Posted on 09/15/24
| News Source: FOX45
Baltimore, MD - Sept. 14, 2024 - A family receiving justice for their loved one’s murder says safety must be restored in the City.
Relatives of Efraim Gordon, 31, revealed their parents left Baltimore after his murder.
And they’re not alone. The latest Census report shows Baltimore City’s population is shrinking.
An economist suggests crime is among the top reasons, as City leaders struggle with quality of life and juvenile crime.
“We hope his blood is not spilled in vain and some positive change comes as a result,” said Sarah Marshall, Gordon’s cousin.
Just before a judge sentenced Rasheed Morris to 40 years in prison for the murder of Gordon, Marshall urged the court to hold the teen fully accountable.
Morris pleaded guilty to fatally shooting Gordon as he and three others were attempting to steal his car in northwest Baltimore.
The 31-year-old died on the doorstep of Marshall’s parents' house they’ve since moved from, part of the nearly 18,000 people who have left the City within the last three years, according to the latest Census report.
“From that day they were looking to move and they moved out of state actually to be able to recover. It's been a very difficult journey,” said Marshall.
Earlier Marshall added, “My children no longer feel safe at night and even during the day. I’ve spoken to hundreds of people who say the same. They just don’t feel safe anywhere and it's not something you can say these things don’t really happen. They happen.”
“How does all this stop? People are just trying to go about their day,” said Dovid Reyder, Gordon’s Cousin.
While overall violent crime is down across the City it's up in certain areas when it comes to strictly juveniles.
Carjackings are up 220%, robberies are up nearly 50%, and burglaries are up about 8%, according to the statistics shared during this week’s public safety hearing.
During the hearing members of City Council and BPD discussed quality of life crime, as well as juvenile crime issues.
“Unfortunately more and more individuals at a younger age are being arrested for issues that are driving not only our violence and public safety concerns but also the concerns of the citizens,” said Deputy Commissioner Kevin Jones, with BPD.
Zeke Cohen. Councilman, Baltimore City
During the hearing, Councilman Zeke Cohen added, “The State’s Attorney talks a lot about quality of life crime and that is what will drive people out of our City.”
“The only way to make people feel safer in the city is to hold these violent offenders accountable,” said Baltimore City Councilman Yitzy Schleifer, who attended the sentencing for Morris and was asked about the overall safety concerns.
“Yes, the amount of victims is down this year compared to last year but still the impact is really great. And the impact it has on the community is really great,” added Schleifer. “That is why it's so important to prevent these from happening at all. What we heard today and saw with some of the other cases being heard in the courtroom is some of these suspects have had multiple different cases. The previous suspect in the previous case before this one was called was awaiting trial on manslaughter when he had killed somebody in a murder for hire. You have to take every single case seriously. Every single case deserves to be thoroughly investigated. Which is why I always, and the Mayor supports funding for crime labs, and the proper amount of detectives. That’s really what it comes down to. Can we get more detectives in the Department, solve more cases? The more cases we solve the more suspects we remove from the streets.”
The remaining three defendants who were also convicted of first-degree murder are awaiting sentencing.