Baltimore pastor blames breakdown of family, deteriorating education for city's demise
What’s behind the declining population, increasing crime and persistent poverty in Baltimore, Maryland? A pastor in the city says it’s due to the breakdown of the family and deteriorating education, both of which he's trying to remedy through his ministry.
“One of the things is the breakdown of the family. We always have to start there,” P.M. Smith, pastor of Huber Memorial Church in northeast Baltimore, told WBFF. “No consequences here or there. So, the result is going to be what? Courts, courtrooms, incarceration, right? We're in trouble.”
According to Biggest U.S. Cities, Baltimore’s population was nearly 950,000 in 1950, when it was the sixth largest city in the nation. Today, it’s the 30th largest city, with its population declining by about 40%.
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Last month, the Baltimore Police Department recorded its 300th homicide this year, according to WBALTV-11, which said 90 homicides involved victims younger than 25.
In July, data from Open Baltimore showed that the city recorded 177 homicides in the first six months of the year, and The Baltimore Banner called it the deadliest in Baltimore's history.
Smith, born in the city in the 1940s, shared with WBFF that his family never had enough money, as there were six children. “But there was one message from my parents and from everybody in my community, ‘Boy, you got to get your education. If you get your education, nobody can take it from you.’”
The pupil would use second-hand books and furniture, “but I had first-class teachers,” Smith said.
Smith went on to have a law career but left it in the mid-'80s to become a pastor. And then, a few years later, he founded H.O.P.E. Academy, a K-5 elementary school with 175 of its students being from African American single-parent homes. His church contributes half of the cost of the students' education.
While Baltimore City Public Schools cannot give students below 50% marks irrespective of their performance, H.O.P.E expects its students to learn the material before they’re promoted.
“We value education in a culture that really doesn't,” Smith was quoted as saying. “We value education because we know that's the key to the future.”
With a population of around 600,000, Baltimore ranked second in the country for homicide per capita in 2021, Fox Baltimore previously reported.
According to WorldAtlas, Baltimore is one of America's 10 most dangerous cities and has a per capita crime cost of $7,091 and a violent crime rate of 1,461 per 100,000 people.
Last year, Maryland lawmakers enacted laws to limit the use of force by police in the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. But that would not change anything, Smith told WMAR-2 News at the time.
Smith believes those policies put more pressure on officers fighting crime than those who engage in crime. Lawmakers should address the root issues that create crime, like education, access to employment and building stronger family support systems through the community, he said.
According to his church’s website, Smith’s vision and mission are to “rescue the children, redeem the family and recreate the community.”
