made everyone
who came in contact with her fall in love.
She inspired the culture to once again thrive after
losing one of its greatest queens, the legendary DJ
K-Swift. After the passing of K-Swift, Baltimores club
scene had no idea who would continue on the legacy.
While many have made an impact, very few reach the
iconic level of being Queen of the culture.
Fatgirl was formally was crowned in 2008, the
year K-Swift died, but her reign continued from that
day moving forward. Her dance spirit can be felt when
you see so many of todays youth join in the culture of
Baltimore club. She was a mother, a nurturer, a leader,
and a friend. She leaves an abundance of individuals
who reached out to her for leadership and guidance.
Words cant explain how much Fatgirl impacted
everyone who saw her dance. The movement she
created will impact generations to come. While many
of us mourn her being called home so early, we still feel
her presence, and we know shes still here. Her legacy
will live forever in the hearts of everyone in the Baltimore
club and Bmore Than Dance community.
BALTIMOREBEAT.COM
What It All Comes Down To
Greta Gerwig revives the coming-of-age tale with Lady Bird
By Maura Callahan mcallahan@baltimorebeat.com
SCREENS
Lady Bird
Screencapture Courtesy of Youtube
Lady Bird begins with its eponymous character,
a 17-year-old with blotchy, hydrant-red hair and acne
scarring, and her mother Marion, an anxious psychiatric
nurse, crying side-by-side in the family car as they drive
around Sacramento. Theyre listening to the end of a
Grapes of Wrath audiobook.
By the end of the film, my mother and I are crying
side-by-side in the movie theater. Or OK, the crying
started early on.
In her solo screenwriting-directing debut, Greta
Gerwig (until now better known as an actor in films
like 20th Century Women, Frances Ha, and Mistress
America; the latter two she also co-wrote) loosely
channels her own adolescent upbringing in Sacramento
during the early 2000s by way of the McPhersons, a
lower middle class family whose youngest defines
herself by what she doesnt have, and whose matriarch
is motivated by fears of what shell lose. From that
first moment in the car, its obvious Lady Bird (played
by Saoirse Ronan) and Marion (Laurie Metcalf) are
more alike than either would care to believe: They feel
intensely and act stubbornly.
Lady Bird, whose birth name is Christine but whose
given name (given to me by me) is a frequent point of
contention between her and her mother, is applying to
colleges as she completes her final scholarship-funded
year at a Catholic high school. Marion insists that she only
apply to nearby state schools, but eager to get as far as
possible from her hyper-critical mother and apparently
boring hometown, Lady Bird applies instead to more
glamorous colleges in New York with the secret help of her
even-tempered and recently laid-off father (Tracy Letts).
In the meantime, Lady Bird navigates the syllabus of
teendom: Friends, boys, popularity, sex, drugs, music. She
unabashedly loves Dave Matthews Bands Crash Into Me
(she also has the cover for Bikini Kills singles compilation
album on her bedroom wall, for what its worth), but before
she can say that out loud she must become confident in
BALTIMOREBEAT.COM
her tastesnot a given for most teen girls. Lady Bird tries
to assimilate to the culture of cool established by say, the
trust fund bro (Timothe Chalamet) who hangs with the
other rich popular kids but claims to be an anticapitalist
and tries so, so hard to give off a loner vibe. Coming from
less than wealthy families, Lady Bird and her best friend
Julie (Beanie Feldstein) appear to be a minority at their
school, an isolating predicament familiar to anyone whos
pulled together scholarships or financial aid to make a
private education possible.
By the way, here youll see a rare portrayal of a
Catholic school as a nurturing if sometimes absurd a Christmas in Sacramento. To put it another way,
environmentyes, the prom theme is The Eternal
Flame and communion wafers are the snack of choice,
but the nuns and priests who run the school are
empathetic and amiable caregivers (a married math
teacher, on the other hand, subtly but deliberately
feeds Julies crush). An endearing moment steeped in
dark candor: The priest (Stephen Henderson) who runs
the schools drama department challenges his students
to see who can be the first to cry on commandits him
in a matter of seconds, and he cant stop. He later has to
take time off to receive psychiatric treatment, with the
help of Marion, for his depression.
The schools principal (Lois Smith), a nun who is
merely amused when targeted by Lady Birds attempt
to impress the cool kids (her car is redecorated in
matrimonial trappings with the words just married to
Jesus on the back windshield), delivers perhaps the
wisest insight in Gerwigs exquisite script: She notes
that Lady Bird in fact loves Sacramento deeply, judging
by the acute observations of her hometown articulated
in her college application essay.
I guess I pay attention, Lady Bird shrugs.
Dont you think theyre the same thing? the nun where we cry most openly. The ordinary is home, and at
offers. Love and attention?
Though the love is palpable in other ways, Gerwig
and the films cinematographer Sam Levy actually
29
pay little attention to Sacramento itself. All shots are
straightforward and restrained, effective in keeping
with the films devotion to simplicity. But by focusing
almost exclusively on the characters and little on the
space they inhabit, the film fails to give a physical sense
of the city for which Lady Bird clearly serves as a tribute
otherwisea strange omission.
Before that sweet Steinbeck cry scene, the film is
introduced by a quote from a 1979 interview with Joan
Didion, also a native of Gerwigs hometown: Anybody
who talks about California hedonism has never spent
Sacramento is the Midwest of California, as Lady Bird
bitterly calls it. There is nothing remarkable about her
home in the way that the counterculture of elsewhere
in California or the art scene in New York are remarkable.
As Lady Bird rails against familiarity, Gerwig mines
its riches. The films very premise is almost aggressively
ordinary: A coming-of-age story about a teen whos
sick of her family, especially her passive aggressive but
dedicated mom; who rejects her delightfully dorky best
friend in favor of the popular kids and lives to regret it;
who finds only disappointment in boys and her first
time; who wishes her family wasnt so poor and that
they lived in the big blue house in a Roland Park-esque
neighborhood of Sacramento.
But Gerwig doesnt set out to prove, as many have
before, that the extraordinary can be found in the most
mundane places and peopleeven though her writing
is profound and the cast (especially Metcalf) thoroughly
outstanding. For most of us (if were lucky enough),
mundanity is where we mostly exist, where we grow and
change and also remain stay doggedly the same, where
we shape ourselves in relation to the people we know best,
home, exceptionality is not only unnecessary but irrelevant.
Lady Bird is now playing at The Charles Theatre.
NOVEMBER 22, 2017
 See us for Toys,
Books, and More!
1001 W 36th St., Hampden Baltimore, MD
410-467-2632

FREE PERVERTED
HOLIDAY CRAFT TIME
December 1st at 5:00pm - 9:00pm

BLOWN AWAY: Tom of Finland opens Nov. 24. at The Parkway Theatre

KILLER BLOW JOBS! Photos Courtesy Dome Karukoski

With Stefani | $25

December 4th at 6:30pm

FREE PELVIC PAIN

INFORMATION SESSION
with Dr. Samantha DuFlo
December 6th at 6:30pm
SCREENS
The Charles Theater
1711 N. Charles St., (410) 727-3464, thecharles.com.
The Florida Project (Sean Baker, U.S., 2017), now playing.
The Killing Of a Sacred Deer (Yorgos Lanthimos, U.S., 2017), now playing.
Loving Vincent (Dorota Kobiela & Hugh Welchma, Poland, 2017), now playing.
The Square (Ruben stlund, Sweden, 2017), now playing.
Lady Bird (Greta Gerwig, U.S., 2017), now playing.

HOLIDAY KINKY
Last Flag Flying (Richard Linklater, U.S. 2017), now playing.
The Lady Eve (Preston Sturges, U.S., 1941), Nov. 22.
Il Boom (Vittorio De Sica, Italy, 1963), Nov. 25, 27, 30.

COOKIE CONTEST Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (Hiroyuki Okiura, 1999, Japan), opens Nov. 29.

Turn on your sexy creative imagination The Parkway Theatre

December 8th at 6:30pm 4 W. North Ave., (410) 752-8083, mdfilmfest.com.
One Of Us (Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady, U.S., 2017), Nov. 22: Q&A with director Grady
after the screening.
Dealt (Luke Korem, U.S., 2017), now playing.

THE STORY OF O
with Bianca | $25
January 10th at 6:30pm
Dina (Antonio Santini & Dan Sickles, U.S., 2017), now playing.
Paradise (Andrei Konchalovsky, Russia, 2017), now playing.
Human Flow (Ai Weiwei, 2017), now playing.
Blade of the Immortal (Takashi Miike, Japan, 2017) Nov. 23.
Mansfield 66/67 (P. David Ebersole & Todd Hughes, U.S./U.K., 2017), Nov. 24-27.
My Friend Dahmer ( Marc Meyers, U.S., 2017), opens Nov. 24.
Tom of Finland (Dome Karukoski, Finland/Denmark/Sweden/Germany, 2017), opens
Nov. 24.
Free film: China Heavyweight (Yung Chang, Canada, 2012) Nov. 28.

The Senator Theatre

FREE LIBATIONS EVERY 5904 York Road, (410) 323-4424, senatortheatre.com.
Murder On The Orient Express (Kenneth Branagh, U.S., 2017), now playing.
FRIDAY IN DECEMBER Thor: Ragnarok (Taika Waititi, U.S., 2017), now playing.
Victoria and Abdul (Stephen Frears, U.K., 2017), now playing.
Justice League (Zack Snyder, U.S., 2017), now playing.
The Dragon Lives Again (Kei Law, China, 1977), Nov. 22, 26, 27, 28.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Martin McDonagh, U.S., 2017), now
playing.
Purchase tickets in person at the store, Heat (Michael Mann, U.S., 1995), Nov. 29.
over the phone with a credit card or online at
www.sugartheshop.com NOVEMBER 22, 2017
30 BALTIMOREBEAT.COM
 SUGAR TALK
How do you define sex?
When is it OK to have sex? Who is OK to have sex with?
Are you having enough sex? Or whats too much? Is
there such a thing as too much or too little?
What makes something a fetish?
How do you ask for something new in the bedroom?
Whats a g-spot?
Is it weird if a straight guy wants anal penetration?
How do I talk to my kid about sex?
Why are so many people talking about rape
culture? What does that even mean?
How do you know if youve had an orgasm? What
does it mean if youve never had an orgasm?
Sex is delicious. And complicated. Frequently,
accurate and useful information is hard to come by.
Thats why Sugar Talk is here.
In this column, well cover sex, anatomy, sexuality,
gender, relationships, sexual orientations, sex in popular
culture, and most importantly, your questions.
My name is Jacq Jones; Im a local sex educator and
I own an education-focused sex toy store in Hampden
called Sugar. I love talking about sex, I love helping
people find their way to joy in their own sexuality and
sexual expression, regardless of what that looks like. As
long as its truly consensual, I am here to help you get
the info you need to experience your desires.
Ive been working in sex education and reproductive
health care since 1994. I know a lot, but I dont know
everything. Sugar Talk will also feature medical
professionals, sex workers, and other sex educators and
professionals for answers and different perspectives.
Often with sex, theres more than one right answer.
Were going to work to cover a lot of bases.
BALTIMOREBEAT.COM
Lets talk about sex
By Jacq Jones
Lets start this off with a question we get a lot at the
store: My boyfriend and I have been together for a few
months. I go down on him, and I like doing it. But he
never goes down on me. It doesnt seem fair.
Relevant info about the question asker: She is a cis
woman in a relationship with a cis man.
What does cis mean? Most folks are assigned a
gender when theyre born. Many people grow up to
find that they identify with the same gender they were
assigned at birth. Those folks are cisgender. Some
folks find that they identify with a gender other than
that which they were assigned at birth. Those folks
are transgender. Theres a number of other gender
identitiesgenderqueer, non-binary, gender freewell
talk more about those next week.
Youre dealing with a super common issue. Id start
with telling him that you like receiving cunnilingus and
ask him how he feels about it. Its possible that he had a
past partner who didnt like it, or hes been told that hes
doing it wrong so hes avoiding it.
Conversations like these can feel a little intimidating.
I promise that youll survive it. Start out by having the
conversation someplace private, when youre both sober,
happy, and not about to have sex. Use the conversation
sandwich. Its a magic tool. Heres how the sandwich
works: First tell him how much you enjoy having sex
with him, tell him about something that he does that
feels really good to you, then tell him that receiving
cunnilingus (pussy-licking) is something youd love to
receive from him and ask if thats an option. Then listen.
If hes willing to to try it, set up some time to
play with cunnilingus. Set it up as separate from sex.
View it as an experiment. Try different things. Laugh.
31
Understand that licking someones genitals in the way
that works for them can take practice and input from
the prson receiving the cunnilingus.
If he really just doesnt like going down and isnt
willing to try it with you, you have some decisions to
make. Is this a deal breaker for you? No one should
do something they dont like doing in the bedroom.
Are there other parts of sex and your relationship that
make up for not receiving that one thing? It can be
OK to stay in a relationship thats missing something.
Relationship researchers John and Julie Gottman have
found that every relationship has 10 problems. There is
no such thing as a problem-free relationship. The key is
to decide if the specific problems are deal breakers. Its
OK if this is a deal breaker. Its OK if its not.
I will, however, make one exception to that rule.
If hes not going down because he thinks that pussies
are dirty or gross, and hes not willing to reconsider
that concept (pro-tippussies are amazing, wonderful,
magic creations that are absolutely not dirty or gross),
thats definitely not OK. As my friend and fellow sex
educator Ducky Doolittle says, Sometimes were
fucking the wrong people.
You deserve a partner who is deeply excited about
your body and about having sex with you. This guy
might be exactly that partner. If not, it might be time
to move on. You deserve a partner who gives you the
pleasure you desire. So, go get itand let me know how
it goes!
Do you have a question? Send me an email
to sugartalk@sugartheshop.com.
And well get to talking about sex.
NOVEMBER 22, 2017
 Recipe: Coconut Milk-Braised Collard
Greens from Blacksauce Kitchen

Photo Courtesy Blacksauce Kitchen

FOOD All soul food isnt created equally. If your fried fish Coconut Milk-Braised Collard Greens
is bland, if your macaroni and cheese is soupy, or if your (serves 8-10 folks)
chicken wings arent crispy, your food is suspect. Point
blank. Another holy grail item you cant mess up: col- 8 bunches of collards, cut into ribbons, and washed
lard greens. Everybodys greens taste a little different, twice
but good greens should always be a little spicy, a little 1 cup onions, diced
savory, a little smoky, and just a little bit funky. 1 tbsp. garlic, minced
Blacksauce Kitchen [401 W. 29th St., blacksauce- 1 tbsp. lemongrass, minced
kitchen.com] isnt a soul food place per se, but own- 1 tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
ers Damian Mosley and Vesnier Lugo know their way 1 tbsp. kosher salt
around collard greens and other vegetables too (brus- 1 tsp. fresh ground peppercorns
sels sprouts, green beans, and mustard greens all make 1 tsp. ground chilies (e.g., habaneros, scotch bonnet, or
appearances on the ever-changing menu in their brick- birds eye)
and-mortar Remington carryout, open Thursdays). Their 1/2 cup vinegar
greens arent the kind that I grew up eating (my dad 12 oz. coconut milk
uses smoked turkey necks to season his), but the coco-
nut, ginger, and chiles are, for me, a nod to the Caribbe- 1. In a stockpot, saute the onions, garlic, lemongrass, and
an, and the way black people all over are united by food. ginger.
This issue comes out right before Thanksgiving,
when Ill be eating greens in abundance. So, I asked the 2. Add greens, salt, pepper, chilies. Cover and steam the
folks at Blacksauce to allow us to publish their recipe. greens for 5-7 minutes.
Lucky for all of us, they said yes. (Lisa Snowden-McCray)
3. Uncover, add vinegar and coconut milk. Continue
to simmer, uncovered, for 25 minutes until greens are
dark, tender, and not overly acidic from the vinegar.

4. Refrigerate and eat the next day as the greens will

improve in flavor overnight.

NOVEMBER 22, 2017

32 BALTIMOREBEAT.COM
THE EATING BEAT
A food reporters return
By Richard Gorelick
Gnocco
Photo Courtesy Gnocco
Whatd I miss?
Whatd I miss in the two-plus years since I stopped
reviewing restaurants full-time?
Not much. A bunch of new restaurants opened. I
want to go to Gnocco. That place looks good. Some new
places I dont think Ill ever go to, now that Im not dining
on the company dime. Im surprised how little I care about
a place like the Rec Pier Chop House at the Sagamore
Pendry Hotel. (I had to Google the restaurants name just
now, and also its executive chef, Andrew Carmellini).
The only possible reason why anyone would care
about the Rec Pier Chop House is because it might say
something to an outsider about the state of Baltimore
dining. But thats a bad reason even if it were true. And
its not true. I promise you that not a living soul outside
of Baltimore has an opinion about the dining scene in
Baltimore. I think thats a good thing.
I dont miss reviewing but I miss reporting on the
restaurant industry. I arrived at The Baltimore Sun in
a time when the person writing reviews was also the
person reporting on the restaurant industry. That was
rough, and it didnt work well. Reporters need access,
but access compromises.
That compromising position was only one among
tons of reasons why I never managed to write good,
long articles on the restaurant industry about the fol-
lowing subjects among many:
BALTIMOREBEAT.COM
Sexual harassment in the industry. The only way we
would have realistically written about this at The Balti-
FOOD
more Sun was if someone formally charged someone
else. I dont think we would have ever committed resourc-
es to developing a longform story on this issue. Of course,
everythings changed now. I wouldnt be surprised to hear
that someone at the Sun is pitching this story. And I think
the Baltimore Beat will be writing about this.
Segregated dining in Baltimore. We actually did
talk about this phenomenon at the Sun, but we never
got very far. There is a way to report on this, but not one
that jibes with the papers tidy approach to reporting,
which typically involves an over-reliance on expert opin-
ion. Some stories are chaotic and messy and unresolv-
able. But they need to be told anyway.
Heres what I really dont want to write about:
Service: There is an important, ongoing story about
the income divide between the back of the house and
the front of the house, and how tipping factors into this
divide. Otherwise I dont care about service in restau-
rants.
Barbecue: I love people who love barbecue, but I
dont enjoy reading about it and really dont like writing
about it.
Dining trends. What is there to say about them?
That they exist?
33 NOVEMBER 22, 2017
WEED
Dutch Treat
If youre young, it may be hard to fathom just how
underground the cannabis scene used to be. The drug
war really was a war, and a lot of people have a lot of
scars. It seemed then, in those grim years, that there
was only one sane place in the world, one place you
could go and buy buds without worrying about going
to jailand that was Amsterdam.
But in Amsterdams Red Light district, where peo-
ple went to smoke, it could be too much. Your mind
Dutch Treat was still in fear mode and everything around you was
bustling and crazy and it was easy to get paranoid.
Photo by Baynard Woods / Courtesy Democracy In Crisis
I know because I did. I was in the Netherlands for
a conference in the small, bike-obsessed college town
of Groningen. But first I stopped in Amsterdam and
wigged out. But when I got to Groningen, even though
it was for an academic conference, I made plenty of
time to go and sit in the coffee shops. (This is where
weed is purchased legally throughout the Netherlands,
though Amsterdams shops are by far the most famous.)
It was such a relief to be able to calmly look over the
wares and decide what you wanted to smoke. It was
like heaveneven if the selection was far worse than the
most paltry local dispensary you can go to these days.
I chose a strain called Dutch Treat. That was near-
ly two decades ago, so I have no idea how much the
genes have mutated or if it is even the same strain, but
Dutch Treat is a standard of the coffee shop scene and
I felt electrified with a visceral thrill when I saw it again.
The flowers, with the deep red of autumn underlying a
glowing green fur, felt almost exotic, the odor reminis-
cent of something lost in another time, a quiet room
Big Buddha Cheese with adults sitting around sipping coffee and smoking
joints rolled with tobacco.
Photo by Baynard Woods / Courtesy Democracy In Crisis
I wasnt at all disappointed when I took a big rip
out of a brand new bong. The pine-resin undercurrent
was billowed by a kind of creaky funk, like backwoods
kombucha and oyster-water. And the punch was
near-perfect. In Groningen I would smoke, forget about
the time, and then have to rush back to the conference,
blitzed. But I didnt stress it. And inside I was aware and
alertI commented on peoples papers and shit. And
that was the feeling Ive had these past few days trying
out this pure sativa Dutch Treat. It gives an initial lift that
kinda climbs up your spine and grabs you by the scruff
of the neck and the eyelids and elevates your ass, but its
also like it is cracking your back and chilling you out, like
a long feeling of having had your back massaged. The
overall effect is something like people claim for micro-
dosing mushrooms, at least in the obsessive attention
to detail that is still somehow lax. (Baynard Woods)
Strength: 8.2
Nose: Kombucha, sap, and oyster-water on a flower
petal
Euphoria: 9.1
Existential dread: 3.3
Freaking out when a crazy person approaches you: 1
Drink pairing: 4 oz. of black coffee with a shot of
Jameson on the side
Music pairing: The Magnetic Fields, 69 Love Songs,
Vol. 2 (with volume knob at 4)
Rating: 9.335
NOVEMBER 22, 2017
34
Big Buddha Cheese
Before we get going, crucial inside baseball worth
your time: Weed writing, I fear, is maybe entering its an-
noying explainer phase, with lots of glib weed hot takes
that essentially add up to this commonly understood
thing about weed is in fact bullshit. Vice Motherboard
published Weed Strains Are Mostly Bullshit on 4/20 of
this year and the Portland Mercurys recent Cannabis
Guide ran a piece titled, Please Shut Up About Indica
Versus Sativa, which declared, supposedly, indica se-
dates and sativa uplifts. But heres the thing: Thats all
bullshit. Both pieces are ultimately about the weed sci-
ence vanguard: cannabinoids and terpenes. The former
is the thing that gets you high, which is so much more
complicated and does not end at THC, and the latter
is what makes weed smell and taste a certain way and
affects precisely how it gets you high, apparently.
Both pieces are importantat this point cannabis
is an industry and we should not be lied to about things
were soldthough Id also say its generally not a good
look to tell people what they are feeling and what is
working for them is bullshit, especially when it comes
to matters of the mind and body. My advice: When
youre reading up on the supposed specifics of weed
or hearing your dispensary persons spiel about some
sick hybrid, ponder the info the way you might use a
horoscope, which is to say, understand that its not so
much about truth as a series of suggestions or offerings
to take or leave.
If your horoscope says youll be sweeter to strangers
or whatever today, it planted that thought in your head
and that may dictate how you act. Even if its not cos-
mically or empirically true, it might make you be nicer
to a stranger on that dayhooray. Same with weed: If
someone out there somewhere thinks a certain strain
helps them with depression or cleaning the house or
whatever, smoke it, consider that, and see if it helps you
too. If it doesnt, youre still stoned, so NBD.
If this is all reading as a touch hippy-dippy, blame
it in part on Big Buddha Cheese, a strain with a truly
staggering, evening-out quality that will fill you with
good feelings and send you on thought tangents of the
yes and rather than no but sort. Primarily an indica,
Big Buddha Cheese is going to calm you (or maybe not,
indica and sativa are bullshit weed, men yelling on the
internet told me). And it famously took first place in the
Indica Cup category at the 2006 Cannabis Cup. Its a
hybrid of Cheese, a UK standard that has since been re-
fixed here in the States, and mashed up with serious Af-
ghani stuff from noted grower Big Buddha. It is smooth
with a subtle sting on the back end of the inhale, which
hits your palette slowlya bland then suddenly sharp
taste. An easygoing smoke that yields nearly no anxiety
and for serious smokers may feel as though youve not
even smoked at all. BBCs beloved for its easygoing, am-
bient type of pleasant. No bullshit. (Brandon Soderberg)
Strength: 7
Nose: The cheese section of your supermarket but
also cheap ChapStick
Euphoria: 8
Existential dread: 1
Freaking out when a crazy person approaches you: 1
Drink pairing: POM Pomegranate Peach Passion
White Tea
Music pairing: Warm Brew, Small Victories
Rating: 10
BALTIMOREBEAT.COM
 R E S E A R C H & W E L L N E S S

Trapped by
Depression?
Let Try to Find a Way Out...

Am I Eligible?
Are you 18 - 65 years old?
Not getting adequate results with
your current antidepressant
therapy?
Diagnosed with Major Depressive
Disorder
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) changes how you view the world.
It causes extreme sadness and feelings of hopelessness.

A clinical research study is currently evaluating an investigational drug for

its safety and effectiveness in the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder.

LETS TALK, CONTACT US TO LEARN MORE.

410-602-1440 / pharmasiteresearch.com

Principal Investigator: Robert Lehman, M.D. / Sub-Investigator: Alan Jonas, M.D.

BALTIMOREBEAT.COM
35 NOVEMBER 22, 2017
 R E S E A R C H
If you are interested in taking
part in one of these studies,
or if you would like more
information, please contact:
410-602-1440
pharmasiteresearch.com
BALTIMOREBEAT.COM
& W E L L N E S S
Has your life been aected by
bipolar depression? If so, you
may be interested in taking
part in the 401 or 402 Study.
The 401 and 402 Studies are looking at a potential
new treatment an investigational medication for
bipolar depression (bipolar I or bipolar II disorder) to
see whether it works, and how safe it is, for improving
the symptoms of bipolar depression. The 401 Study
will look at the investigational medication when it
is used on its own. The 402 Study will look at the
investigational medication in patients who are already
taking a mood stabilizer, specically lithium or valproate.
We are looking for people who are currently
experiencing major depressive episodes associated
with bipolar disorder to take part in the 401 and
402 Studies.
You may be able to take part in the 401 or 402 Study
if you:
are between 18 and 75 years of age (inclusive)
have been diagnosed with bipolar I or bipolar II
disorder
are currently having a major depressive episode
that started at least 2 weeks ago, but no more than
6 months ago
have previously had at least one bipolar manic
episode or mixed episode (if you have bipolar I
disorder) or hypomanic episode (if you have
bipolar II disorder).
Study participation will last up to 12 weeks and will
require nine visits to the study center.
ITI-007
Bipolar
Depression
Program
Alan M. Jonas, M.D.
Principal Investigator
Desmond M. Kaplan, M.D. & Robert B. Lehman, M.D.,
Sub-Investigators
36 NOVEMBER 22, 2017
 R E S E A R C H & W E L L N E S S

Are intrusive
thoughts
interfering
with your
daily life?

Do these thoughts lead to distress or fear?

If you suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) you may
qualify to participate in a clinical research study examining the use of
an investigational medication for people with OCD, not currently
satised with their SSRI (or clomipramine).

For information please call

410.602.1440

Desmond M. Kaplan, M.D. Alan M. Jonas, M.D. &

Principal Investigator Robert B. Lehman, M.D.,
pharmasiteresearch.com Sub-Investigators

BALTIMOREBEAT.COM
37 NOVEMBER 22, 2017
 R E S E A R C H & W E L L N E S S

410-602-1440
pharmasiteresearch.com
Alan M. Jonas, M.D.
Principal Investigator

Robert B. Lehman, M.D.

Sub-Investigator

BALTIMOREBEAT.COM
38 NOVEMBER 22, 2017
 R E S E A R C H & W E L L N E S S

Do You Have an Alcohol

Use Disorder and

ADVERTISE Want Treatment?

Researchers at the National Institutes of
Health, in Bethesda, Maryland are seeking

IN THE
individuals with an alcohol use disorder to
participate in a study.
This research study is investigating if eating a ketogenic diet (including high fat, low

BALTIMORE
carbohydrate shakes) will have an effect on symptoms of alcohol withdrawal and on brain
function in patients with alcohol use disorder undergoing inpatient treatment of alcohol
detoxification.
You may be eligible for this research study if you:

BEAT
Are 18-75 years old and willing and able to provide written informed consent
Have a moderate to severe alcohol disorder and are seeking treatment for your alcohol use

Research study procedures:

You will complete a screening visit which includes a physical exam, medical history including alcohol and
drug use, MRI scan, blood work, and urine sample.
You will participate in our inpatient alcohol treatment program at the NIH Clinical Center.
As an inpatient in our alcohol treatment program you will be randomly assigned to a meal plan for 3 or more
weeks.
The meal plan will consist of a ketogenic diet (high fat, low carbohydrates) or standard American diet.
Your activity level and sleep patterns will be monitored.
We will also collect blood samples and perform research MRI scans.

Compensation and Travel costs:

You do not need to pay to participate in this research study.
You will receive inpatient alcohol detoxification and treatment at no cost.
NIH will provide travel to and from the NIH Clinical Center within the United States.

baltimorebeat.com
You will be financially compensated for your participation.

The NIH Clinical Center, Americas Research Hospital is located in Bethesda, Maryland
on the Metro Red line (Medical Center Stop).
For more information, call:
1-800-411-1222
TTY-1-866-411-1010
online: https://go.usa.gov/xRefA
Refer to study 17-AA-0152
NIH... Turning Discovery Into Health

BALTIMOREBEAT.COM
39 NOVEMBER 22, 2017
 WHERE TO FIND US

DISTRIBUTED WEEKLY ON WEDNESDAY THROUGHOUT BALTIMORE

AT THESE LOCATIONS AND MANY MORE.

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