NEWS&VIEWS You Can Use


Baltimore Arabbers Deliver Food & Masks


Levar Mullen is a lifelong


arabber. He was born into the industry and has been involved with the family-run business for the past 38 years. T is past March, while the COVID-19 cases in the U.S. began to rise and Governor Hogan issued several execu- tive orders restricting move- ment throughout Maryland, Mullen and a few of his col- leagues shut down their nor- mal businesses and started working towards providing food, masks and COVID-19 information to inner Balti- more City neighborhoods. Arabbing in Baltimore


it and then add [CO- VID-19] information sheets before the arab- bers start deliveries.” And people are lis- tening! “We gave masks and such to a senior citizen home a few weeks ago and when we went back the next week to deliv- er more food, everyone there was wearing the masks!” Mullen said. “T ey really are listen- ing to what we are say- ing and staying inside and safe.” T e two organiza-


City has a long history of bringing fresh produce to neighborhoods since 1729. T e Arabber Pres- ervation Society, a non-profi t organization cre- ated in 1994, recognizes arabbing as an Afri- can-American folk tradition, an economically viable system and a method of apprenticeship unique to Baltimore. Mullen says this tradition is a social business.


“We come up with jingles and invite people to come out of their homes and chat. T ey want to meet our horses which just can’t be done at a distance of six feet or more,” he said. “Plus we need to properly train people on new pro- cedures on how to handle the food and keep distances and such, so I just told all my guys to stay home for now.” Instead of normal operations, Mullen and


colleagues have partnered with Food Rescue Baltimore to provide much needed food and supplies, free of charge, to the neighborhoods they have served for decades. But they are not just providing tangible items, they are also delivering life-saving information about CO- VID-19 and how to prevent its spread. M. Holden Warren, founder of Food Rescue Baltimore, explained, “the arabbers are a trusted institution. T e people in these communities will listen to their advice and messages.” He added, “T ere is a kink in the food industry right now and many suppliers can’t sell what they have and so we collect the food, package


Baltimore City’s Arabbers continue to serve the community during the CO- VID-19 pandemic with fresh produce and supplies.


tions have been mak- ing twice a week de- liveries since the end of March and plan to continue for as long as


needed. Warren added, “we are collecting do- nations to pay the arabbers a fl at fee hoping to support their business needs as best we can.”


Horseback Riding in State Parks During the Stay at Home Order


What you need to know! - by Corinne Pouliquen, Maryland Horse Coun- cil Executive Committee T e MHC has been working diligently to ob- tain confi rmation from the Department of Nat- ural Resources (DNR) that the below Facebook post appearing on the Maryland State Parks’ Facebook page on April 7, was in fact, offi cial policy, and the reasons behind that policy.


“ALERT: In accordance with Governor Hogan’s emergency actions to protect pub- lic health during the COVID-19 pandemic, horseback riding is prohibited in State Parks.”


After some back and forth emails with Nita


Settina, Superintendent, Maryland Park Service, DNR, we were provided with the following of- fi cial statement by Ms. Settina on April 15. “T e decisions on outdoor recreation were


made in consultation with the state’s legal experts on how to interpret the governor’s executive order. T e intent of the governor’s


executive order is for everyone to stay at home unless you absolutely must leave. “While we realize that this is an inconve-


nience, risking unnecessary exposure is not just a hazard for you and your family, it puts our law enforcement, emergency responders, and staff in danger and diverts front line resources that are needed to respond to the pandemic. An exception for the care of live animals has been made in the executive order. “While the Stay at Home order does allow


for outdoor exercise recreation, such activities must be limited to reduce potential exposure. Hiking, biking, and walking are expressly al- lowed under the executive order. Since kaya- king and paddle boarding are both human- powered forms of exercise, akin to bicycling, they are permitted under the executive order. “Activities that require signifi cant time,


travel, and use of common facilities exceed the intent of the order’s allowance for exercise. Accordingly, state offi cials have determined commercial and recreational riding centers and stables should suspend operations (as stated in our online guidance FAQs), and the department has followed suit by suspending horseback riding on all public lands until the order is lifted.”


We recognize that this statement leaves a lot of unanswered questions, including why only horseback riding is considered an activity that requires “signifi cant time, travel, and use of common facilities” and why, if “T e intent of the governor’s executive order is for everyone to stay at home unless you absolutely must leave,” that intent is not deemed to apply, for example, to persons who load their bikes onto their cars and drive to distant state parks to cycle, or the groups of families and friends who pile into their cars to drive to parks and are, according to press reports, crowding trails with little regard for social distancing. T e MHC strives to maintain a positive rela-


tionship with DNR and the State Parks system. However, we are struggling to fi nd a principled way to respond to those who claim that DNR appears to have an institutional bias against horses and horse people in view of this appar- ent discriminatory treatment. We also don’t understand the correlation between the closure of “commercial and recre-


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www.equiery.com | 800-244-9580 MAY 2020 | THE EQUIERY | 11


Ron Cassie


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