Baynard Woods writes Democracy in Crisis, a column syndicated in 20 alternative papers around the country. He is the author of Coffin Point: The Strange Cases of Ed McTeer, Witchdoctor Sheriff and teaches writing at Johns Hopkins University.
Baltimore has seen a sharp spike in murders since the summer of 2015, which became its most violent year with 344 homicides. In 2016, the city saw 318 people murdered. This year is set to look even worse.