The Spark

the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist

“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx

Baltimore, the City That ... Sells Parks for One Dollar

Nov 27, 2017

The Baltimore city government sold Janney Street Park to olive oil manufacturer Pompeian, Inc. for one dollar so the company can redevelop it to expand its storage space. The company is the biggest supplier of olive oil to Wal-Mart.

This 1.4-acre park is the only park in the industrial neighborhood of Kresson, north of Highlandtown. Longtime resident Cathy Gentry has spoken out ever since 2014, when the city first proposed to give the park away. It is used every day by children on the swings and basketball court; adults play soccer and volleyball in the field, families hold parties and baby showers there, and Pompeian workers eat lunch in the shade under the trees.

Gentry and her neighbors put together petitions in English and Spanish, got more than 170 signatures, and met with city officials.

Their campaign isn’t over.