Posted on 07/30/2019 2:53:14 AM PDT by Kaslin
Ever since President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Saturday to chide Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) about the state of Baltimore, which sits in the heart of his district, political pundits have debated just how bad the city truly is.
CNN's Victor Blackwell got emotional when he heard Trump's comments about his hometown. A current Baltimore resident, however, confirmed one thing: the city really is rodent infested and Cummings has done nothing to help residents out over the last 20+ years he's been in office.
Turning Point USA's Chief Content Creator, Benny Johnson, hit the streets of Baltimore to talk to residents about their experiences and to set the record straight.
I am in Baltimore. Rep. Elijah Cummings’ district. I spent all day speaking with dozens of people who live in Rep. Cummings’ district. Some have lived here +60 years.
I learned so much.
Before continuing, ask yourself: Do you want to know the truth?
Here it is…
*thread @tpusa* pic.twitter.com/dLrMXJlsWk— Benny (@bennyjohnson) July 29, 2019
First off, Rep. Cummings has represented this district for +20 years. Everyone I spoke with knew him & was aware that he was beefing with @realDonaldTrump.
I did not ask about politics - I asked about living conditions in this district.
That is all.
Here is what they said… pic.twitter.com/ZJQTpaSRVp— Benny (@bennyjohnson) July 29, 2019
On being 'Rat Infested':
- *Every* person I spoke with *confirmed* that the district was rat infested
- This man told me that rats the “size of cats” run through his house regularly
- One woman told me rats have “taken over” her neighborhood
- One called it a "plague of rats" pic.twitter.com/Sccxl2qRjh— Benny (@bennyjohnson) July 29, 2019
One of the most interesting things to come out of Johnson's trip: a resident showing him a flyer from the city of Baltimore asking residents to pick up trash to keep rats away. The kicker? This flyer was handed out in the last week.
"The best way to prevent rats is to cut off their food source and not provide hiding places for them," the flyer clearly stated.
Rodents are such an issue in Baltimore that the city has a dedicated "Rat Rubout Program."
In fact, the Baltimore County website has an entire section dedicated to "Rat Attack."
"Rats are a community problem that must be addressed by all residents. When a rat infestation exists at one location it may easily spread to adjacent properties," the website states. "To help alleviate this problem, Baltimore County has hired a licensed exterminator to treat areas affected by this issue. We will be treating homes with alley access. Notification signs of when treatment will begin will be placed at the main street entrances of your community."
One of Rep. Elijah Cummings’ constituents went inside their home and returned with this flyer from the city begging them to help with the rat infestation.
The flyer said that the trash & "animal feces" in the neighborhood attract the rats.
The flyer was delivered *this week* pic.twitter.com/G5bGUCUJoc— Benny (@bennyjohnson) July 29, 2019
Trash plays into the rat infestation that's plaguing Baltimore. The County provided residents with these tips to help control the issue:
The following steps provide the basis for effective residential rodent control:
- Know your enemy. Review the Rat Facts.
- Be Aware. Inspect your property regularly for signs of rodent activity.
- Be neat. Keep your yard free of trash, debris, high grass or accumulations of building supplies. If you must store materials or equipment outside do so neatly. Organizing and/or elevating stored items helps to reduce harborage and allows you to inspect under and around them more easily.
- Don’t feed the Rats. You may not realize that pet food, dog manure, open garbage cans or cans without tight fitting lids or bags of garbage, bird seed or other food scraps left outside are an open invitation for rats to visit you and establish a home in your yard. Never put household garbage or food scraps in compost piles.
- Cut off their water supply. Dump pails, unused flower pots, toys or equipment in which water can accumulate (standing water also provides a breeding area for mosquitos during the summer months).
- Protect your home. Close any holes you find in the foundation of your house, eliminate cavities under steps, sidewalks, or porches. Close threshold gaps at exterior doors. Provide a heavy one fourth inch mesh screen over sump pump outlets or a tight fitting lid on your sump pump well.
- Think about your own activities. Be sure to clean up any outside eating areas. Minimize spillage around the Bar- B-Q. Greasy residue on a patio or porch or food residue allowed to build up on cooking equipment may attract rodents for extended periods of time. The feeding of wild animals such as birds and squirrels must cease and vegetable gardens or even fruit trees may have to be removed for rodent abatement measures to be effective.
- Don’t build in problems. Try to utilize construction methods that minimize or eliminate crawl spaces under decks or sheds. If building low to the ground is unavoidable utilize heavy one fourth inch wire mesh to close perimeter gaps. Remember rats can slip through spaces of one half an inch and are energetic diggers. Wire mesh should extend below ground at least 1 foot to deter tunneling.
- Communicate. Talk to your family and your neighbors. They may not realize that a problem exists. Rodent infestations must be addressed by everyone if they are to be successfully controlled or eliminated.
- Fight the Rat. When you see a rat, rat run, or rat burrow, take action immediately. The problem won’t just go away. Fill in the burrow to see if it is reopened, indicating an on going infestation. You should take measures to exterminate the existing population. Many bait station or trap products are available at local hardware and lawn and garden stores. You may wish to utilize a certified professional pest control operator. Just remember, any abatement must be accompanied by a continuing effort on your part to use The Rat Control Tips.
There's even a section in their county codes and ordinances which talk about "rodent control." if Baltimore County finds a rodent infestation, abatement can occur.
"If the Code Official, the County Health Officer or the Director finds that a public health emergency exists because the infestation of a building, structure, dump, or other premises by rodents or other vermin is likely to cause disease to be spread to human beings, the Code Official, the County Health Officer or the Director may summarily abate the condition of infestation without prior notice to owners or occupants," the county code says.
And no one can say this is a new problem. The website was last updated May 9, 2016. This has been on-going.
On trash in Rep. Cummings’ district:
- There is trash everywhere
- Filth & garbage piled up high in the street
- One building had a big sign that begged ‘DO NOT PUT TRASH HERE’ - below the signs were piles of rotting refuse
- Constituents blamed the trash for the rat infestation pic.twitter.com/UpIqJSCWsC— Benny (@bennyjohnson) July 29, 2019
Constituents say the trash is why rats are infesting the city. Based on Baltimore County's guidelines, everyone's in agreement.
On crime in Rep. Cummings’ district:
- Every constituent said that murders, shootings, drugs run rampant.
- Many told me they were scared & do not go outside after dark.
- One elderly man, “It did not used to be this way. Now we kill each other. Why? Because no one has a job." pic.twitter.com/h221SnGXpd— Benny (@bennyjohnson) July 29, 2019
On the abandoned houses in Rep. Cummings’ district:
- Constituents tell me crime, rats, trash, drugs, killings & crumbling infrastructure has forced many out.
- One woman told me she wished the city would just “demolish” her block
- Parts of the district look like a ghost town pic.twitter.com/EqOlei0KEl— Benny (@bennyjohnson) July 29, 2019
One home had a 30 foot tree growing from the basement right through the roof. You could see it from the street. How long has this home been abandoned for a tree to take over the entire house and add *another* story?
It was very sad. pic.twitter.com/gwAqpS4gko— Benny (@bennyjohnson) July 29, 2019
Parts of Rep. Cummings’ district look like a foreign war zone. Many homes are so decrepit, they are just crumbling to pieces. Every block I walked had a home with no roof. Some blocks have multiple homes that look like they had been through the battle of Leningrad. pic.twitter.com/rLTtpqfitV— Benny (@bennyjohnson) July 29, 2019
Other blocks were just eerie. Row after row of abandoned shells of houses. No signs of life or occupancy anywhere. Just like the people who lived there had vanished. In a way - they have. pic.twitter.com/of2EvLZvEk— Benny (@bennyjohnson) July 29, 2019
I want to end with this:
Every person I spoke with in @RepCummings district was deeply kind to my crew & me.
Wonderful, beautiful people.
Here is what they all had in common: They feel abandoned by their politicians.
With a district like this - can you really blame them? pic.twitter.com/aLexSb8zQo— Benny (@bennyjohnson) July 29, 2019
Why is this even up for debate? Baltimore residents have said their city is filled with trash and, as a result, rodents are infesting their city. The county has guidelines on their website to urge residents to take an active role in preventing the very infestations that are becoming so controversial. The county has hired an exterminator that does nothing but respond to rat infestations.
Nothing has changed in Baltimore. How many more residents need to step forward and say there's a problem before the mainstream media takes them seriously? How many more residents need to call out Cummings for being a failure before the mainstream media takes note and agrees with them?
Much like huge swaths of Jackson Mississippi
New Orleans
Memphis
And so on
“If I had to put my finger on one Democrat policy that wrecked the urban community it would be welfare.”
How the approaching 60 year old War on Poverty?
Great post. And I agree that the people, in general, of Baltimore are great folks.
But crime is awful.
Just a couple of months ago, The new deputy police commission was robbed at gunpoint with his wife
http://nypost.com/2019/07/22/baltimores-new-deputy-police-commissioner-gets-mugged-at-gunpoint/
Baltimore is another example of the racist DemoKKKrats ignoring their black voters for their new love, the illegals.
Has the War on Poverty been a failure? Well, of course it has.
That really depends on one's perspective. To the racist DemoKKKrats, it was a great success as it locked in a large voting block of Blacks!
Looks like the two legged rats are panicked and scurrying for cover. Disgusting. I grew up in a shit hole and I know what rats can do to a kid’s sense of safety and security. We didn’t leave until I was 16 and the last kid in the home. Ugh!
” - Every constituent said that murders, shootings, drugs run rampant.
- Many told me they were scared & do not go outside after dark.
- One elderly man, “It did not used to be this way. Now we kill each other. Why? Because no one has a job.””
......................................................
It’s not because there are no jobs.
The root cause is that the people have turned from obeying God to doing that which is right in their own eyes. All the misery and decline stems from there.
Our society does nothing but encourage the same rebellion and folly.
It won’t improve until the people turn from their wickedness.
Heard Amy Stoddard on Brian Kilmeade’s radio show this morning...She says President Trump could help himself by doing something to clean up Baltimore instead of just twittering how bad it is....
Well, Amy....How about Cummings and the local government of Baltimore doing something to help Baltimore THEMSELVES instead of railing against the President telling the truth about their nasty town????
My thoughts also. Why are there bags of trash lying about? Are the people too lazy to carry it to the curb? Does the city not have trash pickup? Is the sanitation department afraid to go into these districts? Some of the problem is their own fault but if the city is not picking up trash, it’s the city’s fault.
“...Because they don’t use their brains....” One has to actually have one in order to use it.
Now that is just needlessly insulting. Every man, woman, dog, cat, mouse, and aardvark has a brain. The difference is in how that brain is trained and used.
I have worked with people of color who know how to use the brains God gave them. I have worked with while people who have completely untrained brains -- even to the point they are not housebroken. Pluggers and slackers both some in assorted colors (white is a color, according to the Pantone book), backgrounds, and financial status.
This leads to a discussion of the education system, which is an equine of a different hue.
According to a news report yesterday, 22% of Baltimore’s population lives below the poverty guidelines. How, then, can the City expect its residents to pay for a professional exterminator, or take the other steps outlined in the Rat Guidelines? The Guidelines are nothing but a CYA Memo by the City that seeks to provide cover for Cummings and other do-nothing political hacks.
Stick to your guns.
They made a film about it called ‘Rat Film’
“DescriptionAcross walls, fences and alleys, rats not only expose our boundaries of separation but make homes in them. Filmmaker Theo Anthony looks at the rat and the people who love them or kill them to explore the history of Baltimore.
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/ratfilm1
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All of the rat prevention and eradication takes effort. The laziness mentality is prevelant in many parts of America. The slothful behavior has to be changed first.
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Unable, or even unwilling, to police\clean-up their own back-yard (& willingness to put up & LIVE this way) would show the *change* is a long was coming.
Reason I LEFT TV Hill over 20yrs ago (and dread going back for family).
BINGO!
You’ve hit the nail on the head. The root cause of much of human woes is laziness. In this case, the entitlement mentality, fueled by the welfare state has caused this.
True!
What cheeses me off is that $21.5 trillion is closely equivalent to our national debt right now.
The ostensible wickedness of the poor in those neighborhoods wasn’t responsible for NAFTA and globalism, which killed our American industries and labor jobs that used to be available for relatively uneducated men to be able support their families. My own Irish grandfather was illiterate, yet he raised a family and provided a decent way of life for his wife and four kids, working as a laborer.
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