On the heals of the shooting of Trayvon Martin in the US, Hassan Giordano of the Baltimore Independent Examiner reminds us of a similar shooting in Baltimore October 2008:
Now in Baltimore City, this comes as no surprise to the residents of a town known today as, ‘the City that Bleeds’. Yet, when one walks a few blocks up from where Mr. Jackson was murdered, besides witnessing how a neighborhood can go from looking like Beirut to that of the West Hamptons by crossing over Northern Parkway, it also reflects the change in mentality, thinking and actions by a people – not to mention their race.
According to Hassan, Baltimore City provides both extremes of urban living: pristine properties to derelict buildings. But according to me, Hassan deserves a “looks like Beirut” certificate.
Ramlet El Bayda at Dusk - Beirut, Lebanon by M. Khatib -- via flickr