I take issue with commentator Paul Marx's claim that some communities "are too lost to be helped much" ("Rouse's failure in Sandtown-Winchester," March 13).
It is dangerous, irresponsible and unjust to write-off certain urban neighborhoods as being beyond saving.
The Community Building in Partnership Initiative that took root in Sandtown-Winchester in the 1990s was innovative for its time and came in the wake of previous failed government-driven urban renewal programs.
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in one of the work groups as an employee of the Baltimore Department of Housing and Community Development. The plans that grew out of the work groups were bold and visionary, and while Mr. Rouse would often attend to lend his insight and encouragement, the process was clearly driven by the hundreds of community residents who participated.
Organizations like BUILD, the Enterprise Foundation, Habitat for Humanity and the local faith community led by St. Peter Claver Church ensured that all aspects of community revitalization were addressed, from health care to housing to job readiness.
Many Sandtown-Winchester residents moved into better housing, became healthier, received child care and got better jobs. I imagine that there were many that eventually moved out of the neighborhood, although some stayed.
The incarceration rate for black males is higher in some urban neighborhoods not because revitalization efforts failed but because despite their success they were insufficient to deal with the larger issues communities faced, including decades of disinvestment, limited job opportunities and the criminalization of African-American males as a result of the war on drugs.
While those larger forces are real and deserve our attention, there were many good results that came out of the Sandtown-Winchester initiative that shouldn't be overlooked.
Jim French, Baltimore