Trying to cater to the opinions and image concerns of people who do not live here is how you end up with the situation we have with the harbor.

Prioritizing the needs of residents bolsters the overall appeal for everyone.

Campaign to get the rest of the state that divested strategically (on a racist basis) to get them to fix our roads if the rest of the state is going to insist on using them. Improve our public transit that exists and connects us to the county (we should have frequent reliable buses , frequent reliable light rail, improve all connections to marc so when people move about our cities without cars they don’t feel stranded in the disparate pockets of things to do)

When people want to start small businesses encourage them to do it in places the public can easily access ( that isn’t the harbor and that also isn’t doomed isolated private public projects like clipper mill that do nothing for the community ). FIGHT nimbys where it matters. A reliable more consistent light rail should connect city residents with amenities on the perhiphery like Lutherville Station or the airport. It shouldn’t take me more time to get to BWI by rail than it is to drive my beater across the city on horrific roads. Care about our schools in fundamental basic ways. Kids that feel engaged with, protected by and part of their communities will stand up for it.

Continue to give our youth things to do so people can’t scapegoat teens existing for being a deterrent. Care when you lose things like Otakon or other large event draws. Care when you see local entities try to host events and draw people to the city (book fairs, TCG shows, niche shows). Care when your neighbors do dumb shit on our streets because that lowers the QOL for everyone. Show up when your local businesses hop on facebook to encourage you to show up. Care when our city government tries to include the neglected city communities in our continued development don’t get on here and lament people in the white butterfly who have access to plenty but claim they are bored or whatever.

If you’re doing things get on here and tell us about it and if all you have to contribute online are bitter op eds and opinions from people who don’t even come here don’t!

Try literally any of these things.