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Baltimore neighborhood recovers after possible hate-crime fire

Police have no suspects in June incidents

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After the fires last month, neighbors in Baltimore’s Abell neighborhood responded by flying Pride flags. (Photo courtesy Jim Becker)

One month after a fire damaged multiple homes and hospitalized three people in North Baltimore’s Abell neighborhood, the investigation into the blaze remains ongoing.

The city of Baltimore and the Baltimore City Police Department are working with the FBI and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms to investigate the fires. At this time, no person of interest has been named, and the fires, while determined to be intentionally set, have not yet been ruled a hate crime.

“In terms of the investigation, there were four fires that morning in the same area: a dumpster fire, a car fire, this fire, and one down the street. The house fire and the one down the street from it had Pride flags involved,” Council member Odette Ramos, who represents the Abell neighborhood, told the Blade. “What we do know is that they were all intentionally set. What we don’t know is if they are all related, and we don’t know yet if this is a hate crime. We really have the best of the best working on this … they are working diligently.”

As of last week, all three victims were out of the hospital and doing well, and according to Ramos, all the homeowners whose houses were damaged in the blaze have begun rebuilding.

“I’m grateful that they are digging in and ready to get back to the neighborhood,” she said. “The community came together to support the homeowners and raised about $15,000 at a recent fundraiser that I think the whole city attended … It was really nice to see.”

The Baltimore Peabody Heights Brewery hosted the fundraiser on June 23, with the goal of raising $5,000, and according to the Abell community Instagram, the fundraiser ended up raising $18,000 to go toward the homeowners’ rebuilding efforts.

Ramos said that investigators are also looking into potential links between the June 15 fire and other fires intentionally set in the same area a week or two prior. Although the clearance rate for arson is low — around 30% — Ramos said that the neighborhood has been proactive about sending in tips and that residents remain hopeful.

In response to the fires, many Abell residents are showing solidarity by displaying Pride flags, and part of the sidewalk was painted in rainbow colors.

“We don’t know that it was a hate crime, but for many members of our community, it really felt like it. And so, we have been really proud of our community — everybody has a Pride flag and everybody is making sure folks feel safe and welcomed,” Ramos said. “This neighborhood was one of the first neighborhoods to be welcoming to the LGBTQ community in Baltimore City, and we want to keep it that way.”

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Baltimore

Power Plant Live! opens Club 4, its first LGBTQ bar

Ryan Butler, known by his drag persona Brooklyn Heights, helped launch venue

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Ryan Butler, also known as drag performer Brooklyn Heights, stands in the space at Power Plant Live! that will house Club 4. (Photo by Kaitlin Newman for the Baltimore Banner)

BY JOHN-JOHN WILLIAMS IV | Ryan Butler wanted a place where all members of the LGBTQ community could enjoy drag, drinks and fellowship in a safe space. He found it by the Inner Harbor.

Butler jumped at the opportunity to help open Club 4, the first LGBTQ-themed bar to occupy the popular Power Plant Live! venue.

The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.

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Baltimore

The Manor, one of Baltimore’s largest gay establishments, now under new management

Bar regularly hosted ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ contestants

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The Manor in Mount Vernon, which has been closed since late last year due to damage from broken pipes, has been acquired and will reopen under new management in the coming weeks. (Photo by Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)

By JOHN-JOHN WILLIAMS IV | The Manor, an upscale gay-owned bar and restaurant in Mount Vernon, has been acquired and will reopen under new management in the coming weeks. It is unclear who the new managers of the business are, however, and whether or not it will remain gay-owned and operated.

The restaurant and nightclub has been “temporarily closed” since shortly before Christmas due to damage from broken pipes.

The rest of this article can be found at the Baltimore Banner website.

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Baltimore

Baltimore’s director of LGBTQ affairs denied surgery, claims discrimination by Johns Hopkins doctor

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Londyn Smith De Richelieu poses for a portrait around Mount Vernon in Baltimore on June, 1, 2023. (Photo by Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)

By John-John Williams IV | Londyn Smith de Richelieu, the director of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs in Baltimore, has filed a complaint alleging that she was discriminated against this past May by the Center for Transgender and Gender Expansive Health at Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Smith de Richelieu, who is the first person to occupy that role in the Mayor’s office, said in a complaint to the city’s Office of Equity and Civil Rights and in an interview with The Banner that the center, led by Dr. Fan Liang, denied her facial feminization surgery, claiming that Smith de Richelieu was being aggressive and used profanity with Liang’s staff. Smith de Richelieu, who is a Black transgender woman, saidshe was triggered by what she called false, stereotypic characterizations.

The rest of this article can be found at the Baltimore Banner website.

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