When we think about leadership, it’s easy to focus on headlines, scandals, or empty promises. But real leadership shows up in data, in families kept whole, and in communities feeling safer.
Right now, two Black mayors are delivering measurable, record-breaking progress in public safety that deserves to be seen, studied, and celebrated.
📍 Baltimore: Mayor Brandon Scott
Baltimore has long carried the reputation of being one of America’s most dangerous cities. But under Mayor Brandon Scott’s leadership, the city is witnessing historic drops in violent crime:
✅ Homicides down 22% compared to this time last year
✅ Nonfatal shootings down 19%
✅ Juvenile homicide victims down an astonishing 71%
Police are solving more crimes, too. The homicide clearance rate has reached 64%, with nonfatal shooting clearances 20 percentage points above the 10-year average.
“These historic lows are the result of a comprehensive, evidence-based public safety strategy that we have implemented in partnership with residents,” Scott shared. “But our work is far from over — 68 lives lost to violence is 68 too many.”
Baltimore’s approach isn’t just about enforcement – it’s about offering pathways out. Their Group Violence Reduction Strategy combines targeted intervention with real support:
“We go out and give them a letter and basically say, ‘Listen, we know you were doing the shooting,’” explained Commissioner Worley. “‘We want you to put the guns down, or we will take you and your entire drug operation off the street. But here are the services—job training, education, relocation.’”
📍 Birmingham: Mayor Randall Woodfin
In Birmingham, Mayor Randall Woodfin is leading an equally impressive transformation:
✅ Homicides down 52% compared to last year
✅ Clearance rate for homicides surged to 79%, a rare achievement for any major city
Woodfin credits this success to aggressive policing combined with community cooperation and technology like the Real-Time Crime Center:
“When you share information, it doesn’t allow the criminal element to be emboldened and hide behind fear of people,” Woodfin explained. “Those who are killing people are not just walking our streets.”
Police Chief Michael Pickett added that street outreach teams are preventing retaliatory shootings before they happen, further saving lives.
💡 Leadership That Saves Lives
While national media often overlooks these stories, the reality is clear: fewer families are burying loved ones, more cases are being solved, and more residents are willing to engage with police.
As one social media user put it:
“In Baltimore and Birmingham, Black leadership is not a box to check or a headline to boast about. It’s what drives real, life-saving change—whether the national media notices or not.”
🚀 The Work Continues
Both mayors remain committed to pushing further:
“While we acknowledge the historic lows we are experiencing, we must simultaneously acknowledge that there is much more work to do,” Mayor Scott stated. “And our success makes me commit even further to doing it.”
🔊 Final Thought
This is what Black leadership looks like: focused, strategic, data-driven, and deeply rooted in community well-being. Let’s celebrate, support, and amplify these efforts, because real change deserves real recognition.
