A City in Crisis, A Nation in Denial

BALTIMORE, MD -- The dreadful lead sentence says it all:

"For the first time in nearly 20 years, Baltimore reached 100 homicides for the year before the end of April."

According to Colin Campbell and Justin Fenton of the Baltimore Sun, three new murders on April 24th brought the city to 101 for the year.  Even in a city known for drug wars and gun violence, this is news.  Not since April 1998 has the city reached 100 murders this quickly.  According to Campbell and Fenton, "homicides are up more than 34 percent compared to the same time last year, and nonfatal shootings are up 27 percent."

Meanwhile, Andrea K. McDaniels of the Baltimore Sun reports in the same issue that "Health and law enforcement officials around the state are bracing for an uptick in drug overdoses as a deadly synthetic opioid only meant for use in large animals has hit Maryland streets."

"The drug, carfentanil . . . is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 5,000 times more potent than heroin, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. . . . Police departments are warning officers about handling the drug because it can be absorbed through the skin. . . . Carfentanil is so strong that naloxone, which is used to resuscitate someone who has overdosed on opioids, is not as effective.  It may take several doses of naloxone to bring somebody back from the brink of death after taking carfentanil."

There are no words to adequately describe what is happening on the streets of Baltimore and scores of other American cities.  Except to say that while Washington dithers and Annapolis heads out for a long vacation, Baltimore is in a death rattle.

Too extreme?  Try telling that to the families of the 101 murder victims since January 1st or the thousands of overdose victims who buy the product and feed the monster.  WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE FOR AMERICA TO WAKE UP TO ITS DRUG TSUNAMI?  HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE FROM SELLING AND USING THIS CRAP???

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Be safe out there.