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April 4 marks the 39th anniversary of that horrific occasion, when a country still reeling from the unthinkable assassination of a president five years earlier had to deal with more grief, more heartache, more soul searching.
Except this time things were different. Mixed with national tears of sorrow was blood on the streets of virtually every major American city, as King’s violent death set off a chain reaction of riots and mayhem that pulled Baltimore along for its fiery ride.
Today would be King’s 78th birthday, and his legacy of peace, tolerance and racial justice stands as strong as ever. The death of the civil rights movement’s most honored and famous leader impacted Baltimore greatly then and continues to impact it today.
“We can now understand and see how complex a situation [the riots] were,” said John Schwallenberg, a community outreach worker and a researcher at the University of Baltimore on the 1968 riots. “You want to see how people bounce back through economic development and revitalization. [The riots] got people thinking how we, as a city, treat each other.”
By all appearances, the city rebounded well.
In the past nearly 39 years, Baltimore has undergone substantial economic growth. Travel-guide authority Frommer’s recently ranked the city as one of the country’s top summer destinations.
And no wonder. Planners from other cities continue to marvel at the 26-year-old Inner Harbor with its World Trade Center, world-renowned aquarium, Science Center and Hard Rock Cafe. Little Italy and Fells Point complement the Inner Harbor’s continued redevelopment and expansion. Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a baseball fan’s Mecca. Ravens M&T Stadium is a field of glory.
Tourists come to a convention center that has been upgraded and expanded, and substantial refurbishment has been made to both the Hippodrome Theatre and First Mariner Arena. Where there was urban decay, there is now growth. Downtown businesses again are congregating in what is now known as the Central Business District. Where looters ran rampant in 1968, there are thriving businesses.
All of this financial development and physical growth has gone a long way to make Baltimore a much different city from those racially charged days of 1968.
“The Old Town Mall (on North Gay Street) is a great example,” Schwallenberg said. “It was built in the wake of some of the worst rioting.”
Jessica Elfenbein, director of community studies and civic engagements at the University of Baltimore, points out that the city got a big boost by the residents themselves, who formed urban leagues and promoted neighborhood events.
And many city watchers say the City Fair, which began its 21-year run in 1970, went a long way in easing racial tensions. It took away some of the fear.
“The City Fair was good for Baltimore then,” Elfenbein said. “It brought people back together.”
