Middle East is a neighborhood in the heart of East Baltimore , Maryland.
34-487: 39°17′53″N 76°35′15″W / 39.2981°N 76.5876°W / 39.2981; -76.5876 Northeast Market was established in 1885 in Middle East , East Baltimore , United States alongside the development of the area around Johns Hopkins Hospital . The market has gone through several iterations in its history, having been enlarged in 1896, replaced from a wood to brick structure in 1955, renovated again in
68-623: A state of emergency . Many Black Businesses managed to avoid the destruction by painting the words "Soul Brother" on their doors or windows, and the rioters knew not to attack that business. By the morning of April 7, reports to the White House described five deaths, 300 fires, and 404 arrests. Unrest also broke out on Pennsylvania Ave in West Baltimore. At one point, white counter-rioters assembled near Patterson Park ; they dispersed after National Guard troops prevented them from entering
102-518: A black neighborhood. Violence decreased after April 9, and the Baltimore Orioles played their opening game the next day, though the April 12 James Brown concert remained cancelled. On the afternoon of April 9, federal troops dispersed crowds at a permitted peace rally, apparently unaware that General Gelston had issued a permit for the event. The situation was defused by Major William "Box" Harris,
136-601: A reserve. These were (roughly), the XVIII Airborne Corps troops, the Maryland National Guard, and troops from the 197th Infantry Brigade from Fort Benning, Georgia (which arrived two days later). The 1,300 troops of the Maryland Air National Guard were organized in a provisional battalion and used to guard critical infrastructure throughout the city, as well as an ad hoc detention facility at
170-437: Is bordered by East Biddle Street to the north, North Broadway to the west, Bradford Street to the east, and East Fayette Street to the south. Clockwise from the northwest, it is bordered by the neighborhoods of Oliver and Broadway East to the north; Biddle Street , Milton-Milford , McElderry Park , and Patterson Place to the east; Butchers Hill and Washington Hill to the south; and Dunbar-Broadway and Gay Street to
204-417: Is mixed-income and mixed-race. These effects have been criticized as racist and classist and have been referred to as a "big institution pushing out a vulnerable community for its benefit" by Lawrence Brown, a critical urbanist at Morgan State University . Marisela Gomez, an activist against gentrification, has claimed that black, brown, and low-income residents are being unfairly targeted . Middle East
238-456: Is now the Middle East neighborhood was predominantly composed of ageing homeowners who lived alongside more recently arrived African-American residents. However, many of the older white Czech-Americans harbored racist attitudes towards black people . According to a reporter with 'The Baltimore Sun', "The older people of Bohemian extraction still live in the houses they own...but they share
272-529: Is often referred to as the "Down the Hill" neighborhood by local residents. The neighborhood formerly had a white working-class Czech-American majority and is home to St. Wenceslaus Church , a historically Czech parish that is now majority African-American. The Middle East neighborhood and surrounding areas were then known colloquially as " Little Bohemia ." By 1969, the Czech-American immigrant community in what
306-494: The 1980s, and most recently updated in 2013. This article about a building or structure in Maryland is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Middle East, Baltimore It is the site of a conflict between residents and the city's plans for creating a biotech park to serve nearby Johns Hopkins Hospital . The neighborhood has suffered from extensive urban decay and housing abandonment, increased crime, and
340-627: The Baltimore Civic Center. Task Force Baltimore peaked at 11,570 Army and National Guard troops on April 9, of which all but about 500 were committed to riot control duties. Unrest continued for several days as the Task Force sought to reassert control. Early on April 12, federal troops began to depart and by 6 p.m. that evening responsibility for riot control returned to the National Guard. At midnight Task Force Baltimore ceased to exist and
374-612: The National Guard force and also was given control of local and state police forces in the city (approximately 1,900 police officers). The combined National Guard and police force proved unable to contain the uprising. On Sunday, April 7, federal troops were requested, and the President invoked the Insurrection Act of 1807 . Late that evening, elements of the XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, North Carolina , began arriving on
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#1733085004812408-739: The United States [REDACTED] Government of Maryland [REDACTED] City of Baltimore The Baltimore riot of 1968 was a period of civil unrest that lasted from April 6 to April 14, 1968, in Baltimore . The uprising included crowds filling the streets, burning and looting local businesses, and confronting the police and national guard. The immediate cause of the riot was the April 4 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee , which triggered unrest in over 100 cities across
442-604: The United States. These events are sometimes described as the Holy Week Uprising. Spiro Agnew , the Governor of Maryland , called out thousands of National Guard troops and 500 Maryland State Police to quell the disturbance. When it was determined that the state forces could not control the rebellion, Agnew requested Federal troops from President Lyndon B. Johnson . Between World War II and 1968, Baltimore had changed demographically. The total population remained constant, but
476-557: The after-effects of the Baltimore riot of 1968 , and now has a largely poverty-class and working-class African-American majority. The neighborhood was one of the hardest hit in Baltimore, as the white-working class and middle-class African-American tax base left and the area was effected by epidemics of heroin, crack cocaine, and HIV, along with an intensification of gang activity fueled by the drug trade. The predatory practices of lenders, landlords, and property flippers have also contributed to
510-412: The attention of Richard Nixon , who was looking for someone on his ticket who could counter George Wallace's American Independent Party third party campaign. Agnew became Nixon's vice presidential running mate in 1968 . The uprising had broken out mainly in the black neighborhoods of East and West Baltimore in which extensive property damage and looting occurred. Many of the businesses destroyed in
544-485: The black percentage of the total population had grown, while other populations shrank (a shift of 200,000 people). Black communities had sub-par housing, high rates of infant mortality , and more crime. They also suffered disproportionately from the decline in Baltimore's manufacturing sector. Black unemployment was more than double the national rate, and even higher in especially poor communities. Those who did have jobs were paid less and worked in unsafe conditions. With
578-405: The city declared a 10 p.m. curfew and called in 6,000 troops from the national guard. Sales of alcohol and firearms were immediately banned. At this point, some reports described about a thousand people in the crowd, which moved north on Gay St. up to Harford Rd. and Greenmount Ave . Mayor Thomas D'Alesandro III was unable to respond effectively. Around 8 p.m., Governor Agnew declared
612-420: The city to repair the urban decay. There were 200 vacant homes in Middle East in 1978. Over a period of three years, $ 800,000 of federal grant funding was allocated. As of 2019, only a few traces of the Czech-American community still remain, as many Czech-Americans have moved to the suburbs primarily due to white flight and the decline of industrial manufacturing jobs. St. Wenceslaus is a thriving parish, as
646-410: The disturbance. Damage was estimated at over $ 12 million (equivalent to $ 77.5 million today). Of the arrests, 3,488 were for curfew violations, 955 for burglary, 665 for looting, 391 for assault, and five for arson. One of the major outcomes of the uprising was the attention Agnew received when he criticized local black leaders for not doing enough to help stop the disturbance. These statements caught
680-611: The effects of the Baltimore riot of 1968 . Its residents are mainly lower income African Americans . The neighborhood was a filming location for the Baltimore-based HBO drama The Wire . Middle East is also noteworthy as being a location for the filming of scenes of the television series Homicide: Life on the Street and the 1991 film Homicide featuring Joe Mantegna . The swath of land between Johns Hopkins Hospital and Frank C. Bocek Park, which includes much of Middle East,
714-429: The ethnic character of the congregation has undergone a gradual shift from a mostly white working-class Czech parish to one that is multicultural and multiracial, first as many Poles and Lithuanians moved into the neighborhood, and then as the neighborhood shifted to having an African American majority. The neighborhood has suffered from extensive urban decay and housing abandonment due to poverty and crime, as well as
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#1733085004812748-580: The highest in Baltimore. Middle East is the site of ongoing and extensive gentrification and many buildings have been leveled to make way for the expansion of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine . In 2002, the East Baltimore Development Initiative (EBDI) was founded, becoming one of the most aggressive and ambitious initiates for urban redevelopment in recent American history. There have been many delays and controversies over
782-660: The highest-ranking police officer in the city. When violent protest broke out in Baltimore on April 6, nearly the entire Maryland National Guard , both Army and Air, were called up to deal with the unrest. The notable exceptions were the state's air defense units (which manned surface-to-air missile sites around the state), those units already on duty in the Washington, D.C., area, and a unit positioned in Cambridge, Maryland (the site of race riots in 1963 and 1967). The Adjutant General of Maryland, Major General George M. Gelston, commanded
816-482: The neighborhood with black people whom they do not seem to appreciate or understand." This was the last generation of Czech-Americans to remain in Little Bohemia in large numbers, with the neighborhood transitioning into a predominantly African-American neighborhood by the 1970s and 1980s. The name "Middle East" came about in 1978, when low-income African-American residents of the neighborhood requested funding from
850-471: The next few days, six people died, 700 were injured, and 5,800 were arrested. One thousand small businesses were damaged or robbed. Property damages, assessed financially, were more severe in DC ($ 15 million), Baltimore ($ 12 million), and Chicago ($ 10 million) than in any other cities. In addition, an active Army soldier died in a traffic crash while redeploying from the city. Rioters set more than 1,200 fires during
884-453: The past 17 years, as Johns Hopkins has attempted to transform the neighborhood into a biotech hub amid accusations of gentrification. 740 families have been displaced and relocated, making way for a new public school, planned amenities including shops, and a public park, in an attempt to attract top scientists and entrepreneurs from around the world and transform the urban landscape from a working-class African-American neighborhood into one that
918-695: The population were employed, 11.0% were unemployed, and 53.4% were not in the labor force. The median household income was $ 15,493. About 43.7% of families and 45.7% of the population were below the poverty line . Northeast Market , which was originally built and constructed in 1885, was one of the cornerstone markets in Baltimore. The market has received two renovations since its original build and construction in 1885. The market in 2013 has received over two million dollars in renovations. 39°17′56″N 76°35′18″W / 39.29889°N 76.58833°W / 39.29889; -76.58833 Baltimore riot of 1968 [REDACTED] Federal government of
952-602: The remainder of federal troops were withdrawn. Maryland National Guard troops remained on duty in the city until April 14, when Agnew declared the emergency over and sent them home. After action reports credited both the National Guard and active Army forces for being extremely disciplined and restrained in dealing with the disturbance, with only four shots fired by National Guard troops and two by active Army troops. These forces had received orders to avoid firing their weapons, as part of an intentional strategy to decrease fatalities. A total of 10,956 troops had been deployed. In
986-576: The scene, while several Marine units from Camp Lejeune were put on standby status. With the intervention of federal forces, the Maryland National Guard was called into federal duty, resulting in a shift from state control (reporting to the Governor of Maryland) to federal control (reporting through the Army chain of command to the President). The federal force, Task Force Baltimore, was organized into three brigades and
1020-458: The spiraling cycle of decline and disinvestment. By 2000, Middle East was the second poorest neighborhood in Baltimore, with a median household income of $ 14,900, less than half the city’s median. Less than half of all adults were employed in the labor force and over a third of households had poverty-level incomes. Crime and domestic violence rates were double those of the city as a whole, and the incidence of lead poisoning and child abuse were among
1054-458: The spread of civil disturbances across the nation, Maryland National Guard troops were called up for state duty on April 5, 1968, in anticipation of disturbances in Baltimore or the suburban portions of Maryland bordering Washington, D.C. Black Baltimore was quiet on April 5, despite riots in nearby Washington, D.C. One white student at UMBC reported a quiet scene, with noticeable sadness, but little violence or unrest: April 5, "in many cases,
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1088-512: The uprising were located along the main commercial avenues of the neighborhoods and were often owned by Baltimore Jews. Media and academic coverage of the events has been thin, partly because the event remains emotional for those involved. In April 2008, for the fortieth anniversary of the events, the University of Baltimore organized an exhibit, "Baltimore '68: Riots and Rebirth." It utilized oral history testimonies from people who lived through
1122-408: The west. As of the census of 2010, there were 5,352 people living in the neighborhood. The ethnic makeup of Middle East was 87.5% African American , 4.9% White , 0.9% Asian , 5.9% Hispanic or Latino , 0.3% Native American , 0.6% from other ethnicities , and 0.7% from two or more ethnicities. 35.6% of occupied housing units were owner-occupied. 29.6% of housing units were vacant . 35.8% of
1156-493: Was just another day". Baltimore remained peaceful into the day on April 6. Three hundred people gathered peacefully around noon for a memorial service, which lasted until 2 p.m. without incident. Street traffic began to increase. A crowd formed on Gay St. in East Baltimore, and by 5 p.m. some windows on the 400 block had been smashed. Police began to move in. People began to report fires after 6 p.m. Soon after,
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