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It's hard for me to view Baltimore outside the context of what Baltimore has always been in my mind: a violent place.

People had lost faith in me in Baltimore, and rightfully so. I knew that was not the guy I was.

Some people see Baltimore as a hopeless place. Some have even made a lot of money on it.

I think Baltimore suffers from nostalgia and it keeps us from being honest in talking about what really happened here. A place doesn't have to be perfect to be beloved, and I love this city and I love it better for seeing its flaws.

Anyone can love a perfect place. Loving Baltimore takes some resilience.

I grew up on the streets of Baltimore, a city I love to this very day.

Some people might look at Baltimore, from afar, and see nothing but hopelessness. I see, in Baltimore, tremendously good and compassionate people, and a tremendous opportunity to save a lot a lives.

Baltimore is one of the most beautiful towns, really. And trust me, I don't say that about every place. There is just something so quaint, old and beautiful about this place.

We moved to Baltimore, Maryland, in 1979, when I was five. The funny thing is that, even though Baltimore had one of the top murder rates in the country in those days, I grew up hearing about how dangerous New York was.

I was born in West Baltimore, lived in a situation in which violence was everywhere.