Crime Scene in North Baltimore
I wasn’t in my door 1 hour before gunshots rang out in my neighborhood.
Fresh back in town from a short family vacation to celebrate my milestone birthday, I was hoping to ease back into city life. At least looking forward to a lazy, uneventful Saturday afternoon/evening before the bells of Sunday morning started ringing calling all clergy to their collars.
Not so.
Not two hours after my plane touched down at BWI, while standing on my porch catching up with my neighbor and checking on my plants; gunshots boomed through the air. Eight loud shots.
I began shaking my head as three children riding their bicycles began hightailing it toward home. Seniors came out on their porch and everyone began looking down the street. Everyone in the neighborhood knows from which direction trouble tends to come in this community.
The sirens began blaring and before unzipping my suitcase, I grabbed my camera bag and made my way to the epicenter of the latest episode of street violence in North Baltimore.
While walking to the scene of the crime, I walked past one home where the news must have just been shared. A woman came running out of her screen door frantically inquiring of the young men who were walking in the opposite direction:
“Who got shot? Who got shot?!”
“Pootie got shot,” one of the young men said. Another motioned with his hands indicating that the victim was shot in his torso area.
“Sh*t!” she screamed while racing in the direction of the ambulance and telling those she left on the porch to call someone else with the news.
I arrived at the scene – a place that I often ride by on my bicycle or walk by with my son during our morning exercise walks – and saw a picture that has become far too familiar. A crowd of youth. Elders on their porch or just inside their gates and a swarm of police officers, medics, and a fire truck blocking the street. As evidence to the normalcy of these types of events, less than 50 feet from the yellow tape, a carpenter was working on the porch of the adjacent house. Fresh, untreated wood made up new steps and handrail. He was sanding it down to give it a smooth finish seemingly unfazed by the commotion around him.
The EMT’s emerged from the high grass of a vacant lot – the place of the shooting – escorting a young man strapped to a stretcher inside the back of their ambulance.
“I love you!” a teenage girl screamed out as the back doors were closed.
I took out my camera and began taking photographs of the scene. After about 5 or 6 shots, I saw two officers pointing over in my direction. Here we go. Officer Wilder began marching over to me.
“No need putting that camera away,” he said. Stooping down I raised 1 finger motioning to him that he needed to give me a moment. I put my camera away.
He walked up on me and barked, “YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A CRIME SCENE AND YOU CAN’T TAKE PICTURES OF A CRIME SCENE. YOU ARE BREAKING THE LAW. THOSE PHOTOGRAPHS ARE MINE!”
“First, you need to bring your tone down,” I calmly replied.
“DON’T TELL ME HOW TO DO MY JOB!”
“I’m not telling you how to do your job, but I’m here because this is my community and perhaps a part of the problem is that when you all arrive on scenes like this you treat everyone as if they’re suspects – even those who are trying to do what they can to make things safer.”
He continued barking and again reminded me that those pictures were “his.”
I wasn’t up on my rights as a “street journalist” at that minute so I took out the camera and deleted a couple of pictures for his satisfaction. (Obviously, the picture above lets you know that I didn’t delete them all.)
Then I zoned in on his name badge. “My name’s Wilder!” he growled, “and you have a problem you can go take it up with my Sergeant.”
“Which one is your Sergeant?” I asked.
“The one in the white shirt with the three stripes. You don’t know a sergeant when you see one?” he quipped while walking away.
I felt sorry for him as he walked away. For one – he obviously was infected with megalomania – an obsession with power that intoxicates many “enforcers of the law” (by the way I received a phone call shortly after I left the scene that verified my suspicion that Officer Wilder had made up the “law” against taking pictures of crime scenes.)
Secondly, I felt sorry for Officer Wilder of the Northern Police District because he probably didn’t believe me when I told him that he would see me again. (Yea, I’m one of those letter-writing, pop up at the police station house, meet with your superiors, change police policy type of citizens that thinks I own my neighborhood.)
But much bigger than anything that happened between Officer Wilder and I – I felt most sorry for the mother who received a nightmarish phone call about her son being shot on the windy Saturday afternoon the day before Mother’s Day 2010. I felt sorry for the mother and family who received a call that their son had been arrested for the attempted murder of another young man on the day before Mother’s Day.
I feel sorry for this community that is slowly waking up to the reality that we have a problem on our hands that will not go away with wishful thinking or even one-time passionate rallies. Groups like my community association – the Winston Govans Community Association and York Road Alternatives for Youth are among the many organizations trying to make things better and safer here. Hopefully, the 18 churches and 1 mosque that adorn York Road (between 43rd Street and Northern Parkway) will find the motivation to come together, stay together, work together and proactively engage disconnected youth and adults in North Baltimore as well.
Only time will tell, but in the meantime, I pledge to continue pouring myself out to make Baltimore (especially my piece of Baltimore) a better place to live, grow, learn, and serve. As I type this, my sleeping 19 month old is resting in my arms and I know that he and the many children that God has blessed our city with demand and deserve nothing less.
Vacation is over. I’m back and with another year under my belt, I’m ready to re-engage the beautiful struggle.
Related posts:
- New Year, Same Struggle: Starting 2010 in Solidarity with Palestinians Technically, I started the year in corporate worship and fellowship...
- I’ve Found Another Sanctuary: Jonah House (Baltimore, MD) Since becoming a pastor, I’ve realized the value in finding...
- A man was murdered down the street from my house last night… Two others were wounded. During an evening that promised to...
- Rev. Jeremiah Wright is the worst person in the world? According to MSNBC political analyst, Keith Olbermann, he is. In...
- A message from the Baltimore United for Peace & Justice Coalition Dear Rev. Brown, As a resident of the Govans Community,...
i was directed here by the sun's site…well written and interesting perspective – good luck…just wondering why the officer wouldn't be more solictious of bystanders – they could be witnesses – the eyes and ears of the neighborhood – residents like you don't sound like you'd be intimidated because of your motivation – sheesh….! hope the victim is o.k…..
Thanks gmh! That's my gripe with SOME officers. They don't know how to differentiate between those who are engaging in harmful community practices and those trying to make things better. As the saying goes, when the only tool you have is the "hammer," everything looks like a nail.
I pray that the victim comes through as well. Sadly, there was another shooting around the corner from this one just a few hours later.
Jambo Heber
Create yourself a press badge for Faith In Action and the next time you take pictures wear it and let the Officer know that you are a member of the press. Thats what I do here in North Carolina. I teach Citizens Journalism and you have a right to take pictures of a crime scene or anything else you want. Take Care and God Bless You! I’ll be coming back home to Baltimore in a couple of weeks to pick up my grandson and bring him to North Carolina so he does not have to be in Baltimore for the hot and violent summer! Peace Out Baba Jahi!
Good work, Heber. Keep shining this light until everyone sees. I would hope that officer Wilder would think things through and consider that you're on the same side…. Ramsey
Very glad to have found this site, per Fenton's tip. Excellent writing about a situation familiar to me, too. Kid i front of my house 2 weeks ago shot for no apparent reason. The sound of those shots was unbelievably loud.
The kid, got 4 shots to the belly, but looks to be doing all right, and will be home soon.
Hey Heber,
I'm another new reader from Justin Fenton's tip. I sent you a copy of the Photographer's Rights card on twitter, and I hope you find it useful. I like to brush up on it every so often, especially before I go out doing street documentation. As a hobby, I do street journalism in some of the areas of the city that have been most affected by the drug war and gang violence, as well as economic hardship. I feel there's a lot of hope in these places, and it's good to show others who assume Baltimore is all bad that there's a seed planted here that just needs some TLC.
But I certainly empathize with you; I had a cop try to search me and arrest me for conspiracy to commit terrorism and purchase narcotics for being on a street where open air drug markets were present. The officer said that my friend and I were not to be taking photographs in that area — a public street near Harlem Park. He unfortunately was not very polite or even very coherent for most of his yelling tirade, which lasted a good couple of minutes before we asked if we were being detained, and if not if we could simply go about our business elsewhere. Very frustrating.
Good luck in the future! While I certainly appreciate your documentation of this event, I can't wait until a time comes where we can see less of it!
Everytime I go on vacation, I know it's officially over when either I see police cars or see young folks posting up on a corner. As far as the police in my area(Northwood-Morgan State), I don't know how I feel about them. When Ken Harris got shot by the Haven, police were all over the area. One officer came to my house one night when something happened in the block where I live. Even fed him a hot dog. Less then 10 days later, the very same officer stopped me for running a stop sign. I was innocent and he didn't seem to know that he ate my food less than ten days prior. I really think that no matter what kind of civility or manners that you show toward the police, you will always be seen as less than equal in their eyes. Especially as a black male. The badge gives them the right to show who they really are. I feel sorry for the officers who do a great job and try to earn the trust of the people they serve.
Pastor Heber, once again I applaud your will, desire and fearlessness in tackling touchy issues that so many would rather ignore. As you well know from my personal story, sometimes wanting to do something as simple as getting a story out, the truth, can wind up with you losing your freedom and having your rights trampled on.
I know Officer Wilder very well. My impressions of him is overall he's not a bad guy, but he's dwelling in a department that has a systemic culture of promulgating a continued adversarial relationship with the community. They don't all mean it, the problem is, they just can't help it. Outside of the public forum I'd love to share some insight with you.
BTW, I got there and took plenty of pics, a few are posted on my site. I wasn't planning to show initially, but when I heard you were being harassed, I dropped everything and raced up there. I also linked your report from my site.
Stay strong, stay safe, and may the good Lord continue to bless you and yours.
Yours in truth and service,
A.F. James MacArthur Ph.A.L.
Sympathy from the west coast Pastor Brown. Last night, Sunday, I laid listened to the news just after reclining. At that time it was reported that 2 people had been shot in 'Oaktown aka Oakland California'. When I awakened the next morning around 6:00am and listened to the news, by then 4 more individuals from Oaktown had been added to the tally. Is this a universal fulfillment of scripture, i.e., "iniquity would abound because the love of many would wax cold…''!