Local Politics
  1. Home
  2. US
  3. Maryland
  4. Baltimore
  5. Issues

Youth Peer Violence Informational Hearing (26-0064R)

At a glance

  • What: Resolution 26-0064R, an informational hearing on youth peer violence in Baltimore: how big the problem is, how schools, hospitals and city agencies respond, what gaps providers and parents face, and what the city should do next. Porter, the committee chair, is the primary sponsor.
  • Where it stands: heard Oct 21, 2026 and voted out of the Public Health and Environment Committee with four yes votes (as captioned). It moves to second reader at the Oct 26, 2026 City Council meeting.
  • Next: a joint follow-up hearing with the Education, Youth, and Older Adults Committee chaired by Parker, expected within a couple of months, plus a series of committee requests for data and reports (listed below).

Scope of the problem (as presented)

  • Jones of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health described a hospital chart review of 154 young people treated for fights between January 2019 and 2020. About 60% of injuries were to the head, neck or face, and about 60% of fights in a later study occurred at school. Nearly 70% of parents but only 39% of the young people thought the injuries were preventable. She cited a conservative estimate that one in five youth in this age group return to the emergency department within five years with a more serious violent injury.
  • The Health Department cited the 2024 Maryland Youth Risk Behavior Survey: roughly 65% of middle school students (as captioned) reported a physical fight on school property, about 17% of high school students, and 10% reported being threatened or injured with a weapon at school.
  • Mavonis (spelling approximate) of the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement showed that youth homicide incidents have fallen more than 66% over five years, but that the youth share of homicides rose from 18.38% last year to about 28% on pace this year. Of 103 incidents in 2026 with a youth victim, 21 were known to involve a youth suspect. Juvenile arrests were 708 through Sept 30, down from 829 in 2025. Her data covered homicides and non-fatal shootings only.

What agencies and institutions described

  • Academic partners: Finigan-Carr of the University of Maryland, Baltimore Center for Violence Prevention is building a coalition of the city's academic anchor institutions and led a Health Department partnership project (January to July) with more than two dozen participants, including ten youth.
  • Health Department: Burgess described a school-based prevention program in four middle schools funded by a federal earmark, extended through September 2027, and a youth ambassador program. Roache (Legislative Affairs) introduced the team.
  • Neighborhood Safety: group violence reduction outreach to 421 youth since 2022, Safe Streets at 10 sites, and a school-based violence intervention program with 216 youth engagements and 80 mediations.
  • African American Male Engagement: Dr. Bunley (surname uncertain in the captions) said the city is not yet fully leveraging and aligning its solutions, and urged family-centered work and messaging to young people.
  • Children and Family Success: the office's executive director (not named in these captions; presumably Dr. Brooks) described a bi-weekly interagency case review for young people aged 7 to 21 affected by gun or knife violence (19 referrals in 2024-25) and Safe Passage at 15 schools, with a reported 33% drop in violent crime within a half mile during Safe Passage hours.
  • City Schools and school police: Shorter, chief of school police, described gang resistance, drug resistance and safety patrol programs in 37 elementary and middle schools, a youth advisory board and a new gang officer position. A City Schools official (not named in the captions) described restorative approaches, a bullying report process with a website and posters, peer mediation and an ombudsman office.

Main concerns

  • Coordination and duplication: Porter said there is a clear disconnect among agencies, duplicated programs and mission, and different data identifiers in each agency; she asked for data interoperability (including help from the city IT office) and a crosswalk map and evaluation of existing plans. Agency heads agreed collaboration has not been good enough.
  • Youth voice: youth commissioners urged mental health spaces in schools, a clear definition of bullying, anonymous reporting, protection from retaliation, student advisory councils and surveys, and hearings after school hours.
  • Data from City Schools: Torrence (captioned Torrence) said he was offended that City Schools presented no suspension, arrest, diversion or school climate data, and said the bullying reporting process was not visible in schools he visited. A City Schools official said the presentation was meant to be informational and offered a later oversight hearing.
  • Data sharing: Conway raised early indicators such as chronic absenteeism and support for families before children reach their teens; members and agencies debated whether data sharing agreements are a real barrier.
  • Violence beyond shootings: Parker asked for statistics on assaults and other non-gun violence from the neighborhood safety office and the police department for the next hearing.

Committee requests made

  • Quarterly follow-up youth town halls or meetings with the Youth Commission and youth advisory councils.
  • The report from the academic and Health Department collaborative, shared with all committee members.
  • City Schools' position on a $400,000 contribution to Safe Passage requested at the June 2 budget hearing.
  • Public-facing notes from the interagency collaboration within about 30 days.
  • Youth Commission and existing youth advisory councils included in youth-led public safety messaging, and any proposed parent and caregiver commission aligned with existing City Schools parent advisory councils.
  • Torrence: a list of what data agencies cannot share, to prepare for a General Assembly request, and City Schools suspension, arrest and diversion data.

Vote

  • Conway moved the resolution. Yes votes from Porter, Conway, Parker and Torrence (as captioned); Dorsey, Bullock and Ramos were absent (Ramos excused).

Official minutes

  • The final Oct 21 minutes confirm the vote: Conway (vice chair) moved Resolution 26-0064R be Recommended Favorably; Yes 4 (Porter, Conway, Parker, Torrence); Dorsey and Bullock absent; Ramos excused. The minutes spell the member Torrence. They record no testimony.

Sources

Discussion time

About 113 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).

Meeting Minutes
2026-10-21 - Public Health & Environment Committee 113

Log