I don't even want to know the origin of your name or how it got here lmaooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooOOO
The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Bmore just got hit by a ship & collapsed
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I don't even want to know the origin of your name or how it got here lmaooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooOOOBaltimore mayor weathers racist attacks after bridge collapse
By Emmanuel FeltonMarch 31, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. EDT
It was just after 1:30 Tuesday morning when Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D) says he received the call from the city’s fire chief.
“He said, ‘Sir, the Key Bridge collapsed,’’ said Scott, who was awake with a 3-month-old child when the call came in. “I said, ‘Repeat that.’ He said, ‘The Key Bridge collapsed, a ship hit it, it’s gone, sir.’ ”
Scott, 39, said he threw on his official Baltimore city jacket and headed for the scene, calling the governor, the presidents of the state Senate and city council, and the city administrator along the way. When he arrived at the shore of the Patapsco River to see the wreckage, “you could still hear it moving at that point,” he said of the Dali, the 985-foot ship that had taken down the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Just before daybreak, as Scott began appearing in national television interviews to speak of the “unthinkable tragedy,” the attacks started.
One user on X, called him “Baltimore’s DEI mayor,” a reference to diversity, equity and inclusion programs that have come under attack by conservatives who say they lead to minorities getting jobs over more qualified White candidates. Meanwhile, others attacked Scott for his facial hair and for not wearing a suit. “He looks like your average street criminal,” another X user wrote. Neither user responded to a request for comment.
“He was doing what anyone would expect an elected official to do, and you assign that to DEI. It is bonkers. It is absolutely bonkers,” said Caryn York, president of the nonprofit Baltimore Corps.
The collapse of the Key Bridge has complicated the young politico’s efforts to revive the city’s fortune, and it thrust him into the national spotlight, making him an even larger target for racist commentators. It’s to be expected, Scott said in an interview. “When you’re young and Black in leadership, you know that that kind of stuff is going to come,” he said.
The racist attacks haven’t been reserved for him, Scott noted. Maryland’s governor, Wes Moore (D), who is Black, and the immigrants who lost their lives in the collapse have become targets, too.
Being Baltimore’s mayor has never been an easy job. The city’s high unemployment and crime rates, along with miles of blighted property, have long made it a somewhat thankless task. But as a young Black man, Scott said, he faces an additional challenge: a barrage of racist dog whistles, from being called a “thug” to being accused of fathering “one more Baltimore illegitimate black baby.”
Scott is considered a political insider by many in Baltimore. He received more than 70 percent of the vote in the 2020 election, putting together a coalition that spanned the deep racial and economic chasms in the city. Indeed, many of his critics accuse Scott, a former city council member, of being a career politician too hesitant to attack head on the issues facing Black Baltimore residents.
“It’s so interesting that that’s the conservative backlash because I don’t see him as a Black mayor doing anything more or less for Black people or Brown people in Baltimore than any previous mayor,” said Marisela B. Gomez, a community activist and public health professional, who works in East Baltimore. “I haven’t seen the money really flow into these majority Black and Brown low-income communities.”
Workers start to clear the Patapsco River of the twisted metal and concrete from the Key Bridge on Saturday. (Jonathan Newton for The Washington Post)Despite the online attacks, Scott said, he is trying to stay focused on the crisis.
The bridge collapse is expected to have long-term economic consequences for the city, which has struggled for years to rebuild its finances. The incident cut off access to the city’s port, which experts say provides 20,000 direct jobs and brings in about $1.5 million in state and local taxes every day.
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At least eight people fell into the water at the Port of Baltimore, officials have said. Two were rescued, one uninjured and one in serious condition, and two bodies were recovered Wednesday. The remaining four are presumed dead. The victims, members of a construction crew working on the bridge, were migrants from Mexico and Central America.
Scott is a Baltimore native raised in the city’s Park Heights neighborhood, a predominantly Black area plagued by crime and economic challenges after massive White flight in the 1960s. Growing up, he has said, he scrambled to flee gunfire and dealt with police harassment, once being handcuffed after being mistaken for a robbery suspect.
From a young age, he said, he knew he wanted to get into politics. After graduating from St. Mary’s College of Maryland, he secured a job in the office of the city council president. In 2011, he won a seat on the council and became its president eight years later. In 2020, he jumped into a crowded mayor’s race and defeated the incumbent.
Just a few hours before the bridge collapsed, Scott delivered his State of the City address, promising residents that the worst was in the city’s rearview mirror. He talked about how, under his leadership, the city had battled the twin crises of gun violence and the coronavirus pandemic but, and he declared, perhaps with an eye to his 2024 reelection bid, that a revival was underway.
“I am happy to report that the state of our city is stronger and more resilient than ever,” Scott said during the address, pointing to his violence reduction strategy, which a team of researchers from the University of Pennsylvania found had reduced shootings without increasing arrests. The program, which offers those at the highest risk of gun violence social services, reduced crime in West Baltimore by a quarter over 18 months, the researchers found.
Government officials stress urgency of Key Bridge funding
2:07
Government officials shared the national economic impact of the Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore on March 31. (Video: Billy Tucker/The Washington Post)
It will take time to address all of the city’s problems, including undoing the damage done by racial redlining, and the task has been compounded by the bridge collapse, he acknowledged in an interview. “But we’re doing it by investing in people and small businesses,” Scott said.
He has won over some former political opponents, including Lester Davis, who served as deputy mayor before Scott defeated his boss in the 2020 election.
“I’ve known Brandon for well over a decade, and I’ve seen his entire trajectory as an elected official,” Davis said. “He has faced a lot of challenges, but he’s done an excellent job as mayor. The reductions in violent crime and some of the economic markers are indisputable.”
Scott said the vitriol he has received as a public figure has only pushed him to embrace his image as a young Black man. After being attacked for wearing his Baltimore jacket, a dark gray varsity-style fleece with the city’s seal, on national television after the bridge collapse, Scott said, the next day, he purposely wore a sweatshirt emblazoned with the slogan “From Baltimore with love.”
He wanted to “let the people of Baltimore know that I’m ignoring the rest of them, and I’m focused on the people of Baltimore,” he said.
In the end, he said, the attacks are bigger than him; they’re a part of a fight over who should lead in an increasingly multicultural society.
“We are one of the few majority Black cities left, and that’s what they want to attack,” Scott said. “They want to attack Black leadership; they want to attack Black culture. But those aren’t things I’m going to shy away from.”
get these nets
Veteran
Maryland’s Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse Response
response.maryland.gov
Governor Wes Moore Launches Centralized Resource Hub for Key Bridge Response
April 12, 2024
In a proactive move to streamline access to vital information and resources, Governor Wes Moore unveiled the “Francis Scott Key Bridge Response Website” on Thursday. This comprehensive online platform will serve as a centralized hub for Marylanders seeking federal, state, and local resources and programs related to the aftermath of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.
The website will provide detailed information on relief programs tailored for impacted workers and businesses, regular traffic updates, and guidance on accessing in-person assistance through the Maryland Business Recovery Centers. By consolidating these crucial resources into a single online destination, the governor aims to simplify the navigation process for those affected by the bridge’s collapse.
“My administration wants to make it as simple as possible for Marylanders to navigate the resources available to them to mitigate impacts of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge,” Governor Moore stated in a news release. “During the time of unimaginable tragedy, we have also seen our community rally around one another and lift each other up. I am committed to making sure those who are impacted know how to get the supports they need while we reopen the channel and get the Port fully operational.”
The Francis Scott Key Bridge Response Website will be regularly updated as additional programs and resources become available, ensuring that Marylanders have access to the most current and comprehensive information throughout the recovery process.
In the wake of this unprecedented incident, Governor Moore’s administration recognizes the importance of providing a centralized platform to facilitate access to crucial resources and support services. By launching this dedicated website, the state aims to alleviate the burden on affected individuals and businesses, enabling them to navigate the available resources more efficiently and effectively
FBI opens criminal investigation into collapse of Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore
FBI opens criminal investigation into collapse of Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore
The FBI has opened a criminal investigation on the container ship that took down Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge last month, looking to determine if the ship’s crew left the port k…
nypost.com
Negligence is criminal.
FBI opens criminal investigation into collapse of Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore
FBI opens criminal investigation into collapse of Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore
The FBI has opened a criminal investigation on the container ship that took down Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge last month, looking to determine if the ship’s crew left the port k…
No surprise here.
Crew trapped on Baltimore ship, seven weeks after bridge collapse
Morale is low for the Dali's crew members, who are stranded on board by the ongoing investigation into the tragedy.
www.bbc.com
Crew trapped on Baltimore ship, seven weeks after bridge collapse
19 hours agoBy Bernd Debusmann Jr,BBC News, Washington
The crew of the Dali remained on-board even as explosives were used to destroy part of the Key Bridge on its hull
As a controlled explosion rocked the Dali on Monday, nearly two dozen sailors remained on board, below deck in the massive ship's hull.
The simultaneous blasts sent pieces of Baltimore's once iconic Francis Scott Key Bridge into the dark waters of Maryland's Patapsco River, seven weeks after its collapse left six people on the bridge dead and the Dali marooned.
Authorities - and the crew - hope that the demolition will mark the beginning of the end of a long process that has left the 21 men on board trapped and cut off from the world, thousands of miles from their homes.
But for now, it remains unclear when they will be able to return home.
The Dali - a 948ft (289m) container ship - was at the start of a 27-day journey from Baltimore to Sri Lanka when it struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, sending thousands of tonnes of steel and cement into the Patapsco. It left the ship stranded under a massive expanse of shredded metal.
A preliminary NTSB report found that two electrical blackouts disabled equipment ahead of the incident, and noted that the ship lost power twice in the 10 hours leading up to the crash.
The crew, made up of 20 Indians and a Sri Lankan national, has been unable to disembark because of visa restrictions, a lack of required shore passes and parallel ongoing investigations by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and FBI.
On Monday, the crew remained on board even as authorities used small explosive charges to deliberately "cut" an expanse of the bridge lying on the ship's bow.
Ahead of the controlled demolition, US Coast Guard Admiral Shannon Gilreath said that the crew would remain below deck with a fire crew at the ready.
"They're part of the ship. They are necessary to keep the ship staffed and operational," Adm Gilreath said. "They're the best responders on board the ship themselves."
While the ship is likely to be re-floated this week, it remains unclear when it will be able to make the 2 nautical mile (3.7km) journey to port.
'A sad situation'
Among those who have been in touch with the crew is Joshua Messick, executive director of the Baltimore International Seafarers' Center, a non-profit organisation that works to protect the rights of mariners.According to Mr Messick, the crew has been left largely without communication with the outside world for "a couple of weeks" after their mobile phones were confiscated by the FBI as part of the investigation.
"They can't do any online banking. They can't pay their bills at home. They don't have any of their data or anyone's contact information, so they're really isolated right now," Mr Messick said. "They just can't reach out to the folks they need to, or even look at pictures of their children before they go to sleep. It's really a sad situation."
The plight of the sailors also attracted the attention of the two unions representing them, the Singapore Maritime Officers' Union and the Singapore Organisation of Seamen.
In a joint statement on 11 May, the unions said that "morale has understandably dipped", driven by "unfounded fear of personal criminal liability" and emotional distress.
The statement also called for the "swift return" of the crews' phones, noting that losing communication with family members is "causing significant hardship for crew members with young children at home."
- What will happen to the 21 sailors stranded on the Dali?
- 'A game of Jenga': Inside the perilous Baltimore bridge clean-up
Dave Heindel, the president of the Seafarers International Union, said that "however long the investigation takes, the crew's rights and welfare should not be infringed upon".
"We call on the authorities to be mindful that seafarers utilise mobile devices to conduct personal business for bill payments, and, more important, transfer money to their home country to sustain families," he said. "Crew members are becoming demoralised without the basic tools we all take for granted."
Andrew Middleton, who runs Apostleship of Sea - a programme that ministers to ships coming through Baltimore - told the BBC he visited the sailors two weeks ago and found them in "good spirits" despite constant worries.
"Once we broke the ice and got everyone to say their name and what part of India they were from, and talk about if they were married or had children, we got the ball rolling," he said. "They were willing to kind of poke fun at one another a little bit.... we did our best to get them laughing and joking, hopefully to take their mind off things for even a few minutes."
Next steps
For the time being, the crew has been given SIM cards and temporary mobile phones without data included, according to Mr Messick.They also received care packages from various community groups and private individuals, which in recent weeks have included batches of Indian snacks and handmade quilts.
The BBC has reached out to the ''unified command'' overseeing the government's response to Dali and the bridge collapse for clarity on when the sailors might be able to leave the ship and, eventually, be repatriated.
Darrel Wilson, a spokesperson for Synergy Marine, the Dali's Singapore-based management company, told the BBC that the crew is "holding up well" and that company representatives dispatched to Baltimore have been "checking on them constantly, from day one."
"All their needs are being met to the best of our ability," Mr Wilson said, adding that shipments of catered Indian food have been sent aboard to allow the cooks to rest.
Various religious representatives, including Hindu priests, have been providing services and emotional support to those aboard.
"It's small things to us," he said. "But those are big morale boosters."
Mr Wilson, however, said he was unable to provide a timeline for the crew to disembark, noting that - in addition to the investigations - "nobody knows the ship better than they do" and that they are integral for it to function.
Mr Messick said he expects to be able to board the ship to provide "emotional support" as soon as it is moved out of the shipping channel.
After that, he believes that small groups of sailors - perhaps five at a time - will be eligible for shore passes, albeit with heavy restrictions on their movements.
They will, for example, likely be required to have an escort for the duration of their time on shore.
"I'm trying to find out what the crew wants to do. I don't want to take them to a baseball game if they are going to be bored," he said. "So I've reached out to a local cricket club to see if they can organise a match."
Some crew members, such as the ship's captain, expressed an interest in being "somewhere contemplative, in nature", Mr Messick said.
"We're just trying to help them breathe a bit," he said. "They've been stuck on board this whole time. They need to enjoy a little more of the freedom that we enjoy every day."
Sleepy Floyd
Superstar
So how are things going with this? Everyone just suddenly stopped talking about it
ORDER_66
Demon Time coming 2024
BlackAchilles
Veteran
The traffic was already awful and it got even worse
I thought they fixed it already
Its gonna be damn near another decade til the shyt gets replaced, this is 21st century AmericaGodzilla could never come to America cause he'd show up when it's time for the next movie like
Y'all still ain't rebuilt this shyt?
The traffic was already awful and it got even worse
Godzilla could never come to America cause he'd show up when it's time for the next movie like
Godzilla could never come to America cause he'd show up when it's time for the next movie like
I thought they fixed it already
It'll take years to rebuild a bridge. There's currently nothing there.
