Vacant Homes Wither Under Flawed Tax System

Early this year, the deaths of three Baltimore firefighters (and critical injuries to another) while they battled a blaze at a vacant house in the 200 block of South Stricker Street refocused a harsh light on the decades-old problem of vacant houses in that city.

“This is a gut-wrenching tragedy for our city, the Baltimore City Fire Department, and most importantly the families of our firefighters,” said Mayor Brandon Scott in a statement. Scott ordered a citywide review of all vacant housing operations, procedures, and processes in the wake of the tragedy. However, vacant house fires have been a recurring problem in Baltimore for years. In fact, that same house on Stricker Street that collapsed and killed the three firefighters also caught fire in 2015, and three firefighters were injured then; fortunately they all survived. However, in 2014, Lt. James Bethea died of smoke inhalation after falling inside a vacant house where he was battling a fire.

Vacant Properties are Violent. And, They Beget Violence.

As of April 14, of the 85 locations where homicides were reported in 2022, 59 have taken place at or near a property with a Vacant Building Notice, a tax lien, or a demolition. This is a fact, not a coincidence. It’s the result of extractive and exploitative economic policies targeted at Black communities, creating concentrated vacancy, poverty, and trauma.

Just as vacant houses fuel more vacancy, high crime levels, and substandard housing, Baltimore’s decrepit and convoluted tax sale system constantly replenishes the city’s monstrous vacant house inventory. There are currently 14,973 houses