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October 22, 2008

Infant in trash bin and the mysterious notes

Days after a newborn was found dead in a trash bin in back of St. John's United Methodist Church in Charles Village, some group decorated the bin with notes remembering the child and, in some cases, condemning the mother.

I still don't know who put them there.

Two people involved with Charles Village associations said they had no idea. The mother was part of a service volunteer group from the Church of the Brethren, but a spokeswoman in Illinois said none of their members did the drawings. Some speculated that a group called 2640 project may be responsible. This group advertises itself as a cooperative for "radical politcs and grassroots culture" and meets at St. John's. One of the leaders e-mailed me yesterday to deny any making the posters.

The pastor of St. John's hasn't returned phone calls, and I have no idea who put them up and why, or who took them down. I'd love to know their purpose.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 6:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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About Peter Hermann

Peter Hermann started covering news for The Baltimore Sun in 1990, first in Anne Arundel County and, starting in 1994, reporting on the Baltimore Police Department. In 2001, he was assigned to Jerusalem as the Baltimore Sun's Middle East correspondent. He returned in 2005 as an assistant city editor overseeing crime coverage. In 2008, Peter returned to the beat as a daily reporter and blogger. A recent BBC report featured him in a segment on the harsh realities of covering crime in Baltimore.

Coverage will focus on crime trends, problems in neighborhoods in the city and elsewhere, profiles of victims and police officers and try to offer readers a fresh perspective on one of the most vexing issues facing Baltimore and its future.

Contributing to this blog is Justin Fenton, who joined The Sun in 2005 and has covered the Baltimore City Police Department and the criminal justice system since 2008. His work includes an investigation into Cal Ripken Jr.’s minor league baseball stadium deal with his hometown of Aberdeen, a three-part series chronicling a ruthless con woman, coverage of the killing of five Amish children at a schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, Pa., and a job swap with a British crime reporter to explore differences in crime-fighting. A special report looking into how city police handle rape cases led to sweeping reforms that changed the way sexual assaults are investigated in Baltimore. He was recognized as the best reporter in Baltimore by the City Paper in 2010 and by Baltimore Magazine in 2011.

Follow @phscoop, @justin_fenton on Twitter