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Community Leaders Hope To Revive City Post Riots With 'The Baltimore Act'

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- In the two months since the Baltimore riots, money and resources are starting to arrive.

WJZ's Mike Schuh sat in on a high-powered meeting Monday of those in need hearing from those who can give.

Has it really been two months?

At the surface there may be calm, but the damage remains, physically and emotionally.

The Western District literally casts its shadow on Dr. Derrick Dewitt's church.

He's been asking other pastors, "what immediate impact could you have in your community if the resources were available."

Word on more resources and how to use them came Monday,

Schuh: Will this work? Have lasting change?

"It needs to," said Sen. Ben Cardin (D- Md.). "Our urban centers, Baltimore, needs lasting change. We need hope, Young people need to know that there's a future and opportunity here in Baltimore. So yes, it will lead to change and we need to do it in a way that gives Baltimore the best hope for it's future."

Cardin called leaders to a roundtable at the Abell Foundation to not just say what's coming. but to listen to what's needed and where.

It's not unusual for small grassroots organizations to have have a hard time getting federal help. So introductions here are important.

"[So the feds] know who the anchors in the community are and help us cut through the red tape that will help facilitate funding that will help do more of the projects we're already doing," Dewitt said.

Something Cardin said is happening.

The group of legislation that makes new federal money available to help is called "The Baltimore Act."

 

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