Maryland

LAUREL – As you approach Thomas J

BALTIMORE – The Monday before Thanksgiving was damp and chilly in East Baltimore

BALTIMORE – The buildings seem to sparkle at night, dwarfing the new construction and standing in stark contrast to the dark, abandoned buildings and empty lots

BALTIMORE – The Rev

BALTIMORE – Cathy Miles is talking about “the children,” and seven mothers sitting in the lunchroom of the East Baltimore Community School are gazing at her intently and nodding in agreement

BALTIMORE – In the 1940s and 1950s, Oliver was a thriving neighborhood, home to working-class residents and professionals

BALTIMORE – When Ricardo Coleman and his half-brother, Frank Moore, moved into this neighborhood in their mid-teens, Middle East was beginning a downward spiral

BALTIMORE – Beyond the biotech high rise, the townhouses and the condominiums, sits what developers call the real centerpiece of the new East Baltimore Development Inc

BALTIMORE – Chris Shea is in mid-conversation when he suddenly furrows his brow, peering out the window of his corner office

BALTIMORE – From her office window, Pat Tracey can see what was once her blighted neighborhood — now mostly razed and ready for housing and retail