Maryland State Del. Jill Carter, Baltimore City Councilwoman Belinda Conaway and NAACP President Marvin “Doc” Cheatham led a group of about 50 protesters outside the Pratt Street headquarters of Constellation Energy Group, parent company of Baltimore Gas and Electric, to oppose the 50 percent rate increase that takes effect June 1.

“[Gov.] O’Malley’s PSC acted and gave us no different resolution than the previous PSC,” Carter said. “Legally they can’t do anything to avert the rate hikes, but we as legislators can.”

Carter called upon Gov. O’Malley to hold a special session to come up with immediate solutions, such as ordering reregulation and the restructuring of how Maryland buys its electricity.

Earlier in the day, the governor told The Examiner that the approval of the rate increase — by a majority of Public Service Commission members he installed — “falls short of his campaign promises” to prevent the increase.

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In the middle of the protest, a confrontation occurred between Carter’s supporters and two passersby.

Willie Davis of Baltimore and his wife, Ollie, who say they had supported and worked on Carter’s campaign, accused the delegate of grandstanding by calling for a special session.

“In the 90 days you were in office, why didn’t you introduce legislation to stop the rate hike?” Davis screamed into Carter’s face, before getting into a shoving match with several supporters.

A stunned Carter momentarily left the area, but she returned shortly.

“Jill is the only person who has consistently stood up for the little people,” said Cheatham, of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. “You don’t see any of the other six elected representatives from the city out here. She was the only one to call for a halt to the illegal arrests of black males in this city. She is a target because of her support of the little people. She would not have been the best person to introduce the bill, because she would not have gotten the support.”

Cheatham is encouraging people to contact their senators and delegates to demand a special session to address the increase.

rchappelle@baltimoreexaminer.com