Open Letter to Fusion Partnerships Board of Directors
Closure Announcement from Fusion Board of Directors
February 10, 2025 on Instagram
February 25, 2025
Fusion Partnerships
1601 Guilford Ave 2 South, Baltimore, MD 21202
Subject: Urgent Concerns Regarding the Handling of Fusion Fiscal Sponsorship Closure
Dear Members of the Fusion Board of Directors,
We are writing to express our deep disappointment with the manner in which the closure of Fusion Fiscal Sponsorship is being handled. The decisions and actions taken—or lack thereof—have placed the programs and funding of over 100 partners, including Fight Blight Bmore, at significant risk. Specifically, we take issue with the following failures in the closure process:
Short Notice: The abrupt and insufficient timeline to wind down services has left partners scrambling to secure alternative fiscal sponsorship or establish independent structures, jeopardizing critical community programs.
Failure to Identify and Secure Transition Options: Beyond providing a list of possible fiscal sponsors, there has been no evident effort to connect partners with aligned fiscal sponsors, negotiate reduced or waived transfer fees, or provide guidance in establishing standalone nonprofit organizations.
Lack of Transition Funding Support: Fusion has not offered any form of tie-off or transition funding to assist partners in this unexpected and difficult transition.
Poor Communication: The closure process has been communicated inadequately, leaving partners in uncertainty and without the necessary details to make informed decisions about their futures. And, the dismissive and defensive responses to partners’ legitimate concerns and questions by some Fusion staff have only exacerbated the disruption and distress caused by this poorly managed transition.
The mismanagement of this process has placed Fight Blight Bmore in a precarious position. Earlier this year we were denied the opportunity to have a completed grant application reviewed by a funder because Fusion is our fiscal sponsor and today there is $75,000 in awarded grant funds in limbo due to Fusion’s failure to ensure a responsible transition. This financial uncertainty threatens the continuity of our work and the communities we serve.
Given these serious concerns, we formally request that the Fusion Board of Directors:
Provide written proof within 48 hours of receiving this letter that all partner funds, including those belonging to Fight Blight Bmore, are appropriately held in the designated bank account and remain secure.
Issue a formal, written apology to all partners for the lack of transparency, poor communication, and inadequate support offered throughout this transition.
The cash flow problems within Fusion’s fiscal sponsorship program should have been evident to both the Board and Fusion’s leadership following the 2023 financial audit. Instead of addressing these pertinent issues transparently, Fusion operated in a manner that signaled continuity of operations - announcing training on partner processes scheduled for late February. Yet, based on statements made during the Partner Meeting on February 13, 2025, it appears no substantive steps were taken to address the issue with cash flows and operational expenses. As a result of the board and leadership's failure to resolve the issues, partners are faced with this sudden closure.The lack of foresight and accountability has put critical community programs at risk.
Fiscal sponsorship relationships inherently have an unbalanced power dynamic in favor of the sponsor, in the actions surrounding this closure Fusion has demonstrated this fact. Further, it has made partners vulnerable to engaging with future sponsors that are not values aligned at a minimum or predatory at a maximum. We urge the Board to take immediate corrective action and provide the transparency and support that should have been in place from the beginning of this process.
Sincerely,
Nneka Nnamdi
Founder and Chief Operating Officer
Fight Blight Bmore
Request for Proposals (RFP): Hack Hub Redevelopment Project
Issue Date: February 1, 2025
Question & Answer Session: March 6, 2025 10:00am
Submission Deadline: May 15, 2025 11:59pm
I. Introduction
Fight Blight Bmore is seeking proposals from qualified and experienced general contractors to renovate the Hack Hub, a community-based, technology-centered for imagination, innovation, and incubation. The renovation aims to enhance the Hub’s infrastructure, accessibility, and functional spaces to support local tech talent, micro businesses, students, and the neighborhood. The property is located at 701/703 N Fremont Ave Baltimore, MD 21217.
The project involves the transformation of an existing shell into a functional 2,500 sq. ft. multi-use facility. The completed space will include:
Basement: A pop-up retail space.
Main Floor: A community computer lab.
2nd and 3rd Floors: A two-story, 2-bedroom/1 bath residential apartment.
Initial Design
II. Project Goals
The Hack Hub renovation seeks to:
Create an adaptable, collaborative space conducive to innovation.
Improve accessibility and sustainability in design and operations.
Ensure technical infrastructure upgrades to support modern technology needs.
Foster a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment for community use.
View construction documents:
Civil/ Mechanical (Updated)
III. Scope of Work
The selected contractor will be responsible for the following:
Design and Renovation Drawings Review
Work closely with the architectural team to finalize and implement approved design plans.
Ensure design aligns with functional needs, including tech lab spaces, co-working areas, and event spaces.
Permitting and Compliance
Obtain necessary permits and approvals from local authorities.
Adhere to building codes, safety standards, and ADA requirements.
Site Preparation and Clean-Out
Manage property clean-out, including waste disposal, salvage of reusable materials, and clearing for renovation commencement.
Ensure environmentally sustainable disposal of materials wherever possible.
Renovation and Construction
Execute construction activities, including electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and structural updates.
Coordinate with sub-contractors and oversee all construction phases, ensuring adherence to quality, budget, and timelines.
Project Schedule, Budget and Construction Progress Reporting
Provide a detailed project schedule and milestones.
Submit weekly progress reports on budgetary items.
Submit weekly progress reports progress of the construction and conduct site meetings as needed.
FInal Design/Floor Plan
IV. Contractor Qualifications
Interested contractors must demonstrate:
5 years or more experience with mixed use (housing, technology, innovation, or community center) development projects.
Familiarity with local permitting processes and building codes.
Capacity to manage projects of comparable scale and complexity.
Commitment to community engagement and sustainable practices.
Good standing with with the State of Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation business licensing division
Licensure, bonding and insurance associated with
An active contractors license appropriate for this project
V. Proposal Submission Requirements
Proposals must include the following:
Cover Letter – Brief summary of the contractor’s background and relevant experience.
Qualifications and Experience – Describe three previous projects similar in scope including pictures of finished work and contact information for clients.
Project Team – Names, roles, and resumes of key personnel, including any minority or women-owned business partners.
Proposed Project Plan – Detailed project approach, timeline, and milestones.
Financial Stability – Documentation of bonding capacity and financial statements, if applicable.
Insurance and Licensing – Proof of insurance and valid licensing.
Community Engagement Plan – Brief statement on how the contractor will support positive community impacts throughout the project.
VI. Selection Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
Technical Qualifications (25 points) – Experience and expertise in similar technology and community-focused renovation projects.
Project Plan and Approach (25 points) – Feasibility and detail of the proposed renovation approach, including strategies for meeting project milestones and adaptability to community needs.
Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) (15 points) – Preference will be given to BIPOC-owned contractors and those demonstrating a commitment to DEI through partnerships, hiring practices, or inclusion of BIPOC subcontractors and suppliers.
Budget/Cost - Provide a detailed estimate of project cost based on set of construction drawings
Financial Stability (15 points) – Evidence of bonding capacity and financial health to complete a project of this scale.
Community Engagement (10 points) – Clear approach to creating positive impacts and fostering partnerships within the local community.
Timeline Adherence (10 points) – Ability to meet project deadlines and demonstrate flexibility in the face of potential scheduling challenges.
VII. Submission Instructions
All proposals must be submitted electronically by May 15, 2025 11:59pm., to nneka@fightblightbmore.com. Late submissions will not be considered. Any questions regarding the RFP should be sent to nneka@fightblightbmore.com by May 1, 2025 at 11:59pm. Questions and Responses will be published on this page. Download the RFP.
Terms and Conditions
Flight Blight Bmore reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and to waive any informality in the proposals received.
All costs associated with proposal preparation will be borne by the proposer.
The selected contractor will be required to enter into a formal contract and comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
Site visits available upon request. Email nneka@fightblightbmore.com to schedule a site visit.
Questions and Answers
Q: How do you get access to the basement level?
A: From new exterior stairs that will be placed alongside Dolphin St. from the street level down to the basement level
Q: Will the basement need to be dug out?
A: Yes. DesignHAND Architects will update the plans to show the existing level in the plans and sections along with adding underpinning plans from the structural engineer.
Note: Civil engineering plans are still pending. Access to the basement level may be revised based on Baltimore City zoning approvals. Updated plans above are post predevelopment meeting feedback.
Will Ama Tubman Weep No More?
Keynote Address at Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute 2024 Social Determinants of Health Symposium
Keynote Address at Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute 2024 Social Determinants of Health Symposium
Originally my remarks to you all were going to be about my entrance into the health and housing space way back in two thousand and two when I purchased a home in Heritage Crossing which used to be a public housing project in West Baltimore called Murphy Homes. But last friday during what is so typically Happy Hour for people, I met with a client of the Stop Oppressive Seizures Fund, we will call her Ama Tubman. This meeting rocked me to the core.
The SOS Fund was formed in June 2020 during a door knocking campaign where myself and a couple of collaborators from Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service and Parity Homes were door knocking in Upton letting my neighbors know their homes were on the tax sale list. The fund works to prevent home and land seizures in the city through mutual aid, community education and political advocacy. It is because of that work that Ms.Tubman was referred to us.
Ms. Tubman invited myself and the SOS Fund Program Director into her dining room to sit and discuss her situation. She is facing eviction from her home because of a 4 thousand dollar unpaid tax bill from 2019. As the world began to deal with COVID-19 Ms Tubman was dealing with a different illness that kept her going back and forth to the doctors trying to get better. She received a diagnosis and began the road to recovery the next year. By that time COVID 19 had shut the world down.
So when she tried to get the Homeowner’s property tax credit she reached out to the local office of the State Department of Assessments and Taxation. They told her they would mail her an application which they never did. This credit would’ve reduced her bill to about one thousand dollars. Without the credit she pulled together money with the help of her now adult children to pay the bills as they were. She went down to the Abel Wolman building to make payments on the property taxes due.
When she went to pay the bill no one informed her in a clear or timely manner that some unpaid property taxes had been sold to a third party. She was unaware that the unpaid debt had been turned into a lien and listed for sale for collection by a 3rd party. Sounds confusing right? It is.
She was allowed to pay the most current property taxes over the next four years to the tune of nearly 20,000 dollars which was described by city staff as a gift to the 3rd party debt collector. Because if the 3rd party moves to take the deed to her home that money will not be returned to her. She should have been told to pay the tax lien held by the 3rd party first.
Tax sale is a complicated complex legal process that benefits the 3rd party debt collectors at every turn. They are allowed to charge up to 18% on the debt and if the debt goes unpaid they can foreclose on the home. Yes, the city gets a big check from the 3rd parties each year when the tax sale is held which is why they cling to this process for dear life. The city says they need the money to solve a cyclical cash flow problem. The resolution is temporary and its creates a much bigger expense in the long run. As it is a driver of vacancy. According to The Cost of Baltimore's Vacant report the city loses 100 million dollars a year in revenues alone as the result of vacancy.
I digress, back to Ms. Tubman. She thought she had handled all of the taxes until she was contacted by the 3rd party’s attorney who was filing a foreclosure action on her home. The foreclosure was granted by the court despite the irregularities in this case.
Even with all the stress she is experiencing, she invited us into her home to hear her story so we could strategize on a way to resolve the issue. She recounted to us what she has experienced over the last 4 years. And wept as she told us that she had done everything she could to make sure her property taxes were paid. This was the first time she had shared with anyone the full reality of what has been happening to her.
Watching a 70 year old Black woman cry in her dining room about the impending loss of her home while battling a serious illness stoked the seething rage in my spirit. All of this harm because the City of Baltimore and the State of Maryland are determined to sacrifice a Black woman on the altar of revenue collections for revenue and profit. They must be stopped.
Ms. Tubman’s story is a common one, thousands of Baltimore homeowners mostly in Black neighborhoods face tax sale every year. This March more than 5000 homes had debts listed for tax sale. The Pro Bono Resource Center reports that clients of its 2023 tax sale clinics were 85% Black and Woman. And, according to the Baltimore Banner since 2016 “every one of the 1,763 homes across Baltimore '' that they were able to find with a foreclosure due to tax sale was located in a majority-Black neighborhood.
In order to pay the disproportionately high property taxes bills many people forgo buying food, filling prescriptions or making necessary home repairs which leaves them at risk for further adverse health outcomes. A home is more than where the heart is, it is where the health is. Housing sits firmly at the center of the Neighborhood and Built Environment determinant of health. It significantly impacts all the other determinants.
How can you build wealth if you have no or inadequate home to pass on to the next generation as a house is most American’s greatest material asset? You cant. How can you learn to your fullest scholarly potential if you have to walk past 29 vacant properties on the way to sit in a classroom with no heat? You won’t. How can you stay healthy when there are no nutrient dense culturally appropriate food stores within walking distance to your home? You don’t. How do you maintain bonds and relationships when your neighbors are pushed out of their homes by slum conditions, high rents, hyper policing and redevelopment? Exactly, the possibilities are shrinking daily as is the availability, accessibility and affordability of homes in Baltimore.
What is growing is blight - concentrations of vacant, abandoned, dilapidated, underutilized and misutilized properties. Today, Baltimore has about 15,000 vacant buildings and 21,000 vacant lots according to the Department of Housing and Community Development. There are many more properties in poor condition, not being fully used or being used in ways that are harmful. The vast majority of these properties are homes in Black neighborhoods.
How did we get to a place where Baltimore has so few houses that people can afford to live in and properties that support living? It’s quite simple - in fact, racist housing, community and economic development policy has resulted in a blighted Baltimore. Its bigger than Redlining which typically is named as the culprit. Its:
Enslavement which robbed Africans of their homes from the outset
Black codes - In 1867 the MD Occupational Acts prohibited Black people from owning carts or drays an early form of mobile housing and food distribution,
Public School development - Samuel Coleridge Taylor Elementary wasn't opened till 1926 so there was a failure to build a single public school for Black children for 59 years after the first municipal funding was allocated to do so
Property tax policy - The creation of tax sale by the state in the 1880’s. Many southern states passed tax sale laws after the end of Reconstruction. It is one of the main ways the 16 million acres of land in Black ownership at the dawn of the 20th century was reduced to less than 5 million acres by dusk of it.
Real estate laws - City Ordinance 610 passed in 1910 as the first housing segregation policy in the US and then the restrictive covenants that followed behind designed to keep Black people in poorly planned neighborhoods and poorly constructed housing
Highway construction - 1-83 which displaced Black families in Cross Keys, I-395 which displaced Black families in Sharp-Leadhall and I-170 the infamous Highway to Nowhere which displaced 900 families from Harlem Park and Poppleton.
Urban Renewal - The construction of One Charles Plaza, The Morris Mechanic Theater and Harborplace which diverted public dollars to built enterprise for private interests instead of investing in neighborhoods with Black populations
Non profit expansion- About 30% of Baltimore’s real estate is not taxable because it is owned by non profits, and that number is likely growing as institutions like JHH are displacing countless Black families. Its gobbling up properties to expand its footprint tax free all while using Black people and communities as labs
I could go on and on. But I think you can see how the development of racist policy in Baltimore over time causes blight. That leaves us to ask the two most important questions: what impact this is having on people today and what is being done about it?
The quest to answer those questions caused me to birth Fight Blight Bmore in 2016 - as a social, environmental and economic justice movement led by the village and informed by the data to address blight through community leadership, advocacy and ownership. The work centers resistance, repair and reclamation.
The harms of blight are many - it reduces educational access, employment and enterprise opportunity, home equity and tax revenues, etc…Most important are the health impacts. Blight can quite literally kill you.
On any given day in Baltimore there are thousands of people experiencing some form of housing insecurity. People who are housing insecure are 3 to 4 times more timely to die prematurely.
In 21223 vacant lots were shown to contribute to ER visits for Asthma at rate 3 times higher than the statewide average
In Madison/East End 7.5% of the children tested had elevated blood lead levels - the highest in the city while also being in the top ten neighborhoods with housing code violations at 7.3% in 2018
And, in 2022 we calculated that more than 50% of homicides happened with 100ft of a property that was vacant or tax delinquent
So there is no wonder why the life expectancy in Garwyn Oaks where Ms Tubman lives is 10 years less than in Cross Country which has the highest life expectancy in the city and some of the lowest blight right. The instability of housing and the condition of neighborhoods is harming people's health. (BNIA Vital Signs, 2018) And, as we heard this morning residents and leaders alike that respondents to the Community Health Needs Assessment lifted up housing as a clear need for improving human health.
We can see the impact clearly. The answer to the second question is that people are organizing to address blight. The community’s resistance, repair and reclamation effort includes:
Baltimore Renter’s United is a tenant-led movement to ensure people have safe, stable, affordable, and fair housing free from exploitation. They worked to shepard the Inclusionary Housing legislation through city council last year which is designed to increase the number of housing units available for people making at or below 80% of Area Median Income
Black Yield is creating a hyper local food production, preparation and distribution economy in Cherry Hill on vacant land to address food apartheid. In 2023 they distributed 10,282 pounds of food in Monte Claire and Cherry Hill
Parity Homes is developing homeownership cohorts in Harlem Park that turn dilapidated houses into affordable housing units both homeownership and rental - 20+ units to be completed by end of year, 40+ people completed cohort training and 600 people on the waiting list many of who are Baltimore born and raised.
And, CARE community association is executing a mutual aid program to pay 11,000 in property taxes to keep 10 of their neighbors out of tax sale, get estate plans in place and do home repairs to enable aging in place in the McElderry Park area. This is their 3rd year conducting a tax sale bailout.
Fight Blight Bmore and the SOS Fund collaborates with each of these organizations to share in the work of unblighting Baltimore. But even with all that work happening Ms. Tubman and many others are fighting against home loss and for their health. The end of the story is not yet written. Through these collaborations I channel my rage into acts of resistance against the loss of Ms. Tubman home but more importantly repair of her health and wellness.
Being here today with you all engaging in this critical dialogue about Neighborhood’s and the Build environment as a social determinant of health is great. Let’s take the next steps toward ending tax sale as a harm to housing and health together. We can
learn more about this predatory policy
donate to mutual aid efforts,
investigate how medicaid or medicare can be used to pay disabled and elderly homeowners property taxes
examine the data and produce analysis that doesn't pathologize the ways people survive and thrive in blighted places,
join the policy advocacy for property tax payment plans, tax credit expansion, heirs property support and home repair efforts
Work to stop speculation, flipping and all market based solutions for redevelopment. Instead supporting redevelopment that focus on the need of everyday people for housing and vibrant neighborhoods
Our actions in collaboration in the days and weeks to come will determine if Ms. Tubman weeps no more. Thank you.
The Anatomy of Baltimore’s Blight: Analysis of Policy and Practice Creating a Pathway for Community Progress
The Anatomy of Baltimore’s Blight: Analysis of Policy and Practice Creating a Pathway for Community Progress
Click here to read the final The Anatomy of Baltimore’s Blight: Analysis of Policy and Practice Creating a Pathway for Community Progress. It aims to provide an examination of how residents and communities prioritize and address property issues, and what tools (policies, practices, funding, etc.) are needed to execute their work toward blight remediation more comprehensively.
VBNs, Tax Sale, and Homicides
It all begins with an idea.
In 2023 Fight Blight Bmore conducted a manual accounting of locations where homicide occurred in Baltimore, it found that in 2022 more than 50% of Baltimore’s 335 murders took place near a property that had a Vacant Building Notice (VBN), Tax Lien Certificate or it was a vacant lot.
With the goal of exploring the relationship in Baltimore between the presence of properties with vacant building notices, properties whose liens were auctioned as part of the tax sale, and the number of homicides in the vicinity —Fight Blight Bmore conducted a more in depth analysis. This analysis found that, “there is a strong correlation between the presence of vacant building notices and tax sale properties with homicides committed on that Block. This impact is especially clear with higher numbers of VBNs and tax sale properties.” The full analysis can be viewed here.
Floating All Boats: An Opinion on The Dollar House Program Reboot
It all begins with an idea.
Recently, Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby released a housing package including a reboot of the 1970’s Dollar House program (The Urban Homestead Demonstration program). Baltimore was one of the cities selected for the initial pilot by the federal government to offer houses for sale for a dollar along with funds and a process for rehabilitation. The participating cities had to develop a framework for the program based on the availability of houses, the “market”, and purchaser interest. Baltimore initially selected clusters of properties in Barre Circle, Otterbein, and Stirling Street. According to Baltimore’s Brick Walls: An Observation Of Baltimore’s Dollar House Program (2015), the houses offered for sale were “ from the tax-delinquent properties and other properties acquired by the city…”(60). The location of Barre Circle and Otterbein seem to indicate the city had previously acquired those homes as a part of road construction or other planned Urban Renewal Projects.
The Dollar House program intended “..to help stimulate interest to those who could afford it back into the city with the aid of low-interest loans, assisting them in homeownership within failing areas of a city..”( Baltimore’s Brick Walls, 7). It is seen as a successful housing program. So much so there have been calls for several decades to bring it back. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake responded to these calls by creating the “Vacants to Value” program, which followed the Project SCOPE and Project 5000 programs. One of the reasons that Vacants To Value (V2V) does not share the “success” of the Dollar House program for individuals is because it did not come with the same federal funding nor programatic support. V2V also seems to be designed for developers, not people interested in buying a home in Baltimore to live in. In fact, more than half of the V2V settlements in the last decade were small or non-profit developers. Due to failures of programs like Project 5000, SCOPE, V2V and the unabated racism in real property laws and private sector policies (inflated tax assessments, tax sale, subprime lending, disinvestment, etc…) Baltimore is a city where more than 50% of renters are “housing insecure”, paying 30% or more of their income in housing cost (The Double Crisis, 2) and the loss of more than 2000 low to moderately affordable housing units since the late 1990’s is an “acceptable” price to pay for new development (The Abell Report, 2007).
Cover of Baltimore’s Brick Walls
In response to falling Black homeownership numbers and increased housing insecurity due to the economic pressure exacerbated by COVID 19, Council President Mosby is proposing to use $200 million of the $600+ million in American Rescue Act funds Baltimore is slated to receive to bring back the Dollar House program as the Baltimore City Urban Homesteading Program as well as launch a Baltimore City Home Repairs Grant Program and Baltimore City Senior Homeowners Grant Program.
Ad for Interview with Council President Mosby on the Dollar House Program
Upon reviewing the proposed legislation and listening to Council President Mosby’s interview with Madison Mason, there are four main issues with this legislation that must be addressed:
The eligibility criteria for the programs don’t match with the residents the bill states redress should be given because of racist policies.
Suggested solution: Instead of solely using the “Legacy Resident” and income criteria, eligibility should also require:
Resident has experienced a displacement resulting from mortgage, reverse mortgage, tax sale, ground rent foreclosure, lease or contract loan eviction, eminent domain or condemnation action since age 18, or
Resident has interest in an heirs property with a tangled title or unresolved estate administration action
2. There isn't enough specificity to ensure that the houses made available through this program will be affordable to those residents that Council President Mosby states the Dollar House Program is designed to help.
Suggested solution: The houses made available should be those with a total renovation cost of $175,000 or less.
3. The definition of “Designated Impact Investment Neighborhoods” puts the focus on developing around “assets” and “revitalization efforts” for investors not based on community needs.
Suggested solution: The neighborhood eligibility should be any neighborhood that was redlined (or yellow lined) and meets any three or more of the following criteria:
Vacancy rate of 15% or more
Residential Tax Lien Certificates Sales 10% or more
SDAT Neighborhood Subset has more than 50% rental housing (thus neighborhood classed as Rental Dwelling)
Lost 500 or more public housing units since 1990
Number of Demolition Permits greater than 20 for each 1000 residential units
Median Price of Houses sold $75,000 or less
Affordability Index of greater than 30%
4. The ability of participants to find lenders to provide quality mortgages will be key to their ability to access the grant.
Suggested solution: Identify a set of local banks and lenders with a demonstrated practice of equitable mortgage lending to act as preferred lenders for this program who will provide low interest and cost loans to participants that include a forgivable booster grant of between $25,000 (for renovations of $125,000 or less) and $50,000 (for renovations above $125,000).
There are a few other concerns with these bills. For instance there are programs like LIGHT and HUBS that could be expanded instead of recreated by the proposed Home Repair Grant program. And, why is the Senior Home Owners Grant program limited to 5k in funding for each participant? Also, why can’t a Senior homeowner redeem their home’s Ground Rent as a part of this program?
As written these bills offer an opportunity to “lift all boats” but in reality the people in canoes, dinghies or floating in the water on their backs will be drowned by the rising waters created. There are ways as suggested (and many more) to make these bills more than an opportunity, but to provide repair of the damage done historically.
We acknowledge that the legacy and current realities of racism in housing and community development law, policy and practice can’t be addressed by one program with a 200 million dollar budget so we have begun to organize and mobilize to develop a policy platform for reparations for Black Land Ownership and Sovereignty.
Further, we propose a Single Payer Rehab Program. This program aims to provide a regenerative and sustainable option for equitable housing redevelopment in Baltimore. To learn more feel free to review the 4Points Comparison on Single Payer Rehab program, click here. Feel free to leave comment in the document, we would like to hear from interested parties.
"Dis-placia: Vacants in the Village”
"Dis-placia: Vacants in the Village" is more than just a documentary—it's a powerful exposé that peels back the layers of systemic injustice shaping the landscape of American cities. This film dives deep into the heart of Baltimore, uncovering a truth often hidden in plain sight: the pervasive blight in Black communities is not a mere accident, but a calculated act of economic violence driven by policy and power.
This gripping documentary takes viewers on a journey through the abandoned, decaying streets of Baltimore, revealing how blight is wielded like a weapon to disenfranchise and displace. Through poignant interviews with community activists, organizers, and residents who refuse to be silenced, "Dis-placia" sheds light on the untold stories of resistance and resilience against a backdrop of strategic disinvestment and devaluation.
"Dis-placia: Vacants in the Village" is not just a film—it's a call to action. It's a searing critique of the policies that have left Black neighborhoods in ruins, and a celebration of the people who fight every day to reclaim their communities, their homes, and their dignity.
This documentary is a must-watch for anyone who cares about social justice, urban renewal, and the fight for equity. It’s an eye-opening experience that will leave viewers questioning the real causes behind urban decay and inspired by the grassroots efforts to rebuild and restore. With the growing interest in social and racial justice content on streaming platforms, "Dis-placia" is poised to resonate with audiences globally, sparking conversations and inspiring change.
Join us in spreading the word. Stand with the fighters. Witness the truth. "Dis-placia: Vacants in the Village" is coming soon to a screen near you—because the time for awareness and action is now.