Scape Crusaders

Thank you City Paper for the excellent coverage of Scapescape 2012 by Baynard Woods and J. M. Giordano (“The Great Scapscape,” Music, Aug. 29), and for helping to foster Baltimore’s cultural scene, which we organizers believe rescues our town from devolving into a wasteland of violence, drug abuse, and giant rodents. We just wanted to point out that two people largely responsible for the event were not mentioned in your feature. Scapescape would not have been possible without the Herculean efforts of Reuben Kroiz, the mastermind behind the beloved but extinct Gspot, and Jimmy MacMillan, manager at the incomparable Friends Records. We thank them along with the army of volunteers and friends that joined together to make scapescape possible again. And thanks to the people of Baltimore for your continued support.

Dave Underhill and Adam Smith

Baltimore

Residents react

I live in the neighborhood mentioned in the article about prostitution “Not in My Backyard” (Feature, Sept. 5). Quite simply, I am appalled and fed up with the city’s reaction to the situation. I have been informed (in not so many words) that the mayor’s office and the police have to be careful with this problem since transgender people claim discrimination. That is ludicrous. I (and most neighbors I know) have no problem with what gender you identify with, dress as, sleep with, love, whatever. People have a right to be themselves. But it’s almost as if the social-service organizations and the city of Baltimore are protecting their right to commit a crime. Regardless of what sex a prostitute or drug dealer is, they are criminals, and I don’t give a damn about their humanity, I want them out of here. This is a neighborhood, not a social-service center. I have personal experience working with social services and while I agree it is unfortunate that someone’s life leads them down that path, as the interviews with former working girls succinctly pointed out, what it comes down to is money. One of the ladies mentioned the lure of making $100 in a short amount of time compared to working all day in retail for less. WHO WOULDN’T LIKE MORE MONEY? And we are supposed to be sympathetic and “consider their humanity?” So . . . if I decide to rob banks because I need money, people should feel bad for me and see me as a victim that needs empathy? It is utterly ridiculous.

In addition, this is not a scenario where there are ladies discretely working the corner. Since moving to the area I have seen accompanying drug dealers become more and more bold to the point of not even attempting to mask their activities. These are not scared, desperate people trying to make a dollar. They stand outside homes making all sorts of noise, expose themselves, defecate by residents’ doors, litter food and condoms everywhere, cause damage in attempted break-ins to area businesses, have sex on people’s cars sometimes in daylight. They have been known to mace a building’s security guard for attempting to get them to leave and have also been known to threaten residents leaving or entering homes (for example, threatening to stab someone for not giving away a cigarette). There is no humanity to be seen in any of that behavior nor the disrespect of law-abiding residents the city has shown. I read somewhere that the mayor has a goal of moving 10,000 families into the city? Good luck. Maybe it’s time the community agencies and law enforcement quit sheltering criminals and have a little empathy for the real victims here . . . the residents who deal with this garbage every day.

Please do not print my name with this article. You may print my initials. Drug dealers DO retaliate here.

S.D.

Baltimore