If you like these types of stores, the somewhat off beat, sometimes rather funky, artistic and very unique and locally owned and run specialty shops, the antique and book shops along with some very fine dining or just a good ole style Baltimore crab house, not to mention some good music venues, and if you like Pre-Revolutionary architecture and history; Fells Point is, with some cautions from a former "Baltimoron”, a really great place to go if you ever visit Baltimore. Just be aware of your surroundings and keep your “street smarts” about you.
Fells Point is the oldest section of Baltimore and has a rich, if not sometimes a sketchy and rough and tumble history as the original point of settlement and of the site of the original port of Baltimore, played a big part in not only the American Revolution but also in the War of 1812, but in recent years, while it has become a more “upscale” destination and now has a lot of upscale and very quite expensive and exclusive real-estate developments; while still keeping a lot of its original architecture and “charm”, it’s also has become a magnet for many vagrants and scam artists mostly because of the increase in tourism and because of its wealthier residents who these people like to prey on.
There has been over the years an increasing problem with these vagrants (a lot of them chronic alcoholics and drug addicts or just plain scammers) not only aggressively panhandling and harassing people but also with pick pockets, purse snatchers and these scam artists running valet parking scams or “car protection scams”, not unlike what happened in and around the Inner Harbor attractions which has made attractions like the National Aquarium and Science Center, the USS Constellation and other downtown Baltimore attractions, that are very worthwhile attractions to see if you ever visit Baltimore, unless you are willing to run the gauntlet of aggressive panhandlers. : (
Being concerned that these aggressive panhandlers and scam artists was hurting their business, the Fells Point merchants formed an association and among one of their initiatives was to not only ask the Baltimore Police to do something about it and enforce the already existing vagrancy laws, but they also launched a campaign to discourage their customers from giving money and other hand outs to the so called “homeless” or falling prey to their scams. The last time I was there, a few years ago, nearly every restaurant and shop had posted signs imploring people not only to not give money to the panhandlers but to also not fall prey to one of their various scams.
As noted in the article there is also a rather big problem with rowdy drunken bar patrons after the bars close; mostly with the young and college age kids, but from what I understand, the police in cooperation with most of the bar owners, have pretty much cracked down on this.
But…
In 1994, a U.S. District judge struck down a city law on aggressive panhandlers, saying it unfairly targeted homeless people and beggars but not others who aggressively solicit money.
Major Gavrilis said that police Commissioner Thomas C. Frazier will meet with the American Civil Liberties Union to determine if some middle ground can be found to salvage the panhandling law.
The best way to get rid of panhandlers, many Fells Point residents and merchants said, is to stop giving them money.
"The people that are down here I can say are not homeless," said Nicholas J. Filipidis, owner of Jimmy's Restaurant on South Broadway. "The panhandlers are parking valets. This is a job to them. It's a scam. Do not give them money and they will leave."
Residents and merchants also complained that problems are not limited to panhandling but include a general increase in crime. They made several references to the Oct. 15 mugging of U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski in front of her Fells Point rowhouse.
So the ACLU got involved and tried to make the claim that cracking down on the aggressive panhandling and the scams being run by the so called “homeless” was in violation of their civil rights to do so. (eye roll). The ACLU doesn’t care one wit about the rights of the merchants or the residents or their customers.
But I have to admit that I did get a very big laugh when I learned that the very big lib, Barbara Mikulski got mugged. IMO nobody deserved a good mugging more than her after what she’s done to us while in Congress. Karma! It’s a bitch and so is she. : )
Philly was like that when I visited in 1989, not only panhandling but things like parking scams, as you mentioned. I was looking forward to visiting a vibrant, history-rich American city, but was somewhat disappointed. Pittsburgh is probably actually nicer.
I do love those funky old walkable neighborhoods, though. We have a lot of them in Seattle, and smaller versions in places like Port Townsend.
Certain parts of downtown Vancouver BC are not to be believed, and I don’t mean that in a good way. I mention it because people need to think twice before adopting “harm reduction” practices with heroin addicts. I was there in 2006. It may have improved, but East Hastings was like something out of a zombie movie.