Sail Local

Art can change a commute and spruce up a whole community.

If you want to transform a wall in your neighborhood, here’s how to kick off the process:

1️⃣ Secure Your Location & Property Owner Approval. Partner with a local property owner, community association, or local business and get written consent to put art on their building.

2️⃣ Identify your lead artist(s) and create a realistic budget covering materials, equipment rental (hello, scissor lifts!), artist stipends, and maintenance.

3️⃣ Public art needs neighborhood buy-in, so hold community meetings or votes to shape the concept.

4️⃣ Get info from the Maryland State Arts Council to explore programs like the Public Art Everywhere or Project Grants. Applications usually open at set times during the year, so review the eligibility criteria early.

5️⃣ Start the Permit Process Early (Seriously) - especially in Baltimore. The permitting process is pretty broken, so it takes patience and time. You’ll need to submit your site plans and approvals to the city well in advance of your targeted paint date.

It does take time, paperwork, and perseverance, but creating a piece of magic that brightens someone’s daily walk is worth every step.

Go paint the world colorful!

Am I just being a huge Baltimore dork about this, or is really a missed opportunity to do something very cool for pet owners who love Baltimore?

A Baltimore tradition happens again on 9/18 from 5pm to 8pm: Ladies Night at a the Canton Ace Hardware!

Doubling teachers’ healthcare costs is a pay cut. Full stop.

Baltimore City teachers show up for our kids every single day. Now the school board wants them to pay double for healthcare. That’s not a budget decision. That’s disrespect.

Teachers are the #1 in-school factor in a child’s success. You don’t keep good teachers by cutting their pay. You lose them.

Support our teachers. 🍎✊

Baltimore just made the greatest love song, ever! A song about the love a city has for a trash wheel. The Mr. Trash Wheel music video was released today! 💛

There’s a storm brewing in Baltimore that’s bringing a ton of rain, and maybe, just maybe, a tornado. So, here’s the quick difference between a tornado watch and tornado warning.

Economic Downturn OR Union Busting?

Imagine giving years of your life to a local spot you love. You keep it afloat every single day. Then one morning you wake up to a Signal message from the owners. They’re closing it for good in nine days.

That’s the reality for the crew at Baby’s On Fire, a beloved q***r friendly cafe and record store in Mount Vernon.

Three years ago, the owners moved to Portugal and left the whole operation in the hands of their employees. These baristas, bakers, and chefs showed up every day. They poured the coffee. They baked the pastries. They kept the doors open. But they were locked out of the most basic decisions, like updating the menu or promoting a daily special on social media. All because the owners, an ocean away, just couldn’t be bothered to communicate effectively.

So the workers organized and tried to form a union. Not for a fight over pay or benefits. They wanted a voice. They wanted a little dignity in the place they kept alive. They sent the owners a request for voluntary recognition on June 22. A week went by with no answer, so they filed for an election with the National Labor Relations Board. Weeks later, they finally heard back. It came as a sudden shutdown notice. Nine days left.

Now that’s the workers’ story. According to the owners, David and Shirlé Koslowski, this was never about the union. They say Baby’s has taken significant losses in revenue over the last several years because of the economic downturn, and after 10 years they were left with no choice but to close. They thanked the community and thanked their staff for years of hard work. They have not publicly answered the union-busting accusation at all. So you have the timing on one side and a revenue explanation on the other.

You be the judge.

Today was the final day at Baby’s On Fire. Like they always have, the workers showed up, poured the coffee, and baked the pastries for their community. And the owners, like they always have, were nowhere to be found.

My grandfather told me something once. If a boss doesn’t want you to start a union, you’ve probably got a boss who gave you a reason to start one. Asking for a voice at work should never cost you your job. It should be a wake-up call to any owner that something’s broken in the gears of their business.

If you’d like to support the workers, here’s the GoFundMe page:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-staff-of-babys-on-fire-in-mt-vernon-baltimore

An update on the future... A lot of folks have been asking what my next move is. Honestly, I don't know. I just know I feel most at home helping, so helping is where I'm going to tocus all my attention. I'm happy and lucky to have you all with me along the way. 🤙💛

Reuse when you can’t recycle… These campaign signs won’t be recycled, so many have asked them for art projects. The thing is, we got way too many signs. Hundreds. Can anyone use these for a project so they don’t end up in a landfill? Let me know.

This post isn’t related to the campaign, but just in case…authority: Bobby LaPin for Baltimore | Alicia Jones, Treasuer