Baltimore Mayor Discusses Her Leadership In Wake Of Rising Violence
BALTIMORE (WJZ)--It's the pinnacle of urban leadership. This weekend, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake will be named President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
The elevation comes as her leadership here at home is called into question in wake of the Freddie Gray unrest and the violence gripping Baltimore.
Mary Bubala has more from Baltimore's mayor.
The homicide rate is soaring, 136 killed so far on the streets of Baltimore in just 6 months. Shootings are up two fold and the image of what happened here in the wake of Freddie Gray's death is still ingrained in minds across the nation. And it all happened on the watch of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.
Bubala: "Do you see irony that you are about to take this major, national leadership position when people here in Baltimore are questioning your leadership?"
Rawlings-Blake: "Some would see that as ironic, I think it's an excellent opportunity for the city to be part of a national conversation about something that impacts Baltimore and cities all over the country."
Bubala: "City residents are concerned that there is a lack of leadership in the city, how do you respond to that?
Rawlings-Blake: "I think whenever there is a surge in violence we hear those same questions, there's a lack of leadership, is the commissioner the right one? I understand that people don't want to feel there's a sense of lawlessness. Under my administration we were able to get the homicides down to the lowest number they've been since the 70's. I'm not giving up."
Bubala: "What about residents who are concerned for their own safety, day in day out on the streets of Baltimore?"
Rawlings-Blake: "I'm out there, my team is out there every day meeting with communities, talking to police officers making sure that we are bringing not just actual safety, but the sense of safety back to community that have been impacted."
Bubala: "A year from now what does the city of Baltimore look like?"
Rawlings-Blake: "A year from now the city of Baltimore looks like a city on the mend, a city that is resilient. Baltimore is full of resilient people and we can't forget that. That's our history."
It remains to be seen if Mayor Rawlings-Blake leadership is resilient. She's up for re-election in 2016.
Mayor Rawlings-Blake leaves for the U.S. Conference of Mayors tomorrow. She will deliver her inaugural address on Monday.
