Conspiracy in the Dark: Crime, Abandoned Properties, and the National Guard!
Baltimore, MD – Night falls in Penn-North, Baltimore, and the city becomes a war zone. Abandoned homes, graffiti-stained walls, and dark street corners leave residents both scared and angry. While politicians debate crime on television, locals express real fears: “We need playgrounds for kids, affordable housing, and real community centers,” said Tasha, a young mother, as she pushed her stroller through Penn-North, the streetlights casting long, ghostly shadows.
When President Donald Trump suggested deploying the National Guard to Baltimore, rumors began to spread through the streets: some believed the federal government was secretly conducting a “shadow operation” to control crime, but others said abandoned houses were being used as “underground bases” for gangs by a secret network.
“Baltimore is burning,” Joseph, a Penn-North resident, said as a homeless man slept on his doorstep. “There are abandoned houses everywhere, and who controls them? Crime is using them as playgrounds.” Trayvon, another local youth, looked around and asked bluntly: “How can you fix the houses without fixing the people? Beautifying the streets just makes it look neater for drug dealers.”
City officials like Mayor Brandon Scott and Governor Wes Moore claim that violent crime numbers are down: 91 homicides and 218 non-fatal shootings in 2025, down 29.5% and 21%, respectively, from the previous year. But Baltimore’s homicide rate is still 6.8 times higher than the average for other US cities, according to a report by Just Facts. Many residents, especially those who see violence and drugs every day, say the numbers are a “publicity hoax.”
Some residents expressed hope that the deployment of the National Guard could be a “medicine” to deter crime. “If the troops are coming, they’ll at least back off a little bit,” said one resident, who declined to be named, looking at a street corner where several young people were gathered. But opponents warned that the military presence could spark more conflict and escalate tensions.
“There have been plans in the works for a long time, but now Trump wants to step it up in Baltimore, just like he did in Washington, D.C., and Memphis,” an anonymous source in the Governor’s Office told me. “There will be constant surveillance of some streets, abandoned homes will be searched, and federal forces will be working with local police in secret operations.”
Meanwhile, some residents believe that social solutions like youth recreation centers, job assistance, and affordable housing are more necessary than deploying the National Guard. Ronette, a local resident, recalled Baltimore as a child: “When we were kids, people cooperated, kept the streets clean, and helped each other. Now everyone is just looking out for themselves.”
Tabloid commentators have also theorized that the abandoned houses in Penn-North are more than just empty properties. Some say they are part of a “shadow network” that helps gangs organize illegal activities, from drug trafficking to gambling. The deployment of the National Guard can thus be seen as a covert war between federal forces and Penn-North’s “shadow operators.”
The big question is: Will the National Guard really save Baltimore, or is this just a political stunt designed to burnish the image of Trump and local officials? Residents, reporters, and netizens are still fiercely debating on forums and social media, with the hashtags #BaltimoreUnderFire, #NationalGuard, #PennNorthChaos exploding.
One thing is for sure: Baltimore’s dark underbelly of crime and abandoned real estate will be a hot topic for weeks to come. Every move by the National Guard, every house searched, and every Penn-North Street was scrutinized and subjected to the sensational prism of public opinion, turning the city into a “war zone” of modern crime.
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