BALTIMORE – U. S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, today briefed members of the Presidents’ Roundtable, Inc., an organization of 20 African-American entrepreneurs in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C., area that oversees more than $1.1 billion in assets and employs more than 1,750 workers, on federal efforts to help Baltimore’s continued recovery from April’s civil unrest. Senator Cardin and members of the President’s Roundtable also discussed ways to strengthen communities across Baltimore as the city charts a new path forward.
“Those of us who know Baltimore know that it is a resilient city. In the months since April’s unrest, I’ve met with residents, activists, community leaders and many more committed to building a better Baltimore,” said Senator Cardin. “Today’s meeting with the Presidents’ Roundtable was helpful in planning a long-term development strategy for Baltimore. The organization’s members are deeply invested in the region’s future, and its shared business acumen equips members to provide unique perspectives on how we can stimulate growth and economic development for all Baltimore residents.”
“Our conversation was wide-ranging and, at times, brutally honest. We all agreed that violent crime has been a long-standing problem in Baltimore and that it has made recovering from the unrest even more difficult,” said Senator Cardin. “I appreciated the opportunity to update the Presidents’ Roundtable members on my legislative efforts to ensure that law enforcement has the tools and funding to keep the streets safe, as well as ongoing efforts to keep firearms off the streets. Our current patchwork of state gun laws makes it far too easy for people who should not own guns to use them to commit crimes.”
“We also discussed the reality that government can’t fix Baltimore by itself, and that building a better Baltimore will require help from the private sector and non-profits. The Presidents’ Roundtable is a strong private-sector ally for Baltimore and I look forward to taking its members advice back to other members of Team Maryland and colleagues in the Senate who represent cities facing similar challenges,” Senator Cardin concluded.
Senator Cardin introduced the BALTIMORE Act in the United States Senate to address many of the core issues that have led to an erosion of trust among communities and law enforcement. Senator Cardin’s legislation, S. 1610, officially named the “BALTIMORE Act,” would help communities nationwide by “Building And Lifting Trust In order to Multiply Opportunities and Racial Equality” (BALTIMORE).
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