Frank Storch Teams Up with Israel Bethea to Calm Tensions in Baltimore

Frank Storch and Israel Bethea decided they could not just sit back and let the rise in tension after the not-guilty Zimmerman verdict go unchecked. So Frank Storch went out and bought up hundreds of bottles of icy cold water, and with Bethea’s help, drove around town distributing them.

Frank Storch Calming Tensions in Baltimore

Israel Bethea, who is not only an African American, but also a German Jew, said that “people were so thankful.”

Storch and Bethea ended up giving out almost 400 bottles of water to people they saw as they drove up and down Park Heights Avenue and Reisterstown Road in Baltimore. At one point they even got on a bus to give out water to the grateful riders.

Bethea, who believes there are misunderstandings between the African-American and Jewish communities, said that distributing the water bottles was a great way to help mitigate some of the tension between the two groups.

“People were sincerely thankful,” said Bethea. “It was something small we could do to allay some tension. I was glad to be a part of it.”