BALTIMORE — On Friday night a pillar of the Harlem Park Community remembered.
Matthew King was the President and founder of the Harlem Park Community Development Corporation.
On Monday, he was found dead in his apartment in a case that Baltimore Police says is questionable and under investigation.
The people who knew King best said he would do anything for anybody.
On Friday, they came out to pay tribute to a man who was doing everything he could to build up Harlem Park.
Arm in arm the men of Omega Psi Phi chanted in tribute to their brother.
Only 35-years-old — Matthew King was on his way to making a big impact on the Harlem Park Community of West Baltimore.
His mother, Michelle Harris, was a politician for 19 years and says she was amazed by the way her son grew into a compassionate leader with a tangible vision.
“Where everyone had an opportunity for food, a good education, employment, starting businesses,” Harris said. “He came up with so many ideas. He was amazing, he was a big dreamer. He was a dreamer who put himself to work to create those dreams.”
His father, Mark King, said the outpouring of love from his fraternity and his friends and family has been overwhelming.
They hope his legacy lives on.
“His major goal was to help people,” Mark King said. “One of the things he said was why do people have to live like this man? Why, this is a beautiful community why? Poor maintenance, the city’s not doing what they need to do to in order to maintain the property. He said dad the kids, there’s no produce. You gotta travel to get food.”
During the pandemic King was feeding families through food drives and connecting people in need to resources.
His parents want his coworkers and friends to keep his legacy alive by continuing his plans to revitalize Harlem Park.
“I pray that the city government will work together with the younger population and not isolate them,” Harris said. “Accept their ideas and not push them away.”
The community has started a GoFundMe to help with his final arraignments.
