Councilman Mark Conway proposes place-based ‘works program’ to dismantle open-air drug markets

Councilman Mark Conway on Tuesday proposed a coordinated, place‑based strategy to dismantle open‑air drug markets in Baltimore that combines targeted enforcement with outreach, treatment, housing and a jobs‑centered neighborhood rebuild.

Conway told the Public Safety Committee the approach is meant to do everything at once in a defined area: “Can we engage the people on the corner, disrupt the market, hold the ground, and rebuild the environment so that it does not come back?” He argued the city must move beyond managing markets to “actually solving” them by replacing illicit economies with real employment and neighborhood investment.

The outline Conway presented has five pillars: engagement/outreach, focused enforcement to remove key actors, a sustained presence to prevent short‑term reversion, treatment/housing/job pathways for people with substance use disorders, and neighborhood reinvestment using Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. The plan centers on a modern ‘works program’ that would contract local workers and contractors to repair storefronts, reclaim vacant buildings and provide paid training in trades, with data tracking and regular interagency coordination to measure outcomes.

Stephanie Mavronis, director at the mayor’s office of neighborhood safety and engagement, said the administration has launched place‑based work that resembles Conway’s model and pointed to a Lexington Market collaborative pilot launched in June 2025. “Every single drug market in every single community is different and requires a different strategy,” she said, describing Lexington Market as a city‑level pilot that pairs public safety, behavioral health, housing, and workforce development with performance tracking.

Terrence Nash, chief of the group violence reduction strategy, and other agency leaders described early results from collaborative responses at Lexington Market, including service and job referrals, outreach contacts and arrests tied to targeted enforcement. Nash acknowledged implementation challenges — notably job retention for people entering legal work — and said the pilot has produced measurable reductions in robbery, shoplifting and vandalism within the targeted footprint.

Community witnesses urged greater resident involvement and realistic economic incentives. Gerard Lewis, who runs a local mental‑health program, told the committee that people leaving corner economies need sustained, tailored help: “There are people who want out … they just don’t have resources and plans to get out.” Stokey Carmichael, another community participant, said credible messengers and immediate wraparound services — IDs, transportation and higher paying opportunities — are essential to keep people in jobs.

Agencies committed to a data‑driven cadence: Conway asked for weekly interagency meetings at first, then monthly reviews, and said the committee will seek to track Lexington Market outcomes so the city can replicate successful elements elsewhere. Conway also requested a follow‑up briefing with the mayor’s office to align the council’s plan and the administration’s pilot.

The committee recessed for follow‑up and asked agencies to return with detailed performance data and a plan for interagency coordination and resident engagement.