Baltimore Beat Photographer Myles Michelin took these photos on June 17 at the Black Artist Fair. As part of the official Baltimore Club Music Day celebration, The Black Arts District brought its monthly series focused on Black artistic production and resources to the Shake & Bake Family Fun Center. Attendees experienced a dynamic blend of […]
Posted inArt & Culture
Photostory: AFRAM 2025
AFRAM took place on June 21 and 22, over two steamy days in Baltimore’s Druid Hill Park. A host of local and national entertainers performed on two stages. The festival concluded with a performance from 81-year-old Patti LaBelle. Organizers call it one of the largest African American festivals on the East Coast. Day One Day […]
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Photostory: Baltimore Pride Parade
The Baltimore Pride parade and block party kicked off at the intersection of North Avenue and Charles Street. It featured foam, supportive hugs, and plenty of rainbows.
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Baltimore Police release bodycam footage of Bilal “BJ” Abdullah shooting
Baltimore police fired 38 shots in an exchange of gunfire with Bilal “BJ” Abdullah, a well-known arabber who can be seen in newly-released body-worn camera footage pointing a firearm and appearing to shoot at officers, police department leaders said at a press conference. The video shown Monday at Baltimore police headquarters included footage from multiple […]
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Extreme heat in Baltimore prompts ‘code red’ alert, eviction pause
Baltimore agencies have activated emergency heat protocols and halted evictions in response to dangerously high temperatures this week, marking the beginning of another scorching summer. Heat index values are expected to exceed 110 degrees this week, prompting the National Weather Service to issue an extreme heat warning. The Baltimore City Health Department’s first Code Red […]
Posted inArt & Culture
Photostory: Arabber funeral procession for Bilal “BJ” Abdullah
On Saturday, June 21, family members, arabbers, and other members of the community said goodbye to Bilal “BJ” Abdullah with a horse-drawn funeral procession. A funeral service was held at Upton’s Masjid Ul Haqq mosque. Abdullah, 36, was fatally shot by Baltimore Police Department officers last week. Community members held a march on Friday to […]
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‘The Sum of This Man’s Life’: People protest the police shooting of arabber Bilal Abdullah
Hundreds of people marched through west Baltimore Friday evening to remember Bilal “BJ” Abdullah, a beloved arabber who was fatally shot by Baltimore police on Tuesday. The crowd, a mix of children, teenagers on scooters, dirtbike riders, elders, and men on horseback, reflected just how widely Abdullah was loved and respected. As the march proceeded […]
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Family mourns arabber slain by police as new details emerge
On the evening of the Juneteenth holiday, a crowd gathered near the Upton Metro station off Pennsylvania Avenue, not to celebrate the end of slavery in America but to mourn the shooting of beloved arabber Bilal Abdullah, known as BJ. Tawanda Jones was standing where she has so many times since Baltimore Police officers killed […]
Posted inSports
Reeta’s Sportisms: Angel Reese has the last laugh, the Ravens make moves, and the Orioles are…back?
What the Jaire Alexander Signing Means As I began to write this column, news broke that the Ravens signed former Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander to a one-year deal. Lamar Jackson and Alexander were college roomates, and both came out in the 2018 draft. This week, a reporter asked Jackson about whether he’d used that shared […]