I can understand the Rev. Donte' L. Hickman's pain ("We must redouble our efforts now that the Freddie Gray cameras are gone," May 22).
He encapsulated his pain with this comment: "I left that conference of business, political and civic leaders with the impression that they don't have a clue about what hurts and helps the city."
I feel the same way. Very few leaders seem to understand how devastating it is to have poverty blanketing some neighborhoods in Baltimore. To tackle the problem of poverty will take a serious effort, first to recognize what can work and second to then do what needs to be done.
In Baltimore, there is rampant inequality, a lack of living-wage jobs and an aging and dilapidated infrastructure.
Yet, according to the National Priorities Project, military spending is now 54 percent of the federal discretionary budget. This out-of-control military spending means there are fewer tax dollars for rebuilding the country's infrastructure, which received a grade of D+ from the American Society of Civil Engineers.
The only solution to Baltimore's poverty and its consequences is to revive the Depression-era Works Progress Administration. Put people to work by training them to rebuild Baltimore's crumbling infrastructure, and fund the program by taking money from the Pentagon.
Such a program will also make our city much safer. How is that for real national security?
Max Obuszewski, Baltimore