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October 2022 Community Meeting Notes

Board Members Present: Aaron Brewer, Sam Soloman, Corey Jennings, Joshua Greenfeld, Matt Williams, Pete Morrill, Michele Baskin

Staff member – Amanda Rothschild

Total Attendees: ~32

  • Start: 7:05pm
  • End: 8:30pm

Votes

  • Vote to elect Sam Soloman as Treasurer
    • Approve: 15
    • Oppose: 0
    • Abstain: 1
    • Vote Passes

Community Announcements

  • Dumpster Day 
    • Saturday the 29th at 30th and Hauntingdon
  • Community Cleanup
    • Sat the 22nd 10-11:30am with Repair the World
  • GRIA Team at MissionFit
  • Community Affairs Committee
    • Oct 26, 2022 @7pm
  • Land Use Committee
    • Nov 1, 2022 @7pm

Agenda

  • Johns Hopkins Police MOU Discussion with Dr. Bard and others from JHU
    • Posted the draft of the MOU on september 19th
    • Immediately started a timeline to post the final draft of the MOU
    • MOU reviewable here
    • Aspects of the MOU
      • Jurisdiction of the JHPD will be limited to defined campus areas and public property adjacent to campus areas.
      • Campuses include Bayview, Peabody and the nearby Homewood areas
      • JHU Police officers will serve as first responders for those areas and will wear body-worn cameras
      • BPD will investigate serious crimes after the immediate response by JHPD
      • JHPD will have access to BPD facilities but must follow the same protocols and procedures.
        • This includes information sharing
      • JHPD can execute warrants
      • JHPD will adopt policies and practices that comply with the BPD consent decree, searches and arrests, use of force, and fair and impartial policing.
      • JHPD will comply with state-mandated reporting requirements.
      • The university would not hire more than 5 BPD sworn officers
      • Any judgements against the JHPD will be covered by the University.
    • Q&A
      • The legislation allows for nearby neighborhoods to opt-in to being within JHPD’s jurisdiction, how would that be done?
        • Specifics would have to be developed with the city council, and we’re not looking to expand the jurisdiction at the moment.
      • Considering that John Hopkins is a private institution, would body-camera footage be accessible via the freedom of information act? How would we request access to footage?
        • This would fall under the MPIA and footage could be requested through that process.
      • Why is there a need for this separate police force?
        • The current private security force is unarmed and cannot currently respond to violent crimes.
      • If JHU acquires a property, does the jurisdiction expand?
        • the campus defined area is restricted in the legislation to specific boundaries, but within those boundaries, they would have jurisdiction.
      • Is JHU putting an equal amount of funding into violence prevention efforts (such as ones adopted by the Baltimore Office of Neighborhood Safety)?
        • Johns Hopkins already spends funds on crime prevention measures.
      • It seems the number of crimes have gone down year over year, why should we be confident that the reasons for the JHPD match the data?
        • JHPD is confident that policing is the necessary ingredient in any crime prevention strategy, which increases internal accountability and lower response times.
      • Would the fast forward building, remington row, and the cahoots brothers buildings be considered a part of the JHPD jurisdiction?
        • No
      • What records are being used to assess officers to be hired into this new police force?
        • Any and all records that are available, including an in-person background check, psychological evaluation and polygraph test.
      • Where are the statistics cited for the recent crimes stated which happened this past week?
      • Are we going to get more data from Hopkins that lays out the argument for this police force?
        • You can access our report on the website, but this is less an academic exercise than a practical one.
      • How would a suspect be pursued if they leave the boundaries of JHPD’s jurisdiction?
        • This is being developed, but this most likely will depend on the type of crime.
      • What local elected representatives would need to be involved in approval of the MOU?
        • Local elected officials would be able to review and comment, but not approve the MOU.
      • If our city council and mayor are given full control over the Baltimore police department via ballot initiative, would JHPD have to renegotiate with the city council?
        • The legislation does not require it.
        • The ballot initiative is the first of multiple steps, which would next require approval by the Maryland state house.
  • Hauntington
    • FUN 
    • Volunteer by Contacting David Belew, need for setup and Breakdown
    • Hauntingdon2900@gmail.com
  • Remfest Followup
    • Went great!
  • Vote on Samantha Soloman for Treasurer of GRIA
  • “Shop Small Holiday Crawl” Nov 12th
    • To promote shopping locally
    • Sponsored by Mount Royal Soaps and B. Willow
    • Will be hosting local food vendors
  • Odette Update
    • Wyman Park information
      • Had problems over summer of 2022, not sure if the current problems are the same people or not. 
      • Robberies in the area, was an arrest made today, supposedly they have been doing it in may districts 
      • Lighting is an issue in wyman park 
      • Keep porch lights on!
    • Carjackings in Ednor Gardens, Working with families to address the issue.
    • Working on having a virtual town hall
      • Happy to chat with any community members.
    • Odette.ramos@baltimorecity.gov 410-396-4814
    • 4 arsons in Abell
      • No arrests have been made and no recent news.
      • ATF and the FBI are working on it.

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