Baltimore lost part of its cultural identity in the collapse of the Key Bridge

BALTIMORE (AP) — Generations of Maryland workers — longshoremen, sailors, steelworkers and crabbers whose livelihoods depend on the Port of Baltimore — watched in disbelief this week as an iconic symbol of their maritime culture collapsed into the Patapsco River.

the Fatal collapse The historic Francis Scott Key Bridge shook Baltimore to its core.

“What happened was a farce,” said Joe Wade, a retired dockworker who remembers fishing near the bridge as a child. “I'm not a crier, but… I'm getting emotional.”

Baltimore was a port long before it was incorporated as a city — and long before the United States declared its independence from Britain. Many of the city's brick houses were built to house fishermen, dock workers, and sailors. They have earned a reputation for being pioneers and tough, unafraid of rough seas and long days.

It's a cultural identity that persists among modern-day watermen like Ryan “Skeet” Williams, who makes a living catching crabs from the Chesapeake Bay.

“We're rough and salty,” he said. “You build your own life.”

Williams relied on Key Bridge To connect his small marine community outside Baltimore to Maryland's Eastern Shore, the lifeblood of the state's robust seafood industry. Many of his friends and relatives used the bridge for their daily commute.

Scott Cowan, president of the International Longshoremen's Association Local 333, said the union represents about 2,400 people whose jobs are now in the balance. Freight traffic cannot even resume through the Port of Baltimore Underwater wreckage It has been cleared.

“They always say the port built the city,” said Cowan, who followed in his father's footsteps by becoming a longshoreman decades ago.

The disaster early Tuesday marks the latest blow to a city whose history often gets lost in conversations about its more recent struggles: poverty, Violent crime And Population loss.

Six crew members fell to their deaths on the road after falling 985 feet (300 metres). Cargo ship It lost power and crashed into the bridge, eliminating a key part of Baltimore's skyline and halting marine traffic to one of the East Coast's busiest ports.

And in the aftermath, some Experts doubted Whether the columns supporting the span should be better protected against the giant container ships that routinely pass through it. But Baltimore is an old city with aging infrastructure and often gets little attention from national politicians.

Officials promised this Reconstruction of the main bridgeBut that may take years.

“This is no ordinary bridge. This is one of the cathedrals of American infrastructure,” US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said during a news conference in Baltimore earlier this week. “So the road to normalcy will not be easy. It won't be fast. “It won't be inexpensive.”

A Nonfiction History: Francis Scott Key and Generations of Dockers

Baltimore became a world leader in shipbuilding early in its history. It later became a major transportation center with the addition of a railroad linking the East Coast to the Midwest and beyond.

During the War of 1812, British forces attacked Baltimore in hopes of weakening its industrial and naval power. But American forces successfully defended Fort McHenry in south Baltimore, inspiring an invasion Francis Scott Key To write the national anthem after seeing the American flag defiantly flying above their heads after a night of heavy bombing.

More than 150 years later, construction began on the bridge named in his honor.

Opened in 1977, the Key Bridge spans 1.6 miles (2.6 km) at the entrance to Baltimore Harbor and allows residents to cross the waterway without driving through the city. It provided a direct connection between two working-class, water-conscious communities that were formed during World War II – when nearby steel mills produced hundreds of massive warships to aid the defense effort.

Baltimore's history is filled with notable figures, from corrupt pirates and corrupt politicians to beloved poet Edgar Allan Poe and jazz legend Billie Holiday. Through it all, the port has been relatively steady.

It has allowed countless people to earn a decent living through attendance and working hours, including immigrants and other disadvantaged groups. It has remained an economic engine, adapting and evolving even as other local businesses have closed amid declining industrial production.

It currently processes more vehicles and agricultural equipment than any other port in the country. Last year alone, the company handled $80 billion worth of foreign goods, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said at a news conference earlier this week.

“The Key Bridge collapse is not just a Maryland crisis. The Key Bridge collapse is a global crisis,” he said. “The national economy and the global economy depend on the Port of Baltimore.”

The loss of life falls on the shoulders of one hardworking community in Baltimore

The men who died in the collapse were filling the pits during the night shift. While police quickly stopped traffic after the ship sent out a distress signal, they did not have time to alert the construction crew — a group of Latino immigrants actively pursuing the American dream.

Two survivors were rescued almost immediately and divers recovered two bodies the next day. The remaining four victims are still missing and presumed dead.

Their deaths have even greater significance in the context of the myriad challenges facing immigrants in the United States, advocates say. Men performed physically demanding work for relatively low wages. They worked during the night hours to avoid disturbing Maryland passengers.

It's not surprising that it's these already disadvantaged workers who end up paying the ultimate price, said Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president of the Baltimore-based immigration services nonprofit Global Refuge. She added that migrants would certainly participate in rebuilding the bridge as well.

Workers came to Maryland from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras seeking higher wages and better opportunities for themselves and their families.

By settling in the Baltimore area, they added to a long history of immigration that played a major role in shaping the city's culture and commerce. This history is closely linked to the port.

Between the Civil War and World War I, Baltimore became one of the country's largest entry points for European immigrants. In 1868, an immigration dock opened in South Baltimore not far from the historic battlefield that gave birth to the Star-Spangled Banner.

Many immigrants passed through the city on their way to the Midwest, but others stayed and put down roots. Those without specialized skills or advanced education worked on the docks and in the railroad yards, often alongside African Americans who had come north to escape slavery. Their contributions are commemorated at the Baltimore Immigration Museum, which occupies a historic building constructed in 1904 to house European immigrants.

“Baltimore has become a melting pot of cultures,” said local historian Johns Hopkins, who runs the nonprofit Baltimore Heritage.

In recent decades, Latino immigrants have settled in and around Baltimore, although other cities have received larger influxes, likely because they are seeing more job growth.

CASA, an immigrant advocacy group based in Maryland, has been in contact with two of the families whose loved ones remain among the missing. Both men – Maynor Suazo Sandoval and Miguel Luna – were spouses and fathers who left their home country more than 15 years ago.

“These construction workers are absolutely essential,” said Gustavo Torres, the organization's executive director. “At a time when there is so much hatred against the immigrant community, we look forward to the calm leadership of Minor and Miguel and appreciate the way they support our community so Americans can live comfortably.”

A main road

Many dockworkers and thousands of others used the Key Bridge on a daily basis.

They and their neighbors woke up Tuesday morning to news of its demise and quickly logged on to social media, still in disbelief. They watched video footage showing every detail of the catastrophic collapse, and replayed the horrific scene until it finally seemed real.

Seeing much of their city's infrastructure collapsing like a toy has left some Baltimore residents feeling uneasy and shocked, realizing that anything could happen.

In the days that followed, many residents stopped at various lookouts near the collapse site to inspect the wreckage and pay their respects. Some remember watching the bridge take shape in the 1970s, curving majestically across the water.

“It's always been there. It's been a landmark,” said Nikki Putinski, who spent years living in the small residential neighborhood at the base of the bridge. “I didn't think anything could bring it down like this.”

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, whose father moved to Baltimore when he was a young man to work at the port, said the entire city is sad. There's a reason Baltimoreans are known for their grit and perseverance, Scott said.

“You can't talk about Baltimore — past, present and future — without talking about the port,” he said. “This will be the latest example of Baltimore's comeback. That's really ingrained in us here. We don't give up, we ignore the hype and keep that chip on our shoulder.

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Associated Press video journalist Nathan Elgren contributed to this report from Baltimore.