On Thursday, May 16, Lydia Watts of ROAR, along with colleagues from many of our area’s victim’s services organizations, were on hand to witness Governor Moore officially sign the Victim Compensation Reform Act of 2024 into law. Once implemented, this will remove insurmountable barriers and delays that have prevented far too many crime victims from […]

By Dylan Segelbaum, reprinted by permission from The Baltimore Banner. Photo by Kylie Cooper for The Baltimore Banner. Maryland lawmakers have passed a bill to revamp the system for victim compensation in the state; changes advocates say will not only help survivors of crime and their families, but improve public safety. The Victim Compensation Reform […]

By Dylan Segelbaum, Reprinted by permission from The Baltimore Banner. Photo by Wesley Lapointe for the Baltimore Banner. Deborah Haskins used to think that homicide happened to other families. Then, in 2013, Haskins’ son, Joseph, 20, whom family members called “JoJo,” was fatally shot during a home invasion in Baltimore. Her nephew, Reuben, 24, was […]

Gun violence is the leading cause of death for young Black men in Baltimore City—and across America. Baltimore City’s homicide rate is ten times the national average. Despite these grim statistics, governmental systems in Baltimore City and elsewhere have primarily treated gun violence and homicide among Black men as a criminal issue rather than a […]

This week, ROAR Executive Director Lydia Watts testified before both the Maryland House and Senate urging legislators to support the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board Reform Act. Read her testimony: “I am here as the executive director of The Rebuild, Overcome, and Rise (ROAR) Center at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, representing the interests of the […]