It is hard not to respond to the assumptions made in the rather sarcastic letter on the plight of inner-city Baltimore ("The root cause of inner-city poverty and violence: Single parenthood," Dec. 22). Actually, it hurt me to read these accusations when so much is being done to improve our city. The statement that the cause "of the violence, poverty and other maladies afflicting our children is single parenthood" is not true. The writer did not dig far enough to get to the true roots of the problems that has led to toxic conditions that has brought about poverty, violence, single parenthood and other maladies.
In their historical investigation of how present day Baltimore City came to be, authors Geoffrey Buckley and others examined "how segregation, ordinances, racial covenants, improvement associations, the Home Owners Loan Corporation, etc." played a role in today's Baltimore. They concluded that "these mechanisms ultimately fueled middle-class flight and suburbanization and black inheritance of much of Baltimore's space, including its parks." In many cases, present day Baltimore has come about through unintended consequences of the federal and state government policies, but overt and hidden discrimination has contributed greatly to the present plight and woes.
We cannot complain and point fingers at the causes of problems unless we live in the shoes of those who are born into such toxic conditions. All children are born equal at birth, but quickly they are affected unequally by conditions of their environment. Growing up without equal opportunities leads to a feeling of hopelessness in these neighborhoods. If one wants to talk about "roots of a problem," one needs to include the roots that came about through environmental injustice and left segments of people behind. To right this wrong from the past, it would be almost impossible to put a financial figure on repaying it, but citizens taking the time to become aware and willing to make changes to promote a better society would provide a form of justice that is long overdue.
Raymond D. Bahr, Baltimore