the dual trace creative group.

After much consideration and research, I made the conscious decision to relocate and establish my long desired art and design studio in the city of Baltimore. In my ambitious plans for the DUAL TRACE creative group, I found a physical space in the local community through which this dream could be made reality. In articulating the key artistic and philosophical concepts behind this art and design studio, I envisioned an artist collective that would empower local creative collaboration, inspire community engagement and harness public art to revitalize and enrich communities. I oft state my extreme affection for the property I have come to refer to as “Carlton House/DUALTRACE HQ”, of my intent to never sell the property and plant permanent roots in the neighborhood.

When I consider the various hardships and difficulties I’ve encountered in my attempts to relocate, live, invest and contribute to the city of Baltimore, I incredibly find a near perfect microcosm of both the problems and the solution to the much publicized issue of vacant properties specifically, but also issues of urban revitalization and development in general.

At 29 S.Carlton Street, we actually find a property whose final disposition involves multiple parties with differing levels of interest. First we have the actual owner, one Mr. Lonnie Allen, who (if alive and in good health) seemingly has absolutely no interest or care. Second, we have my former employer, AP Corp; who I’m sure has a similar level of disinterest but due to their own actions, I intend to be the financier of my eventual purchase. Though tangentially connected; it is still nevertheless important to understand the role they and many other similarly malign companies and corporations play. AP Corp. is in many ways like the hypothetical “Nightmare Company A” from an employment law university course. It is my strong suspicion that with such a high turnover rate, their modus operandi is to deny all former employees unemployment insurance benefits by simply delaying the process by withholding necessary information until an applicant gives up. It became clear to me that it was vital for someone to finally hold them accountable to spare future employees such abuse through my appeal and subsequent civil suit. Third, we have “Property Management by Brandi Bradshaw” who represents the third and most predatory actor in this urban ecosystem. This is the parasitic opportunist that thrives in the chaos created by the other two. The evidence before this Court shows a business model that is not legitimate property management, but a fraudulent scheme. It preys upon the legal confusion surrounding properties left vacant by disinterested owners. It targets tenants made vulnerable by destabilizing outside forces. It extracts value from a distressed asset and a vulnerable person without any legal authority, contributing nothing to the property or the community, only to the cycle of decay.

Where I sought to invest, create, and build a community asset, the Plaintiff’s actions were purely extractive and destructive, culminating in the fraudulent seizure of my home, the burglary of my professional assets, and the cruel abandonment of a pet.

Therefore, this case presents the Court with more than just a request to vacate a void judgment. It presents a clear picture of the forces at war in our city’s most vulnerable neighborhoods. To allow this judgment to stand is to validate the actions of the parasitic opportunists who perpetuate this cycle. By vacating this judgment, this Court can defend the very type of grassroots, creative revitalization that offers our communities their only true hope for a better future.

Respectfully submitted,

Victor ndoromo wondu, Pro se