By Dr. Frances Murphy Draper
AFRO CEO and Publisher
Baltimore is no stranger to being used as a political punching bag. Donald Trump’s latest talk of deploying the National Guard here isn’t about keeping people safe; it’s about scoring points. The truth is that crime is down. Baltimore has recorded some of its lowest homicide numbers in years, with August marking the fewest killings ever recorded for that month. That fragile but real progress belongs to Baltimoreans: the officers walking beats, the violence interrupters de-escalating conflicts, the faith leaders mentoring young people, the parishioners praying without ceasing and the neighbors who refuse to give up.
To ignore this progress and paint Baltimore as a war zone is more than inaccurate—it is insulting. And it’s part of a larger pattern. Trump has already suggested “rethinking” the billions Congress approved to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge after its collapse. And earlier this year, he flatly vowed to block the FBI’s long-planned relocation to Greenbelt, Md. —dismissing our state as “too far” and “too liberal.” Years of bipartisan planning were brushed aside in a single sound bite, with no regard for the economic impact on our region or the national security reasons behind the move. These aren’t serious policies. They are threats—bully tactics that treat Baltimore and Maryland like bargaining chips instead of communities that matter.
Let’s also be honest about the subtext. Trump’s so-called “law and order” agenda has consistently zeroed in on majority-Black cities with Democratic mayors: Baltimore, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Oakland, Los Angeles, New York. His language is more than political—it carries the sting of racial coding, the same old trope that Black-led cities are inherently lawless or incapable of governing themselves. We’ve heard this tune before. But Baltimore, like every one of those cities, refuses to be defined by someone else’s fearmongering.
Governor Wes Moore has called it exactly what it is: “completely performative” and “deeply disrespectful.” Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott was just as direct, reminding the nation that we don’t need troops patrolling our corners and pointing out that the city just saw its lowest August homicide total on record. Our congressional delegation has also spoken with one voice. Congressman Kweisi Mfume, Senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks, and others have made it clear: Baltimore doesn’t need occupation, and Maryland won’t stand by while federal funding is dangled or denied.
That’s what real leadership looks like. While Trump leans on scare tactics, Moore, Scott and our congressional leaders are telling the truth: the National Guard is not trained for city policing; once Congress funds a project, a president cannot simply snatch it away; and community safety comes from steady resources and long-term commitment, not intimidation.
I write these words not only as a publisher and civic leader, but as a native Baltimorean. I know the neighborhoods where I’ve lived, gone to school, raised my children, worked and served for years. I know the families and the struggles. And I also know the assets outsiders too often overlook: world-renowned hospitals and universities, championship-caliber sports teams, celebrated waterways and restaurants that rival any city in America. Baltimore is not an abstraction—it’s home. And like thousands of others who love this city, I refuse to let outsiders define us as broken or unworthy.
Yes, Baltimore faces serious challenges. We are an urban city grappling with poverty, addiction and the scars of decades of disinvestment. But those challenges are not unique to us. What makes Baltimore different is our resilience. Every step forward has come because of the people who believe in this city and fight for it every day.
What we need now is partnership, not punishment. We need federal support for jobs, schools, housing, healthcare, and long-term strategies that make neighborhoods safer and stronger. We need Washington as a collaborator, not an occupier. We need leaders willing to strengthen Baltimore’s future, not strip away already-approved resources or threaten us with soldiers.
So, let’s be clear: Baltimore doesn’t need troops on its corners, and it doesn’t need political theater that jeopardizes bridges, headquarters and livelihoods. What we need—and what we are building—is respect, opportunity and genuine leadership.
Baltimore has never been defined by its critics. We are defined by the grit of our people, the pride in our neighborhoods, and the determination to rise again and again. That is the story of Baltimore. And no amount of bluster from Trump will ever change it.
Kudos to Gov. Wes Moore, Mayor Brandon Scott, Maryland’s congressional delegation and so many others for standing up and speaking out. As Archbishop Desmond Tutu aptly and profoundly noted, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”