Photo by Nether

When roaming around the city of Baltimore, it’s hard to ignore the multitudes of abandoned row-homes and buildings. Its prominent features, boarded-up windows, dilapidated roofs and overgrown lawns can be found in almost any neighborhood. At its best, it’s an eyesore for both locals and tourists; at its worst, it’s an ugly reminder of hardship brought on by outdated housing policies and a dwindling economy. It can even be a health hazard for those living in its surrounding communities.

Photo by Carol Ott

As powerless as we sometimes feel as civilians, online blog Baltimore Slumlord Watch and street artist Nether are reminding us that standing up to improve our city can make all the difference.

Why have so many properties in Baltimore fallen into such disarray? The reasons are both complex and varied. According to Carol Ott, founder and editor of Baltimore Slumlord Watch, the two main reasons that blight has become such a widespread problem in Baltimore are due to a large drop in population and a declining enforcement of city building codes. “City resources are also dwindling, as a result of the great loss of taxpayers over the years.  A smaller tax base means our government has less money to devote to things like code enforcement.  It’s seemingly more important to earmark what little resources we have to things like developer tax breaks in neighborhoods like Harbor East than cleaning up blighted areas where residents have given up hope,” Ott says.

Ott founded the website in response to a nuisance property in her own neighborhood. Despite promoting discussion among her neighbors and community association, the property in question remained in its derelict condition. The immediate responsibility of blight in Baltimore falls on property owners. A slumlord is someone who owns property that poses a health and safety hazard to either its occupants or the surrounding community. Despite this, Ott took her frustration to the internet, starting Baltimore Slumlord Watch four years ago. There, she—as well as users throughout Baltimore–share photos and information behind abandoned properties in the city. The property in Ott’s neighborhood that prompted the founding of the blog was cleaned up about a month after the blog started, as a result of the owner finding himself online.  Because of the effort to force his hand, the property now hosts a business.

Photo by Tarek Turkey

Response to the blog has been overwhelmingly positive, and has resulted in real change. “We’ve been able to get properties on the radar of some of our government agencies for inclusion in the city’s Vacants to Value program. We’ve gotten code enforcement stepped up in some areas,” reflects Ott, adding, “The most important outcome [has been] residents starting to feel a renewed sense of empowerment and community pride.”

It’s only natural that Baltimore Slumlord Watch and street artist Nether eventually crossed paths. After all, they’re essentially fighting the same fight.

Nether, a longtime street artist who has worked with the likes of Tefcon and Gaia, has made his mark on the Baltimore arts scene through his daring wheat paste murals. These pieces, often constructed alongside abandoned local buildings, are often a social commentary on the slumlords who’ve let these properties fall to disrepair. “[My goal] is to create pieces that portray ignored residents with dignity…With this, I hope for an underlying sense of empowerment and individual responsibility of us all to hold an active stake in our own, as well as our entire city’s, future,” says Nether. “There is also a need to do the dirty work and expose the wrongdoers.”

Photo by Tarek Turkey

As Nether searched the internet for additional abandoned properties to reinvent, he came across Baltimore Slumlord Watch and was surprised to see his own work spread across many of the properties featured on the site. Needless to say, it didn’t take long for Ott and Nether to recognize the similarities in their messages, as well as the mutual benefit gained by teaming up. “We decided that instead of working parallel to each other, we could both reach wider audiences and, therefore, get more residents talking about their communities, if we collaborated on a project,” explains Ott.

By combining the blog’s knack for seeking out neglected properties with Nether’s street art, both groups are now capable of pushing for even greater changes in Baltimore. By inputting QR codes alongside these murals, locals can now use their smartphones to garner important information on the problems affecting each particular building, including any housing or safety codes it violates as well as who is responsible for its declining conditions. Several street artists are also expected to get involved in this campaign, including Stefan Ways and Gaia. In all, 15 large-scale installations will be spread throughout the city, covering all 14 Baltimore city districts.

In addition, a documentary film is in the works on the subject. Filmmakers Tarek Turkey and Julia Pitch have put together a film that showcases the combination of Nether’s wheat pasted artwork with Ott’s passion for documenting and exposing Baltimore’s numerous slumlords. In the film, residents of neighborhoods overrun with abandoned houses speak candidly about the squalor slumlords bring to their neighborhoods, praising Nether and Ott for calling attention to the blight they are forced to live with. The most poignant part of the documentary is not the bare skeletons of homes that Nether pastes and Ott documents, but the communities of people—residents who live and play around burned out, abandoned wrecks, who are both discouraged by the rapidly declining conditions surrounding them and empowered by the reclaiming of these eyesores into artistic landscapes.

We’ve all seen these dilapidated buildings. Next time you pass by one, snap a picture. By submitting it to Baltimore Slumlord Watch, you’re already taking a valiant step toward real change in our city. You can also help to fund Nether and Baltimore Slumlord Watch’s cause by donating to their upcoming Kickstarter. All proceeds will go toward wrapping up their documentary and garnering more street artists to contribute to this valuable campaign to beautify Baltimore. Keep an eye out for further information on how to donate.

 Photo by Carol Ott