Baltimore Mayor Jack Young said his administration doesn’t carry any responsibility for the increasing homicide rate in the city.
For the fifth consecutive year, Baltimore witnessed its 300th murder. Authorities confirmed the 300th murder on Thursday and noted the city is on pace to have its most violent year on record. The 300th murder in 2018 was recorded on Dec. 20, more than a month later than the city hit the bloody milestone in 2019.
In a press conference, Young said the violence isn’t the fault of his leadership. He noted that neither he nor Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison have committed any of the 300 murders that took place under their watch.
Mayor Jack Young on Baltimore homicides: “I’m not committing the murders. The police commissioner has not committed it. The council’s not committing it. So how can you fault leadership?” https://t.co/Yg9MMRnUTE pic.twitter.com/5XExpSMGA2
— FOX Baltimore (@FOXBaltimore) November 13, 2019
“It’s not any lack of leadership on my part,” Young said. “I’ve been moving this city forward.”
He added, “I’m not committing the murders, and that’s what people need to understand. I’m not committing the murders, the police commissioner has not committed it, the council’s not committing it.”
Young questioned why anyone “could fault leadership” when the city is not responsible for pulling the trigger in any of the homicides. He specifically referenced criticisms from John Hoey, CEO of the Y in Central Maryland. Hoey penned an op-ed in the Baltimore Sun following the murder of one of his program’s coaches, 31-year-old Jordan Taylor.
“Other cities have successfully reduced their violent crime rate significantly, but in Baltimore we have had not just a crisis of confidence but, in my view, a crisis of leadership,” Hoey wrote.
He concluded his piece, writing, “If I sound fed up, it’s because I am. It’s time for action, not platitudes. Rest in peace, Jordan. You were a good, good man, and you deserved far better.”
Young became mayor after his predecessor Mary Catherine Pugh resigned amid accusations of corruption. President Trump has criticized conditions in Baltimore, calling the city a “rat and rodent infested mess.”
“No human being would want to live there,” Trump said.
