Democrats across Baltimore headed to the polls Tuesday have three choices for the city’s next state’s attorney.
Candidates vying to become the next top prosecutor had different strategies to curb the city’s record high homicide rate.
There were 338 homicides across the city of Baltimore in 2021, up from 335 in 2020. So far this year, there were 196 homicides.
Incumbent state’s attorney Marilyn Mosby is running against former federal prosecutor Thiru Vignarajah and defense attorney Ivan Bates who once worked for the city office.
Mosby was charged with perjury and making false statements related to her home purchases in Florida. Mosby’s trial is scheduled for Sept. 19 in federal court.
Mosby claims that she was targeted because of her policy choices as a Black leader who wants to curb racial discrimination and maintains her innocence.
“I will never be complicit in that type of discriminatory enforcement of laws against poor black and brown people,” Mosby said. “That has made me a target. I have received hate mail, death threats; I’ve been mocked; I’ve been ridiculed; I’ve been harassed. I’ve been sued. I’ve been investigated.”
Mosby said that Baltimore’s reputation for violence across the state and the nation is unfortunate.
One way she sought to stem the violence was to create a conviction integrity unit, the first of its kind in Maryland and touted it as a model for the nation.
