A Descent Into Poe's Maelstrom

Few American writers are as intriguing as Edgar Allan Poe. The author of stories that are still shockingly violent, Poe himself was something of a Jekyll and Hyde—sensitive and kind when sober, but manic and violent when drunk—who lived much of his life in debt after being raised by one of Richmond's richest families. Some of the more salacious details of his life are widely known. He married his cousin, Virginia, when she was 14, and would go on occasional month-longer benders, after which he would return home sick and exhausted. He died under mysterious circumstances at the age of 40 in 1849.

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Blaze News original: Elderly pro-lifer energized over new trial for thug who pulverized his face outside Planned Parenthood



Things couldn't have been worse for Mark Crosby, then 73 years old, when a decades-younger male he estimates stands 6 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs 250 pounds brutally punched and kicked his face and head outside a Baltimore Planned Parenthood in May 2023, shattering his cheekbone and eye socket and turning his face into a bloody pulp.

But things turned around in big way Thursday for Crosby. That's when the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office said it's planning to retry his 28-year-old attacker on a first-degree assault charge, the Baltimore Banner reported.

'They want us to get hurt again so we don't come back. But I'm not going away. I'm not backing down.'

"We have to win this," Crosby told Blaze News in the aftermath of the announcement, adding that he believes defendant Patrick Brice has "got to go to jail, or the pro-aborts will think they can get away with this."

At trial last month, Brice was convicted on two counts of second-degree assault and reckless endangerment for his physical attacks on Crosby and fellow pro-life advocate Dick Schaefer, who was 84 years old at the time, the Banner noted in an earlier story.

While jurors acquitted Brice on one count of first-degree assault against Schaefer, the paper said they failed to reach a unanimous verdict on the first-degree assault charge against Brice for attacking Crosby — knocking him to the ground, punching him in his head, and kicking him in his face while he was on his back on the sidewalk. Surveillance video shows the whole thing.

Getting a new trial for the first-degree assault charge was important, because not pursuing it meant the very real possibility that Brice could skate past jail time altogether. Now that's back in play.

"They want us to get hurt again so we don't come back," Crosby told Blaze News of his five-days-a-week pro-life work with Schaefer in front of that Planned Parenthood. "But I'm not going away. I'm not backing down."

'He walks by me and smirks'

One might assume Brice — upon learning that he might be handed some serious jail time if a jury convicts him of first-degree assault — would have appeared at least somewhat serious or reflective, but Crosby told Blaze News that his attacker actually smirked at him on the street outside the courthouse Thursday.

"He walks by me and smirks," Crosby emphasized, adding that after walking farther down the street, Brice actually turned around and "looked my way" and waved.

Crosby told Blaze News he likened it to Brice saying to him, "Up yours, buddy. I'm still out on the street."

Indeed, Crosby told Blaze News that Brice "is a hero to some people in pro-abort community" for what Assistant State’s Attorney Ashley Sudberry in her opening remarks last month said was a “brazen, callous, barbaric" attack against him and Schaefer.

On May 26, 2023, Crosby and Schaefer were praying, holding pro-life signs, and offering pro-life materials to people entering the abortion facility, Catholic Review said. Brice was arguing with Schaefer about abortion and is seen on surveillance video charging into Schaefer and tackling him backward into a large flower pot. According to WBAL-TV, a witness said the attacker knocked Schaefer out cold "for several minutes."

The video shows Crosby running over to help Schaefer, but Brice easily knocks Crosby down to the sidewalk before punching Crosby in the head, kicking Crosby in the face, and then walking away. You can view a video report here about the attack.

Local pro-life advocate John Roswell told LifeSiteNews at the time that Crosby’s “plate bone in his upper right cheek is completely fractured” and that he “is bleeding from some unidentified area behind his eye, and the bone eye orbit is completely shattered and will have to be replaced with metal.”

Crosby told Blaze News in a February interview that he was blind in his right eye "for nine days" after the attack, spent three days at the Maryland Shock Trauma Center, was "spitting blood," and that a piece of his iris is missing.

He also told Blaze News he still experiences foreign body sensation, which is a "feeling that something's in your eye and you can't get it out. But I can live with that. Babies are being murdered. I give it up for them."

'It was a brutal attack, and it does merit a new trial, for sure.'

Attorney Terrell Roberts — retained by the Thomas More Society to assist Crosby amid deliberations — on Friday told Blaze News that the new trial is "good news" and that he anticipates it will provide a much greater emphasis on the serious nature of Crosby's injuries.

Roberts added to Blaze News that part of getting a first-degree assault conviction — which could result in a jail sentence of 25 years — is showing a jury how badly impaired Crosby's vision became after Brice's attack. Roberts said the damage to his client's right eye — specifically the iris — is "permanent" and Crosby suffers from "extreme photo sensitivity," meaning that he essentially has the use of only one eye, which is a "serious disability."

He also told Blaze News that the prosecution will be able to present other documentation, such as the CT scan of Crosby's head, which showed that the "floor of the orbital bone was fractured so badly" that fat actually was seeping through it.

"Next time around, this is going to be front and center," Roberts told Blaze News regarding showing a jury all the medical data at the new trial, which he expects will take place before August at the latest.

Roberts added to Blaze News that he will discuss with Sudberry — who will be prosecuting Brice's new trial — the issue of a hate crime in connection with the May 2023 attack on the pro-life men due to their "pretty obvious" religious beliefs.

Either way, for Roberts the first-degree assault charge is a "'no doubt about it' type of thing," particularly when video shows Brice kicking Crosby in the head.

"It was a brutal attack, and it does merit a new trial, for sure," Roberts told Blaze News.

February's trial, in which Brice escaped a verdict on first-degree assault, saw his attorney, assistant public defender Matthew Connell, calling Schaefer and Crosby “old white men” who say “the most vile things” to women and see themselves as “religious martyrs," the Catholic Review said.

Connell added that Brice “didn’t mean to hurt them that bad" and “made a mistake," the Banner reported.

Crosby told Blaze News that video of Brice's beatdown of Crosby and Schaefer was shown in court and that one juror was "crying," while "others were looking away" from the violence onscreen.

Anything else?

Brice's sentencing for his second-degree assault and reckless endangerment convictions was supposed to take place Thursday, but Baltimore Circuit Judge Yvette M. Bryant that day postponed sentencing until Aug. 7, the Banner reported.

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Blaze News original: 'Barbaric' attacker destroys elderly pro-lifer's face outside Planned Parenthood. Victim awaits justice.



Mark Crosby's life changed forever on May 26, 2023.

On that day, a then-unknown assailant brutally attacked Crosby and fellow pro-life advocate Dick Schaefer outside a Planned Parenthood in downtown Baltimore.

The attacker's attorney added that his client 'didn’t mean to hurt them that bad' and 'made a mistake,' the Banner reported.

Both men had been praying, holding pro-life signs, and offering pro-life materials to people entering the abortion facility, Catholic Review said, adding that Crosby and Schaefer — both retired — do that five days each week between 9 and 11 a.m.

The bearded suspect, who was arguing with Schaefer about abortion, is seen on surveillance video charging into Schaefer — who was 84 years old at the time — and tackling him backward him into a flower pot. According to WBAL-TV, a witness said the attacker knocked Schaefer out cold "for several minutes."

The video shows Crosby — who was 73 years old at the time — running over to help Schaefer, but the suspect easily knocks Crosby down to the sidewalk before punching Crosby in the head, kicking Crosby in the face, and then walking away. You can view a video report here about the attack.

Local pro-life advocate John Roswell told LifeSiteNews at the time that Crosby’s “plate bone in his upper right cheek is completely fractured” and that he “is bleeding from some unidentified area behind his eye, and the bone eye orbit is completely shattered and will have to be replaced with metal.”

Crosby told Blaze News in an interview this month that he was blind in his right eye "for nine days" after the attack, spent three days at the Maryland Shock Trauma Center, was "spitting blood," and that a piece of his iris is missing.

He also told Blaze News he still experiences foreign body sensation, which is a "feeling that something's in your eye and you can't get it out. But I can live with that. Babies are being murdered. I give it up for them."

Finally, an arrest — more than a year later

On July 1, 2024 — more than a year later — police arrested Baltimore resident Patrick Brice in connection with the attack on Crosby and Schaefer.

Brice was indicted on charges of first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and assault on an elderly person 65 and over, according to the American Center for Law and Justice. He was released on his own recognizance, Catholic Review said.

The criminal trial for Brice took place earlier this month in Baltimore Circuit Court. The Baltimore Banner reported that Brice, 28, exercised his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and did not testify.

But his attorney — Assistant Public Defender Matthew Connell — argued that his client didn't intend to cause serious physical injury, which is needed to support a conviction for first-degree assault, the Banner said.

'Mr. Brice is a grown man. He’s not a child. He knew what he was doing.'

Connell also called Schaefer and Crosby “old white men” who say “the most vile things” to women and see themselves as “religious martyrs," Catholic Review reported.

“Somebody snapped on them,” Connell argued, according to the Banner.

The attacker's attorney added that his client “didn’t mean to hurt them that bad" and “made a mistake," the Banner reported.

Crosby told Blaze News that video of Brice's beatdown of Crosby and Schaefer was shown in court and that one juror was "crying," while "others were looking away" from the violence onscreen.

Assistant State’s Attorney Ashley Sudberry in her opening remarks called Brice's attack “brazen, callous, barbaric behavior," Catholic Review said. Sudberry noted throughout her closing argument that "you saw what you saw, and you heard what you heard," the Banner reported.

Sudberry added that "Mr. Brice is a grown man. He’s not a child. He knew what he was doing," the Banner said.

Hung jury on most serious charge for attack on Crosby

The jury deliberated for about two hours and convicted Brice on two counts of second-degree assault and reckless endangerment for his attacks on Schaefer and Crosby, the Banner said.

However, jurors acquitted Brice on one count of first-degree assault against Schaefer, the paper said.

As for the first-degree assault charge against Brice for attacking Crosby — knocking him to the ground, punching him in his head, and kicking him in his face while he was on his back on the sidewalk — the Banner said the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict.

Attorney Terrell Roberts — retained by the Thomas More Society to assist Crosby amid deliberations — told Blaze News that as things stand, Brice could walk away from all of this with nothing but probation.

Crosby told Blaze News that he's prayed for Brice and has 'forgiven him,' but he wants prosecutors to go for the first-degree assault conviction for the violence he carried out: 'We're waiting for Brice to go to jail.'

Brice's convictions for second-degree assault and reckless endangerment — both misdemeanors — in Maryland carry maximum jail sentences of 10 years and five years, respectively.

Roberts added to Blaze News that sentencing guidelines for second-degree assault and reckless endangerment don't include jail sentences, and the Banner reported that Brice has no previous criminal record. Roberts told Blaze News that while Brice's attack on Crosby was a "pretty egregious act," there's a "good chance" a judge may not sentence Brice to any jail time.

Which is why Roberts told Blaze News it's "so important" that Brice is found guilty of the first-degree assault charge against Crosby. It's a felony and a "serious offense," Roberts said, and means "intent to cause serious bodily injury," which could land Brice in jail for 25 years. Roberts also told Blaze News that the sentencing guideline for first-degree assault does call for a jail sentence.

Now what?

The Banner reported that it wasn't immediately clear whether prosecutors intend to retry the first-degree assault charge against Brice.

James Bentley, a spokesperson for the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office, told the paper that it's “reviewing the matter and will take whatever action we believe is warranted following that review and consultation with the victim.”

Roberts told Blaze News he believes there's sufficient evidence to find Brice guilty of first-degree assault and that he's pressing the prosecution to retry the charge and argue the case in court.

But so far there's been "no progress," Roberts said, adding to Blaze News that he was supposed to hear back from prosecutors on Feb. 21, but as of the late afternoon that date, he had not.

Brice is scheduled to be sentenced March 20 on his second-degree assault and reckless endangerment convictions, the Banner said.

Crosby told Blaze News that he's prayed for Brice and has "forgiven him" but wants prosecutors to go for the first-degree assault conviction for the violence he carried out: "We're waiting for Brice to go to jail."

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Disturbing video shows Amazon delivery driver running van over shrieking woman, dragging her, then fleeing scene



A disturbing video has surfaced of a delivery driver running over a woman with an Amazon van in Baltimore, Maryland. The video shows the delivery driver fleeing the scene of the alleged hit-and-run as the woman shrieks in agony.

According to police, the incident occurred around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The Amazon driver checks on the woman for about 25 seconds before going back into the van and driving away.

Police named Jerome Allan Young Jr. — a 26-year-old of Baltimore County — as the hit-and-run suspect and issued an arrest warrant against him.

Police said in a statement, "Officers learned that Young suspect struck a 29-year-old female pedestrian with an Amazon-branded work van."

Video from a Ring doorbell camera WBFF-TV obtained shows the moment the van rolls through an intersection while a green traffic light is on. However, a woman was in the crosswalk at the same time.

The van driver hit he woman, and she was dragged several feet before falling under the vehicle. The van driver then stops with the victim underneath the vehicle. The driver then pulls forward and runs over the woman a second time with the rear tires.

The woman is heard crying, shrieking in pain, and begging for help during the incident.

The driver then stops the van, exits the vehicle, and walks to the woman in the middle of the intersection.

The Amazon driver checks on the woman for about 25 seconds before going back into the van and driving away.

A driver behind the Amazon van pulled over, and that female motorist rushed to assist the woman.

The female driver is heard asking, "Are you OK?"

Emergency personnel arrived at the scene shortly after the incident.

A Baltimore Police Department spokesperson told WBFF the victim was transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police added on Thursday afternoon that Young turned himself in at a Baltimore County Precinct and was taken into custody.

Young was transported to the Baltimore Central Booking Intake Facility, where he was charged with negligent and reckless driving. Police noted that "additional charges are pending."

Before Young turned himself in to authorities, Amazon spokesperson Austin Stowe released the following statement: "We were made aware of this terrible incident today. The driver in question has been suspended from delivering on our behalf, and we're working with his employer and law enforcement as they investigate."

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Armed 17-year-old carjacker rolls the dice, promptly meets his match when victim pulls his own gun and opens fire



An armed 17-year-old is in "grave condition" after police said he pulled a gun on a man sitting in his vehicle early Tuesday morning in the Baltimore neighborhood of Canton, WBAL-TV reported.

The would-be carjacking victim and the teen exchanged gunfire outside a car wash off South Haven Street, police told the station.

'I mean, it's always shocking, but it seems as though this is a consistent pattern with what's been happening lately with carjackings in the district. Carjackings are up.'

Police told WBAL the 31-year-old victim flagged down an officer around 2 a.m. on Boston Street saying he'd been shot. Police said investigators believe the victim was shot five minutes away on South Haven Street, where he was sitting in his car before the teen walked up to him armed with a gun, the station said.

Police said the victim grabbed his licensed handgun, and he and the teen exchanged gunfire, after which the teen was unresponsive, WBAL reported, adding that police haven't said whether the teen acted alone.

Medics took the man to a hospital for treatment, according to WBAL's news radio station.

Around 2:20 a.m., police were called to the South Haven Street location and discovered an unidentified male — later confirmed to be the 17-year-old — suffering from severe gunshot wounds, the news radio station said.

Emergency medical personnel were dispatched, and the teen was taken to a hospital in critical condition, the news radio station added.

Those with information about the incident can call police at 410-396-2100 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 866-7LOCKUP, WBAL said.

"I mean, it's always shocking, but it seems as though this is a consistent pattern with what's been happening lately with carjackings in the district. Carjackings are up," Arch McKown — vice president of Baltimore Police Department Southwest District Community Relations Council, a liaison between his neighbors and police — told WBAL.

City police data shows carjackings have increased 1,000% since this time last year — from just one reported in the Southeastern District in 2023 to 11 in the same time span this year, WBAL said.

In August, a 16-year-old female driver was shot during an attempted carjacking, Baltimore police told WBAL. Police said the girl and two of her friends were seated in the parked car in the 5100 block of Levindale Road around 7:20 p.m. Aug. 3 when a masked assailant approached them, flashed a gun, and "demanded the occupants get out of the car," the station said. Police told WBAL that the girl immediately reversed the vehicle and was trying to drive away when the assailant shot into the car, striking the teen. Police said she was taken to a hospital, the station said.

- YouTubeyoutu.be

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Merciless thugs beat up 66-year-old man, knocking him out, after they stuck gun in his face and demanded 'everything': Report



Baltimore news station WBFF-TV spoke to a 66-year-old man who said a group of masked youths — as many as five — brutally attacked and robbed him at gunpoint Thursday night while he was on his way home.

The disturbing beat-down also was caught on surveillance video, the station said.

'There is no accountability. They keep letting them go and letting them go and this is what you’re going to have. You guys really start thinking about changing some laws. And you better do it fast before it hits your house next.'

Bernie — who didn't want his last name shared publicly — told the station, “I actually didn’t hear anything. They were very, very quiet. Almost like they snuck up on me. But I could feel their presence. They didn’t say anything, but when I saw them, they had ski masks on."

He added to WBFF, "In my mind, I knew what was coming next, so I started to run, and they started to chase me. As I was running, I was yelling, ‘Help, help, I’m being robbed.’ He pulled the gun out, and he stuck the gun in my face, and I said, ‘What do you want?’ He said, ‘I want everything.'"

The video shows three of the hooded culprits surrounding the victim, who's lying face-down in the street. One of them stomps on the victim's head — the sickening stomp is audible on the video — while another punches him twice. They appear to take the victim's property and then run off.

WBFF said Bernie was knocked out as a result of the attack in the neighborhood near Patterson Park in Baltimore City. Now his left eye is swollen and black and blue, and he has seven stitches near his eyebrow, the station added.

While Bernie told WBFF five suspects attacked him, Baltimore Police said they arrested two males: 18-year-old Montaz Bailey and a 15-year-old male. Police also said a handgun was recovered along with the victim's property after the attack in 200 block of South Madeira Street.

Police said Bailey was taken to the Central Booking and Intake Facility for processing while the 15-year-old male was taken to the Juvenile Justice Center to request a review for detention — but the boy soon was released to a guardian. Both suspects have prior arrests, police said.

Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates authorized an attempted first-degree murder charge to be filed against Bailey, WBFF reported.

“I think I was a prime target for them," Bernie added to the station. "They waited for a prime opportunity to pounce. They get apprehended and within hours, they're back on the street again. They laugh and think it’s a joke. To be honest with you, I can’t blame them for laughing. If I was in their shoes, I’d be laughing about it, too. If you can commit a crime and not be held accountable — there’s no consequences — what’s to stop you?"

“This incident is truly horrific, and my heart is with this victim and our communities,” Police Commissioner Richard Worley said. “More must be done to address the ongoing challenges of crimes being committed by young people and the lack of consequences and accountability. These incidents undermine the work of the BPD and erode the trust our communities place in us to keep them safe.”

Democrat Mayor Brandon M. Scott added, "Time and time again, we’re frustrated by this pattern of repeatedly needing to arrest the same young people who have not received the accountability necessary from other parts of the justice system. The current pattern does a disservice to our residents, our city, and — importantly — the young people themselves. Our police officers are doing their job, and I commend them for their quick action to find those responsible for this terrible attack. But clearly the larger system continues to fail these young people by returning them to the same environment that cannot hold them accountable or on the right path without the additional support needed to make a real change.”

Bernie noted to WBFF, “There is no accountability. They keep letting them go and letting them go and this is what you’re going to have. You guys really start thinking about changing some laws. And you better do it fast before it hits your house next.”

You can view a video report here about the incident.

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Thug confesses to brutally beating 74-year-old man who died next day in hospital; attack on Baltimore street caught on video



A male confessed to brutally beating a 74-year-old man on a Baltimore street Saturday, WJZ-TV reported, citing court documents. The victim died in a hospital the next day; the attack was caught on surveillance video.

Police said they arrested 43-year-old Timothy Clinedinst in connection with the attack against David Philpot.

'He wouldn't be dead if it wasn't for this person.'

Investigators said they learned Clinedinst assaulted Philpot in the 1700 block of Eastern Avenue, adding that the Medical Examiner's office determined Philpot's death was a homicide.

Clinedinst was arrested Monday in Baltimore County (Dundalk) and booked on an involuntary manslaughter charge, police said. Clinedinst is due back in court in mid-September, WJZ reported.

You can view surveillance video of the attack here. The video shows the attacker shoving the victim backward across a sidewalk until the victim lands on his right side — and halfway into the street. The attacker then lifts up the victim's feet and drags the victim the rest of the way into the street between two parked cars. It also appears the attacker kicks the victim in the head and puts his hands around the victim's neck.

Police said Philpot suffered a broken hip and numerous cuts and bruises, WJZ reported.

Philpot's widow, Mary Margaret Philpot, told the station the attack aggravated her husband's pre-existing heart condition: "He shouldn't be dead. He wouldn't be dead if it wasn't for this person."

David Chebahtah, a neighbor of the Philpot family, told WJZ that "it's a tragedy that a 40 [something]-year-old old man has to beat up a 70-plus-year-old man. The sense of safety in the neighborhood has been shaken. He was a great neighbor, and he always smiled."

Philpot's widow added to the station that her husband also was a father, grandfather, and veteran and wanted to help others: "On the block, the standing joke was if something's wrong, 'Go get Mr. Dave, he will fix it.'"

She added tearfully that her late husband "was my hero. He was my world. I just want this to be resolved. Let's just say let justice do what they have to do."

You can view a video report here about the fatal attack and how others are reacting to it.

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EXCLUSIVE: Nancy Pelosi’s Library Visit Turned Campaign Stop May Have Violated IRS Rules

'Endorsing and campaigning for presidential candidates at nonprofit organizations is prohibitedactivity'

Dem-Appointed Judge Tosses Major Climate Case Against Oil and Gas Producers in Blow to Environmental Activists

A Baltimore judge tossed a landmark climate change lawsuit against more than two dozen oil and gas companies in a sizable defeat for environmental activists and Democrats that have touted the case.

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Baltimore accuses DEI-captive manager and owner of Dali of negligence over demolition of Key Bridge



The City of Baltimore recently blasted the owner and manager of the ship that wrought havoc in Maryland last month, stressing not only that they were negligent and their ship was "unseaworthy" but that they should be denied their proposed liability cap.

The Dali, a 984-foot vessel owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd. and managed by the DEI-captive Synergy Marine Group, rammed into one of the piers holding up the historic Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, killing six people including a beloved father of three.

Were it not for the heroism and quick work of several Baltimore police officers, many more lives would likely have been lost when the steel arch-shaped truss bridge that had long extended Americans 1.6 miles over the Patapsco River came crashing down.

In addition to lives lost, the horrific incident crippled the port — the second-busiest port in the mid-Atlantic. Even today, the ruins of the bridge have limited commercial activity to roughly 15% of the port's pre-collapse level.

While emergency crews were frantically searching for bodies in the harbor's frigid waters just days after the collision, the companies that own and manage the ship requested that they have their liabilities limited with regards to the fatal incident.

The City of Baltimore made clear in court documents filed this week in the U.S. District Court in Maryland that the companies' requested $43.6 million liability cap "is substantially less than the amount that will be claimed for losses and damages arising out of the Dali's allision with the Key Bridge."

The city further underscored the companies were "grossly and potentially criminally negligent," reported Axios.

The city made clear in court documents filed in the U.S. District Court in Maryland that the ship's owner and manager "are not entitled to limit their liability in the instant case because, at all times relevant to this litigation, the Dali was operated in a willful, wanton, and reckless manner."

The city further claimed that Grace Ocean Private and the Synergy Marine Group knew that the 110,000-ton Dali to be "unseaworthy" for, among other things,

  • failing to properly train the crew,
  • failing to follow safe work and operational procedures,
  • failing to properly maintain the vessel and its appurtenances,
  • failing to properly equip the vessel,
  • failing to conduct adequate inspections of the vessel and it appurtenances,
  • failing to properly supervise the work with competent employees,
  • failing to provide a competent crew and safe equipment,
  • improper management of the Dali and/or her crew, and/or
  • other failure, acts, or omissions of the petitioners and of the Dali that may be shown at trial.

Just hours prior to leaving port, the Dali — which also collided with the stone pier in the Port of Antwerp in 2016 — had experienced electrical problems, a person with knowledge of the situation recently told the Associated Press.

Alarms on some of the ship's refrigerated containers apparently had gone off, suggestive of an inconsistent flow of power. Nevertheless, the Dali's masters carried on with their attempt to reach open waters — an attempt interrupted by another apparent loss of power, which sent them careening into a critical pier.

While the Synergy Marine Group allegedly failed to execute the basic functions of a ship manager, it evidently has other top priorities.

Synergy Marine Group states on its website that "issues related to diversity are a high priority at Synergy. We realize that the benefits of diversity are best achieved by fostering greater inclusion and belonging."

Whereas the City of Baltimore indicated an understanding Monday that success on the company's part would be characterized by not getting people killed and paralyzing a major port, Synergy Marine Group indicated its goal is a "workplace that is truly characterized by inclusion and belonging."

A jury trial might be the company's next stop on its "DEI journey in building an innovative and sustainable maritime sector which all can be proud of."

Extra to the city seeking to hold the companies financially accountable, it appears there may also be criminal charges on the horizon. After all, the FBI recently launched a criminal probe into the bridge collapse.

The Washington Post indicated that a spokesman for the two companies declined to comment on the investigations and legal proceedings underway.

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