Rep. Kweisi Mfume aims to tackle community concerns in Turner Station

By Ashlee Banks
Special to the AFRO

U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Md., recently held a town hall meeting in the Turner Station community to address the needs of his constituents.

“Turner Station has a special place in my heart. That’s where I was born and grew up in my formative years,” Mfume told the AFRO.

On May 9, the congressman met with residents at the Sollers Point Multi-Purpose Center in Dundalk to discuss various concerns, such as flooding following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, ending food deserts in the area and combating pollution that has led to increased rates of cancer, asthma, heart disease and lung disease. 

People want “to be heard” and to know that “people in elected office care,” Mfume said. 

Many residents expressed concern about structural damage and sediment remediation in the Patapsco River following the collapse of the Key Bridge on March 26 after a Dali ship rammed into the structure, killing six construction workers. The ship was en route to Sri Lanka when it lost power and crashed into the bridge, causing the throughway to plummet into the Patapsco River.  

“We want to make sure that sediments that are dug up do not find their way into water systems and drinking water,” Mfume said.  

As for the issue of food deserts in Turner Station, Mfume told the AFRO that residents have to travel to “Dundalk or over to Merritt Boulevard and find shopping centers where they can get quality food and fruits.”

The Maryland lawmaker added that he is “committed to trying to find a way to start the process of putting in place a compelling argument that would a supermarket in Turner Station.”

More than a year ago, due to redistricting, Turner Station joined Mfume’s 7^th Congressional district. He told the AFRO that it has been “gratifying.”

“It gives me a sense of ownership and familiarity that I wouldn’t have otherwise,” said the lawmaker. “Their problems are my problems.”

Mfume added that having talks with the community is essential, particularly in the wake of redistricting.

“I thought it was incumbent upon me to get out to communities that were not in the district previously so that they would know me and I would know them,” he said. He continued, “The best way to do that is to have regular conversations on all the topics that they care about and are impacted by and then try to find a way to put forward a plan of action in each case.”

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