Baltimore expands youth outreach teams in Inner Harbor, Fells Point

Baltimore sent roughly 24 youth-engagement workers into the Inner Harbor and Fells Point on Friday and Saturday nights, turning two of the city’s busiest visitor districts into a test of whether outreach could keep teens out of trouble and cut down on the calls that follow it.

In the Inner Harbor, the teams worked from about 7:30 p.m. to midnight. In Fells Point, they stayed out from about 9:30 p.m. to 2 a.m., checking whether young people had resources, were following curfew rules and were using public space without setting off fights, disorder or police runs. When crews encountered people smoking marijuana, they warned that citations could follow if the behavior continued. If it did not stop, Baltimore police were called to issue the citation.

The approach depended on more than warnings. MONSE used B360 as a youth connection center and worked with Redesigning Minds, a mental-health provider that also partners with city schools, to steer young people toward counseling, school re-enrollment and other help when needed. City programming tied to the strategy included Midnight Basketball, summer camps, movie nights, pool parties, concerts and Rock the Block events, and MONSE also accepted referrals for young people with juvenile-justice involvement who needed help reconnecting with school and stabilizing emotionally.

The effort was part of Mayor Brandon M. Scott’s broader public-safety structure. Scott created the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement in December 2020 to replace the former Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, and the current spring activation began Friday, March 27, 2026, with outreach scheduled through Labor Day weekend. Baltimore’s curfew ordinance gave the city the legal framework for the work: minors under 14 cannot be in public between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., and from the Friday before Memorial Day through the last Sunday in August, minors ages 14 to 16 cannot be in public between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. without an applicable exception.

City leaders have also paired outreach with enforcement. Baltimore Police launched an Entertainment District Unit in August 2025 to focus on nightlife hubs including the Harbor and Fells Point, a sign that the waterfront districts have become a proving ground for the city’s balance of intervention and order. Officials said the 2024 summer youth strategy was associated with a 66% decline in youth shooting victimizations and a 31% decline in aggravated assault victimizations. Those are the numbers Baltimore will watch as the Inner Harbor and Fells Point move deeper into the summer season.