The authorities of the American city of Baltimore have announced that they will put up for sale for a symbolic amount of one dollar more than 200 abandoned buildings that have been transferred to the state property, but it is unlikely that this offer will seem very attractive to Americans. , reports Business Insider.

The board of trustees, responsible for managing public buildings, approved the measure this Tuesday, according to local publication The Baltimore Sun. According to local authorities, there are 15,000 abandoned properties in the city.

The approved plan states that the homes listed for sale can also be purchased by developers or non-profit organizations, but for them the price will be $3,000, local media reported.

The city will also offer grants of up to $50,000 for home renovations to people who already have a mortgage loan from banks.

Business Insider recalls that the Baltimore authorities implemented a similar plan in the 1970s, when they put abandoned property up for sale at a price of one dollar. The program then was also addressed to those who promised to repair homes.

According to local media, the new plan has the support of Democratic Mayor Brandon Scott, elected in 2020.

The American city is experiencing a wave of violent crime

In recent years, many homes in Baltimore have been abandoned due to violent crime in the eastern US city of Maryland.

The 2020 census showed that the city’s population had fallen by 5.7% in just one decade, from 620,961 in 2010 to 585,708 at the time of the census.

The trend intensified after 2015, when violent protests erupted in the city following the death of 25-year-old African-American Freddie Gray in police custody.

“Senseless violence. Those who created it should be treated like criminals,” former President Barack Obama described the situation in the city at the time. Thousands of police and National Guard were deployed to the city in 2015 to stop violent riots similar to those that erupted in Minneapolis in 2020 after the death of George Floyd.

Baltimore currently has one of the highest homicide rates in the United States in terms of crimes per thousand residents.

The headline of an article published by the local newspaper The Baltimore Banner last December is emblematic of the situation: “Now that the number of murders has fallen below 300, who has the right to take the credit?”.