West Baltimore’s Penn North Goes 365 Days Homicide-Free
- Penn North community celebrates over 1 year without a homicide, a milestone for public safety efforts.
- Partnerships between city agencies and Safe Streets Baltimore program key to reducing violence in the area.
- Opioid crisis remains a challenge, with overdose deaths declining but drug use still visible in the neighborhood.
A major milestone was recognized in West Baltimore this week as the Penn North community marked more than a full year without a homicide, CBS Baltimore reports.
Community members gathered Tuesday for an event that featured music, snowballs, and free T-shirts, all aimed at recognizing the progress made in the neighborhood. While Brandon Scott stopped short of calling it a celebration, city leaders acknowledged the moment as an important step forward for public safety efforts in Baltimore.
Penn North is now one of several Baltimore neighborhoods to go at least a year without a homicide, joining areas like Sandtown-Winchester, Woodbourne-McCabe, and Park Heights.
“Penn North going 365 days without a homicide is another example that community violence intervention works,” Scott said during Tuesday’s gathering.
According to the Mayor’s Office, the last homicide in the Penn North area happened on May 23, 2025, in the 1800 block of North Woodyear Street. Since then, the neighborhood has gone 368 consecutive days without a homicide within the Safe Streets catchment area.
City officials credit the progress to partnerships between the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSE), Safe Streets Baltimore, and Catholic Charities. Leaders say the effort included more than 100 violence interrupters and mediators, dozens of community events, and ongoing anti-violence outreach throughout the neighborhood.
Safe Streets Baltimore currently operates in 10 locations across the city and focuses on treating violence as a public health issue by using trained community members to mediate conflicts before they escalate.
MONSE Director Stefanie Mavronis said the milestone reflects years of consistent work on the ground.
“365 days without a homicide isn’t a coincidence,” she said. “This milestone is an opportunity to acknowledge how far the Penn North community has come, but also an opportunity for us to recommit ourselves to public safety.”
Residents in the area say they have noticed a difference.
“It’s safer,” said Cassandra Williams, who works in Penn North and lives nearby in Sandtown. “There haven’t been as many murders or shootings.”
Still, city leaders acknowledged there is more work ahead. Penn North has continued to struggle with drug activity and overdoses, including several mass overdose incidents reported in 2025.
Scott said addressing the opioid crisis remains a major priority for the city.
“The opioid and overdose crisis in Penn North has existed longer than I’ve been alive,” Scott said. “We have to consistently work together as a community.”
Data from the Maryland Department of Health shows overdose deaths in the Penn North ZIP code have declined steadily since 2021, though signs of ongoing drug use remain visible throughout the neighborhood.
West Baltimore’s Penn North Goes 365 Days Homicide-Free was originally published on 92q.com
