With Black History Month upon us, Parks & People is even more proud to announce a new West Baltimore green space is underway as the future Stockton St. Park takes form. This intentional community healing space will serve the greater Penn-North community and transform a space once known as “ground zero” into a green oasis.
As we’re carving out this metamorphic park space, we’re working on supporting Black owned businesses. Parks & People worked with the Black and family owned and operated landscape company, L. Johnson Tree Service, to remove invasive vegetation, hazardous dead trees, and trash from the lot.
Now that the area is a clean blank slate, community visioning sessions to reimagine this space can resume. After the community input, Parks & People plans to implement the next phases of improvements in this space throughout 2023.
This month, Parks & People will highlight incredible Black History accomplishments, as well as hard to face truths. Stockton St. Park will sit where the 2015 Civil Unrest took place, an event that remains a formative memory in our city’s long history. As Dr. King said “A riot is the language of the unheard.” For too long West Baltimore’s Black community has been underserved and over policed. We are proud to be able to add a shining positive public asset to spark further reinvestment in Baltimore’s Black Butterfly communities.
Thank you to our crucial partners and funders the Penn-North community, Arch Social Club, Senator Antonio Hayes, The Pennsylvania Avenue Black Arts & Entertainment District, Councilman James Torrence, Maryland DHCD, and Baltimore DHCD.
Stay tuned for updates and support the reimagining of Baltimore’s Black Butterfly!