BALTIMORE — Walking along the harbor, it's easy for someone to slip and fall in.
Petition calls for safety improvements along the harbor
While there are safety tools like ladders, a recent tragedy and follow-up petition have neighbors calling on city officials to put safety first.
Branson Oduor was last seen in the early morning hours on April 4th in Fells Point after a night out with friends.
About two weeks later his body was found in the Inner Harbor.
Mandi Feagans told WMAR-2 News that in over 20 years as a bartender in and around Fells Point, it’s something she’s seen happen too many times.
“A girl named Savannah, she was out in Canton; I think that was 2021. There was a guy named Chaz who was actually a friend of a friend and now Branson," she recalled.
So, she decided it's time to do something about it, creating a change.org petition calling for Baltimore City officials to implement safety improvements around the harbor.
Over 2,500 people have signed at the time of publication.
“There’s obviously no real way to put a fence around the entire harbor. I think in certain areas it would be beneficial, but I think that things like lighting or cameras or more ladders, more accessible life preservers.”
She also calls for vehicle barriers in areas where cars can access the water and visible warning signage in nightlife-heavy zones.
Mayor Brandon Scott responded to the calls to action during a press conference on Wednesday.
"We can't just blankly say that a railing or fence or this or that would have prevented this from happening. We have to look at all safety precautions, but we also have to honor people and respect the process of seeing what actually happened," Scott said.
"The reality is a young man who had a lot of life to live is gone, and he shouldn't be. That's what we have to think about, and pray for his family right now."
Feagans implored Scott to keep looking into it.
“The mayor kind of shoved it aside and didn’t think it was a great idea, but I think that there’s more to it than what he is aware of.”
She said this is just the beginning of her work to make the harbor safe.
Branson's family and friends made a GoFundMe to be able to get his remains back to his home country of Kenya.
