Baltimore Councilman Leon Pinkett has had enough of drug dealers flouting the law, especially as the city faces a coronavirus outbreak.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan ordered residents to stay at home except for essential visits to doctors or grocery stores on Monday. The following day, Pinkett tweeted that he had seen drug dealers on the streets donning masks and gloves as they continued to distribute drugs.
“Yesterday the Gov. shut down all non-essential biz,” Pinkett wrote. “Meanwhile this morning @ Penn North drug dealers are wearing gloves & masks. Forgot dealing is an essential biz at least in some parts of #Baltimore. While we’re #flatteningthecurve how about we enforce the law?”
Yesterday the Gov. shut down all non-essential biz. Meanwhile this morning @ Penn North drug dealers are wearing gloves & masks. Forgot dealing is an essential biz at least in some parts of #Baltmore. While we’re #flatteningthecurve how about we enforce the law? #accountability
— Councilman Leon F. Pinkett, III (@leonfpinkett) March 24, 2020
In a separate tweet, he added, “Not even Covid-19 can stop the lawlessness that happens in communities like Penn North. Unfortunately the truth is that the only difference between today and any other day at Penn North is the dealers don’t want to get sick. It’s business as usual.”
1. Maybe you missed the point. Not even Covid-19 can stop the lawlessness that happens in communities like Penn North. Unfortunately the truth is that the only difference between today and any other day at Penn North is the dealers don’t want to get sick. It’s business as usual.
— Councilman Leon F. Pinkett, III (@leonfpinkett) March 24, 2020
Pinkett lamented how drug dealers don’t seem to care that they can be spotted breaking the law in public. He wrote, “We really do know who the dealers are. And they don’t care that we know. Because not much will be done.”
Since you asked. I wasn’t trying to make assumptions or promoting any racist stereotypes or biases. We really do know who the dealers are. And they don’t care that we know. Because not much will be done.
— Councilman Leon F. Pinkett, III (@leonfpinkett) March 24, 2020
Pinkett said all elected officials should be doing what they can to encourage people to stay home. He said enforcing the law, especially when it comes to open-air drug dealing, must be taken seriously.
“I’m an elected official so I’m on the first line of accountability. But accountability does not start and stop with me. It goes throughout our whole criminal justice system. It goes for anybody collecting a check to represent people,” Pinkett told WBFF on Thursday.
Pinkett was not the only Baltimore leader upset by lawlessness amid the coronavirus outbreak. Mayor Jack Young urged people to stop shooting each other as hospital beds would be needed for ill patients, not gunshot victims.
Maryland has 580 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and five related deaths as of Friday morning.
