Island Med Student

Believe. Yet another slogan that is pasted all over the city of Baltimore. You can see it on trash cans, park benches, bus stops, and just about anywhere else you can imagine. I’ve even seen bumper stickers that say “Blieve, Hon” playing on the infamous Baltimorean accent and regional affectionate slang.

I think the word, “Believe,” has now actually taken on more than what it originally meant, but here is an explanation that I found in the New York Times:

Believe. One word, printed in black and white, as if things were that clear. It began as a high-concept public relations campaign, begun by the mayor, Martin O’Malley, to tackle Baltimore’s most infamous problem, drug crime. For years, the city had been at or near the top of the list of per-capita misery statistics: most murders, most addicts, most high school dropouts, most cases of H.I.V. and syphilis.

Believe was a way to address those ills, not through programs, but through commercials, banners and bumper stickers. Few cities had ever tried anything so abstract.

This photo isn’t the best one, but I never seem to have my camera on me when I see a good example. I promise to find some better ones in the future!

“Baltimore – The Greatest City in America” photo series