While I've always known of the many Europeans regularly reading The Baltimore Spectator, today was the first time I had proof I could share. The analytical information is considered a trade secret. I can't show you those graphs and charts, but what I can show you is this wonderful letter I received from Holland today.
- James
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Hello James,
How are you? At fist a little introduction. I'm [name removed], a 23 year old journalist from Amsterdam, the Netherlands. I'm still a student of the School of Journalism but I'm acting as a freelance journalist.
As a lot of people I was a huge fan of tv-series The Wire. Ever since watching The Wire I've been looking up for news in Baltimore and I was determined to visit Baltimore and make a story about the problems with drugs, poverty, homelessness. Two weeks ago I was there and I was shocked. I just couldn't believe that this kind of -in my eyes- third world images would be possible in the United States of America. So much dealers on the corners, all the abandoned houses, the junkies on the streets. It was mind-blowing.
I visited the great people of Powell Recovery Center at South Broadway and they were blown away by the fact that I visited Baltimore on my own and with no supervision. "You've could of been shot", is what they said. The way they react made me see that Baltimore is not just a simple town on the east coast…
The people I spoke [with] had a great influence on me. It made up my mind. All those stories from the streets just became real to me. And it gave me the feeling that I have to come back and talk more and more with all kinds of people in the city. This is such a huge and unknown story in The Netherlands… I want to write a book about it.
Unfortunately I came across your blog and Twitter just hours after I was back in DC (where I stayed) leaving BD. So I would love meeting you whenever I go back. I think you have a lot of stories to tell…
Have a good one!
