Five Years After The Uprising: Six Views On What's Changed

On this special edition of Midday, six reflections on the April 27, 2015 Uprising, and how the community at the epicenter of that unrest - Sandtown-Winchester - has fared since 25-year-old Freddie Gray died from injuries he sustained while in police custody. At the heart of the protests and the rioting that erupted after Gray's funeral: anger and frustration with a system steeped in racism, inequity and apathy; and a police force that operated with seeming impunity.We begin with a focus on how community-police relations have evolved since 2015: Tom talks with Ashiah Parker, CEO of the Sandtown-based community development group, No Boundaries Coalition, and Sean Yoes, Baltimore Editor of the Afro American Newspaper and author of the book Baltimore After Freddie Gray: Real Stories from One of America’s Great Imperiled Cities.Then, a look at the rich cultural history of Pennsylvania Avenue, which runs from Penn North, the epicenter of the 2015 unrest, down to MLK Jr. Blvd. Tom's guests are Brion Gill, executive director of the new Pennsylvania Avenue Black Arts and Entertainment District and Jim Hamlin, owner of The Avenue Bakery. Finally, Tom talks with Todd Marcus, jazz musician and executive director of the Intersection of Change, and Daria Baylis, coordinator for IOC’s Jubilee Arts training and cultural programs.Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.