We knew when we asked people at the Charles Village Festival this weekend to give us their pro or con comments about living in Baltimore we’d hear about schools and litter and crime. But somehow we weren’t prepared for all the complaints about ear-splitting ambulance and police sirens in Baltimore.

“Tell the EMS to turn the sirens down,” one wrote, in the suggestion box we set up at the festival. “Dear Mayor; Please turn down the sirens! The loud sirens don’t do a bit of good!” another wrote, on one of the 3″ x 5″ index cards we provided.

“Give us your rants – positive or negative – about Baltimore,” we said, also describing this exercise as a “memo to the mayor,” a way to tell Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake what you think she should put higher on her “To Do List.”

Here’s everything we found in our Civic Suggestion Box on Saturday.

Tomorrow we’ll post what you stuffed into our plastic suggestion jar on Sunday. Both will serve as our Best of Brew Comments feature for this week.
_________________________________

“I like the old Baltimore when people could awake in the morning and half-wonder and half get started in the daily duties of the day. The New Baltimore you don’t have to awake – cause you never get to sleep with the sirens, people up all night rambling the neighborhood, raffling through your yards and front porch taking whatever.”
_____________________________________

“1) More bike lanes, 2) Better transportation 3) More money spent on non-tourist areas.”
______________________________________

 “I’m moving to Baltimore and I like the diversity in this city!”
______________________________________

“What part of a crosswalk do Baltimore drivers not understand?”
___________________________________________

________________________________________

“I want to be able to go down to Lexington Market without being propositioned to buy drugs.”
________________________________________

“In town from Asheville, N.C. for my husband’s reunion (50th). Two days ago a young man at a concert said to me: ‘When I’m old I hope my girlfriend looks as good as you.’ And yesterday a landscape worker at the harborside walked over to give me a big pink rose saying ‘I think  you should have this.’ The young men of Baltimore are charming!”
_________________________________________

“When scooters and ATVs can cruise the streets aimlessly it’s sketchy as hell and just looks bad.”
____________________________________________

“A 9% increase in the water fees when you can’t even bill anyone correctly? Really?”
______________________________________________

“I love Baltimore! It’s great!”
____________________________________________

 “Please give a new dock site to the Canton Kayak Club!!! Work with us – the heliport area is naked – our members spend lots of money in the city.”
_____________________________________________

“This is a great city but we need better public transportation!”
_____________________________________________

“Please consider the total impact of vacant and debilitated houses. Many are not only eyesores but extremely dangerous. Think of a Baltimore where children see strong housing – housing to be proud of. Housing that does not look like it went through The Blitz. Please – it may bring 20,000 new residents.”
_______________________________________________

“Doing a great job!”
______________________________________________

“Would like to get back to the city that reads.”
______________________________________________

“When are the people in Roland Park going to send their kids to school in W. Baltimore?”

Prioritize development uptown, end tax breaks for already prosperous developers and corporations, demand full funding from Grand Prix organizations.”
______________________________________________

 “Red light, parking, speed.”
_____________________________________________

EDUCATION: Move to excellent education in grammar and high schools and people will come and clean the city.”
____________________________________________

 “I appreciate Baltimore’s efforts to be more Bicycle-friendly.”
_____________________________________________

“I like what the Downtown Partnership is doing. Events, etc.”
______________________________________________

“I don’t like kids panhandling for teams in the street at rush hour.”
_____________________________________________

“Do not raise bus fare!!! People are poor.”
______________________________________________

“Build schools and after school programs.! Less focus on downtown.”
______________________________________________

“Dear Mayor Rawlings-Blake and Councilwoman Spector. A big heart-felt THANK YOU for getting the pipe repair work completed on the JFX ahead of schedule! As a 10 year volunteer at the Maryland Zoo at Baltimore I appreciated it being done in time for our big annual fund raiser ‘Brew at the Zoo.’”

“Come back Mayor/Governor Schaefer.  The last of Man.”
____________________________________

 “I thought Stephanie Rawlings-Blake would be ok but she seems to be as racist as Kurt Schmoke. The recent violence is black!!! She is not doing anything to help us. We need to survive together.”
_____________________________________

“I love Baltimore and am proud to call it my new home. The people are great and friendly and there is so much to do! BUT Baltimore why all the litter? I see people throw trash on the ground when standing by trash cans! WTH??”
______________________________________

“DECRIMINALIZE DRUGS. Free males from jail to learn to be responsible dads! Teach people as parents to raise kids together. Restore Baltimore.”
_____________________________________

“I don’t like that people litter into the bay. I like Baltimore because it has some caring.”
______________________________________

 “Great work Madame Mayor on protecting bicyclists on Charles St. from police indifference.”
_______________________________________

People are in a state of pure de Nuts! What! Pray, that’s all that’s left.”
_______________________________________

 “What is wrong with trees? I ask this of Lovely Lane Church on St. Paul St. What kind of church wants to rip out new trees and throw them away? What would Jesus do? I doubt he hated trees.”