Series Of Talks Hope To Make Baltimore A Better Place

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Stop complaining and do something together.  That's the message of a series of talks Saturday focusing on making the city a better place. 

Andrea Fujii has the story.

This is not just all talk.  Amplify Baltimore is a series of discussions about how to build on Baltimore's positive attributes.

"Getting the people of Baltimore engaged in being agents of change for their own city," said April Yvonne Garrett, Amplify Baltimore.

Last year, 223 people were murdered in the city, but that's not Amplify Baltimore's focus.

"It's not a group of people griping and saying, `What's wrong with Baltimore?'  It's conversations about envisioning what we want," Garrett said.

There are three discussions: focusing on the city's future, politics and safety.  The event is also about making connections and how youth leaders like Reuel Belt can be a positive influence on his kids.

"I think it's very important for them to see people coming together from all backgrounds to improve Baltimore," Belt said.

"I think getting out there and learning more about what's going on is a huge way to up the positive factor here," said Youth Art volunteer Cait Byrnes.

Organizers hope this dialogue motivates everyone to be agents of change.

"I think we're in a good place and I think we're only going to get stronger," Garrett said.

Amplify Baltimore is organized by the national nonprofit Civic Frame.  They plan to hold quarterly panels.  To learn more, click here.