During the riots in Baltimore on Monday evening into Tuesday morning, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said that she didn't say what she did say a few short days before the violence erupted. Two short videos below the fold.
A few days before the violence in Baltimore erupted:
To be fair, I must point out Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's use of the ambiguous pronoun that — never mind her educational background, which includes a juris doctor degree.
To exactly what did the mayor intend that pronoun to refer?
The right of those who wished to destroy to protest or the latitude for those who wished to destroy to tear the city apart?
I never thought the mayor meant what critics said she meant......who would say that? I appreciate this post; it does say it gives them space to PROTEST as well..........But, you have to listen a couple of times, and to kind of parse it as you have....
Also, I've been listening to this mayor for a couple of days now and I am struck with her speech patterns being very much like Michelle Obama...particularly the "um" she throws in very, very often....they both do. VERY similar speech....I wonder if they know each other...just a thought.
I get a kick out of her "best practices" phrase, as if she would lnow. I'm not listening again I heard her say "space to destroy" and that's what the thugs heard. As if they'd parse.
The mayor of Baltimore and the governor of Maryland both walked off an interview with CNN's Don Lemon after he questioned whether officials were quick enough to react to violence in Baltimore in the wake of the death of Freddie Gray.
For want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost. For want of a horse the rider was lost. For want of a rider the message was lost. For want of a message the battle was lost. For want of a battle the kingdom was lost. And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
I'm sure that the mayor 'meant' something different from what she 'said', but as a black progressive female, she has never been "challenged" on her communication skills before. Language is, after all, "culture".
Throughout his work, Lacan varies Heidegger's motif of language as the house of being: language in not man's creation and instrument, it is man who 'dwells' in language - 'Psychoanalysis should be the science of language inhabited by the subject.' Lacan's 'paranoid' twist, his additional Freudian turn of the screw, comes with his characterization of this house as a torture-house. In light of the Freudian experience, man is a subject caught in and tortured by language. Man does not dwell in a mere 'prison-house of language' (the title of Fredric Jameson's early book on structuralism), he dwells in a torture-house of language: the entire range of psychopathologies deployed by Freud, from conversion-symptoms inscribed into the body up to total psychotic breakdowns, are the scars of this permanent torture, so many signs of an original and irremediable gap between the subject and language, so many signs that man can never be at home in his own home... - Slavoj Zizek, "The Ticklish Subject"
Leftwing progressivism is dedicated to the goal of allowing all those on their team a "space to destroy."
Destroying, burning, tearing down, mocking... That's what leftwing progs do best.
If the mayor misspoke, it was a Freudian slip.
BTW, in almost every video of the rioting, do you notice those white kids with backpacks flitting around? Those are the communist agitators, the rich kids from Columbia and other elite colleges who are eager to burn it all down.
Where did the OWS rabble go?
It's going to be a long, hot summer for America's cities. Glad I don't live in one.
Bill Evans, Boston police commissioner, has been the topic of discussion during the events in Baltimore. He's a pretty savvy guy who went out of his way to visit Pos Office Squre during the OWS days and make sure the police understood "low profile".
We haven't had nearly as much conflict between poor neighborhoods and the police and other big city forces could do worse than follow Evans' lead.
SF, If the mayor misspoke, it was a Freudian slip.
Could be.
If I recall correctly, Guiliani concluded that the mayor of Baltimore operated on the philosophy that the destroyers would expend their energies and stop. Well, they did stop, but not until they burned down the only pharmacy in that section of Baltimore -- as well as wreaking much more destruction.
There are some "Hillary 2016" people who are now blaming Martin O'Malley for the conditions leading to the riots... but O'Malley's been out of office as Mayor of Baltimore for more than eight years now.
And Rawling's-Blake and her predecessor Sheila Dixon both backed-off on the strict police enforcement model. The problem is... they backed off TOO far. The pendulum has swung... and if the Mayor's Office want to get a handle on it, they've got to "shorten the leash" on the rioters and give them considerable LESS space to destroy than they had, previously. The "turning point" in which "lax law enforcement" was beneficial has been "passed". The city needs a new "Rudy Giuliani"-type.
...and so, if the Mayor "meant" something different from what she "said", THAT interpretation differs significantly from what her actual policy with regards to "policing" has been for the past five years.
Without watching the video's, I thought that the issue regarding what she said, was her reference to "thugs". Because the perpetual racism industry tells us that the term is racist. Except that they been silent on that now....
Excellent piece on Baltimore and Obama's response.
CI....'thugs' is suddenly a racist term, since Baltimore, for some reason, but the 'outrage' about the mayor's comments was on what AOW covers in her post.
I think we should all show solidarity with the protesters and go to our drugstores and grocery stores and burn them down. Then come home and burn our neighbors homes, after stealing their stuff.
My take on what the mayor said was that there should be an attempt to contain the riot in the hope of limiting the damage. It's just a fact that when kids who have been stopped repeatedly and harassed by the police have a situation where they see themselves as finally having the upper hand that some will riot. It's a fact of nature.
This was especially sad since there had been progress made in the poor areas. CVS and Target had finally been convinced to locate there and now ... well it's not likely they'll reopen.
Myself, I'd stop the insane, counter productive "zero tolerance" policing and start decriminlizing drugs in the hope that tension can ease.
Obama had the correct response "President Barack Obama said the Baltimore riots show that police departments need to hold officers accountable for wrongdoing"
It is not that the looters are responsible, we need to hold the police responsible. These weren't protests because of anger and frustration, there were riots to upgrade a TV and get a free bottle of booze.
Baltimore is a neat city but they need leadership who will take some personal responsibility for her actions, sorry I forgot she was a democrat.
By all means Skud, just quote one part of President Obama's words in a lame attempt to paint him as solely favoring the "thugs".
Here's some more of his words, which apparently you missed...
"There's no excuse for the kind of violence that we saw yesterday. It is counterproductive... When individuals get crowbars and start prying open doors to loot, they're not protesting. They're not making a statement. They're stealing. When they burn down a building, they're committing arson. And they're destroying and undermining businesses and opportunities in their own communities. That robs jobs and opportunity from people in that area." Are you saying that there was no anger, or frustration involved for the rioters?
To quote Martin Luther King, "A riot is the language of the unheard."
Maybe government, both state and local, should have sat down with some of these folks during the peaceful week of protests and listened to their issues.
The problems of Baltimore run much deeper than this one issue.
Does it excuse the violence? Of course not, but maybe it might have prevented what we are now seeing.
David, You are correct, the problems of Baltimore run deeper than one issue and that is never addressed by the minority "leaders" What has been the theme running through the cities where there are riots. Large black population, large number of unemployed youth, large single parent households and democrat city officials for years.
Seems to be a theme there. When was the last time presbo made a speech about family values, dual parents, parents taking personal responsibility for their children. I know, personal responsibility is swearing to a liberal but it just might work. Why were there so many youth's at the start of the riots, why are their neighborhoods so blighted, why do they not have better schools . Because the parents don't care. They must follow hilldabeast idea of it takes a village.not a parent.
If it is because they are repressed, why do they have to loot and burn. For the majority it is about free stuff.
You crap on minority leaders but as usual you are just blowing smoke.
As I said, this is a terrible event because it kncks out some real progress. Chains such as Target and CVS were convinced to build in poorer areas and that was progress. Now they are gone.
Don'tjust think you can wave the "family values" wand and correct for the harassment and encaceration of black teenagers often on low level drug offenses.
And saying the parent don't care about schools is a really disgusting defamation of folks who do want improvement. Don't be an jerk.
Zero tolerance policing? A Republican concept whose time is long since past and has accomplished nothing but getting kids a police record and locking them out of even the low level jobs available.
Yeah, wave the wand and create jobs in a depressed neighborhood. It's easy, Republicans do it all the time. Bore me later.
Skud, you might remember in the 2008 campaign, Obama actually did address the very issues you mentioned. He returned to the same theme again and again over the years.
To say that black parents do not care is a big statement. Can you point to any empirical evidence that backs up that claim, or are you speaking anecdotally or just expressing an opinion?
You said the reason their schools are not better is because parents do not care... could it also be, at least partly due to lower property tax revenue in the inner city, which largely funds school building, repair and academics?
To say the issue has not been addressed is hiding your head in the sand. This is a huge issue for church and community leaders in their communities.
Have you personally been to any of these types of meetings? If so, were the problems of absent black fathers and the breakdown of the African American family discussed?
Skud, the main reason I replied directly to you was because you took a quote from Obama out of context to make a point. Let me ask you again, why?
You defended yourself on another blog saying you really do try and answer questions posed by others...
Here's your chance.
Now, before folks go nuts, YES, people are responsible for their own actions. Period. No one makes someone riot or loot. It is a choice.
But that does not free others in an interconnected democracy from trying to understand the reasons behind actions and looking together, for real world solutions...
In my view, much of what Obama rightly condemned the THUGS who were running wild in Baltimore Monday night into early Tuesday morning.
I wish that he would not have also used that same platform to mention that the people of Baltimore may, in essence, have valid problems with some of the police officers. What the THUGS heard wasn't the condemnation of their behavior, IMO, but rather a sort of justification for what they were doing. Is the term I'm searching for cognitive bias?
Dave, Your financial argument about schools is incorrect. School districts all work under the same budget restrictions. Do inner cities have less revenue, probably. Why are some schools in the inner city successful, bet you would see parental involvement.
As to your praise of his obamaness. He had such an opportunity to unite the country but he took a different tact. Race is all that matters and for him and it a a great excuse for totally failing as a leader.. Six years of rising minority unemployment, record number of poor. Why is that. Could it be that obamaness says give more free stuff because their is no out for the poor. Six years of stagnant income and declining middle class and all he can do is blame the rich and attack success.
You attack me before I even get a chance to answer, seems a little lame to me
Quacker, zero tolerance policing or broken glass enforcement has proven to work. Look at NYC as an example.
Skudrunner, [Obama] had such an opportunity to unite the country but he took a different tact [sic]
I strongly agree.
As far as I can tell, race relations have deteriorated since BHO took office. The incident in which he took sides against the police "confrontation" with the college professor (black) set entirely the wrong tone. Obama said at the time that he didn't know the facts, yet he blabbed off and condemned the police (white). He tried to smooth things over with a beer summit.
Skud... as Silverfiddle might say, nice strawman... I never pledged my allegiance to Obama or any other sort of praise in my comments. I simply pointed out that you took his remarks out of context and did not also share his strong condemnation of the people responsible for the riots.
And you've still never addressed that in either of your comments.
As for attacking you, if responding to your comments is attacking, I apologize, but other than disagreeing, I see no attack. No swear words, nothing telling you to get lost, nothing posted on your personal web site using unprintable language.
The fact that there are some inner city schools doing well does not belie the fact that they do so in spite of long odds. What's the key? In many cases, parental involvement. But again, lack of that involvement does not evidence a level of caring. And there are plenty of inner city schools with parental involvement that are underperforming.
It's not all money, and it's not all involved parents.
BTW, I checked the time stamps on AOW's blog and see no responses from me towards you unless you've posted, or responded.
It's amusing to see the Conservatives portrayed as not caring about the people in Baltimore because Cons believe we ALL have to take responsibility for our lives and setting cars on fire and threatening cops isn't smart. NOBODY thinks we need to let those kids in that area rot....it means we wish they'd been raised to never do things that we wouldn't expect from OUR kids, like, maybe, BURNING BUILDINGS? Particularly buildings that did good in their community? That their 'leaders' had begged to take a chance on their neighborhood and set up business?
That mother who shoved and smacked her son to get him out of the protests is touted as a great mom and I agree with how she took charge for her son.... except she's single with six children. What kind of future do those kids have living on welfare and whatever couple of jobs she can do?
Mr. Miller above suggests it's too bad that the gov't didn't sit down and speak with folks 'during the peaceful week' about 'their issues'...maybe that same gov't, mostly Black, might have thought about all of this before? it's THEIR PEOPLE, do something for YOUR PEOPLE: stop fighting school vouchers, start pushing for parents to care, start advising kids to give up drugs....Freddie Gray had a terribly long rap sheet, mostly drugs. That's all those kids know. Maybe that same government might work harder than letting their kids sink like that?
Maybe, if Valerie at the WH is involved, she might suggest to Obama that he FINALLY speaks out on the issue of Black on Black Crime? or not doing drugs, or not having kids out of wedlock? That'd be nice, don't you all think?
BLACK LIVES MATTER is important/ we all matter. And why the heck don't we see BLACK LIVES MATTER marchers at all the horribly high number of Black deaths at the hand of other Blacks? Maybe that might give a little legitimacy to all these protests? But, then, what would Al Sharpton do?
Ducky... Implying? Both Ms Z and Skud openly said in their comments black parents don't care.
Not that they don't know what to do. Not that they need help. Not that they feel overwhelmed. Simply that they
Yes, as Skud said, the schools are bad and neighborhoods bad because black parents do not care.
Yes, as Ms Z said, the government should push black parents to care about their kids and families, as if they don't.
Ms Z, many conservatives do care tons about people of color, poverty, blight and lack of opportunity. Sadly, by your comments, you don't believe blacks themselves care.
Duck, they beat him so badly his spine was severed
Ahem. We don't know that.
Freddie Gray is reported to have suffered from a severe case of lead poisoning, one of the effects sometimes being brittle bones.
I'm not inventing this statement! See THIS. Looks as if Freddie Gray's medical situation was quite serious.
Do a bit of research about lead poisoning and bone density.
Freddie Gray's autopsy report should tell the tale about his bone density. We do know this (from the above link):
Among the evidence were the results of blood tests conducted on the siblings as children that showed all of them had lead levels above the 10 micrograms per deciliter (mg/dL) that state law defines as the threshold for lead poisoning. (Experts say there are no safe levels of lead, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention consider anything above 5 mg/dL cause for concern.)
Freddie Gray, for example, was tested as having between 11 mg/dL and 19 mg/dL in six tests conducted between 1992 and 1996, court documents show.
BTW, I am particularly interested in the matter of brittle bones. I grew up with a first cousin with osteogenesis imperfecta. As I used to say to other kids about my cousin Jack: "Be careful with him. He breaks easy." Jack had 27 broken bones in 19 years -- confirmed by x-rays. He probably had many other fractures as well.
Ducky and Dave.... Right. I think no parents care at all. And I think those neighborhoods don't care about gang violence. Do you hear yourselves? nice job, though. You should work for the media.
If they really cared do you feel they would let their children run the streets and belong to gangs. It was young people who started the riots, where were their parents. I guess you answer would be home caring.
A man DIED in police custody. The police have already admitted they didn't follow procedure and failed to strap him in. That is the issue.
We vest the police with extraordinary authority and power, and dammit all, they and all of us need to take that seriously!
This wasn't an oopsie. A man died. I don't care if he was giving Jeffrey Dahmer a run for who is worse. He died in government custody. Demanding accountability from the police is the right of every citizen.
Lt. Rice had 2 administrative suspensions (one in 2012 and one in 2013). Love child with a fellow officer? Love child with an employee of the police department? The latter might well result in an administrative suspension -- particularly if Lt. Rice was threatening the woman's husband (as indicated in the article).
We're in agreement. A common root cause in much of our woes is government incompetence and lack of accountability. I don't understand why police allow dirty and incompetent cops to remain in their ranks. A few bad apples...
The man should have been strapped in. We may never know if a cop slammed him into the wall of that van or if he fell.
I also share your grain-of-salt view of the term "severed spine." That has not been substantiated. All we know so far is there was some kind of spinal injury, and you question about his documented bone density medical issue is very relevant.
Unfortunately, the left will take an inflammatory and totally unjustified phrase like "his spine was severed" and squawk it out over and over like monstrous flocks of cawing birds until it becomes ingrained in the public consciousness like a stain that no amount of subsequent truth can ever eradicate. The left is good at that. "Hands up, don't shoot"
SF, We may never know if a cop slammed him into the wall of that van or if he fell.
I think so, too.
I recall one Leftist saying the Gray was nearly decapitated. That is not true. He had an injury to his spine -- the cervical area, from what I've heard so far. IF Gray's spinal cord was severed, it happened because bones shifted -- not because somebody took a machete to him.
AOW....the cops supposedly didn't belt Gray into the vehicle and he was handcuffed and chained at the feet. Some are suggesting that if anybody heard his body hitting anything it was because he was being thrown around on curves, etc. Which makes sense to me.
I must say I'm glad they're not going to make the huge mistake they'd announced earlier today of releasing information about the findings tomorrow....this news of the prisoner saying Gray was 'banging against the walls' might be legit so they need to make sure (tho how they could prove that is beyond me)...but, also, the details of his death are WAY too sensitive a subject in that town to have anything released that could be incomplete. Very happy to hear they had second thoughts and aren't releasing anything this week.
AOW...pardon ME for saying that the prisoner only heard Grey...I missed that they were apparently in the same van and the prisoner SAW Grey hurting himself. If he indeed did have bone problems from the severe lead poisoning he had since childhood, he very well could have hurt himself that badly. So sad.
You keep saying that his spine was severed. Can we define what that means?
I get a different image in my mind when I think of a severed spinal cord or spinal cord injury. To me, a severed spinal cord means in the context of this case that Freddie Gray's back was broken (snapped in two); but spinal cord injury per se is more complicated.
I know a bit about spines because of my own spine problems.
Here's a possibility....
Freddie Gray had fragile bones, including fragile vertebrae. During the police take down (not a rough one, let's say) or a fall at the end of his sprint, some of the fragile vertebrae chipped. No symptom at first. Later, in the van let's say all the movement caused chips to shift; the chips damage the spinal cord to the point that movement is compromised.
The crushed voice box is harder to explain. I suppose that one could fall forward onto one's own larynx -- on a sidewalk curb, for example.
HERE is medical information about laryngeal fractures.
If what was reported is true, at best, the other person in the van was an "Ear Witness" The article states there was a steel wall between the two prisoners and it was his "impression" of what happened.
The PD also said today that video has now shown the van making another unannounced stop before getting Gray to the station, or the hospital.
Given that the PD admitted this AM that they only found out about this from a private video, can we now say at least some of the BPD involved in this case are bad apples?
What Gray did, or did not do to be arrested, or previously, is not germane. He died in custody, the police have, admittedly, been deceptive, and we now have a mess, all under the color of authority.
Dave, where do you get this stuff? Can we sat "at least some of the BPD involved are bad apples?" I hate to break it to anybody, but EVERY PD has a bad apple or two in it, as all PDs will admit.
And, as said above, there is NO REASON why he should have died in custody. Do you mind people trying to figure out who did it instead of jumping to conclusions "it has to be the police?" We are fair, we care that justice is done. NOBODY should ever die in custody.
And I did hear this morning that the van did make a stop before getting to the station "six blocks away", as said this morning.
Z, At the rate things are going, the pool of applicants for police officer will shrink significantly. Who would want to be a police officer in the current climate? There will be a lot more bad apples if the pool of applicants shrink -- take my word for that one.
AOW... Prejudiced automatically against police officers? Hardly. I have lots of friends, and family who either are, or have been police officers. They hate it when others do not follow procedures, like securing the arrestee, because they know if something happens, it's gonna blow up, as this did.
And you are exactly correct, it is not an easy job, one reason I would like to see a requirement that police have a degree, as do many police leaders across the country. But the acknowledge the difficulty of persuading those with formal educations to serve in such a difficult job.
So what we get in many cities are returning young soldiers who are more Terminator than Andy Taylor [broadstroke application] and who have precious little job or non war people experience under their belts.
Actually Z, there is no reason he should have died at all. Just as there was no reason he should have been stopped.
Since you used quotes in addressing me, did I say somewhere that "It has to be the police"?
Regarding the van stop, we must have both heard this AM the news. Why do you think that additional stop was not in the incident report, as admitted by the Chief of Police? Why did it take a civilian video to get the BPD to say there was, in fact, another stop?
Did the officer just forget? And for days he never thought about the false report he filed?
Dave, there was no reason he should have been stopped.
Really?
I'm not sure that I've heard that particular objection before now.
Why did it take a civilian video to get the BPD to say there was, in fact, another stop?
Inadequately-trained officers because the pool of applicants is problematic? Officers didn't have the time to include that information in their reports? One officer might have thought that another officer including that information in the latter's report. Who knows? I'd be interested in knowing an answer to your question, however.
Dave, So what we get in many cities are returning young soldiers who are more Terminator than Andy Taylor [broadstroke application] and who have precious little job or non war people experience under their belts.
Is that so?
If so, why is that true?
Seems to bear out my hypothesis that the pool of applicants is small. Vacancies on a police force in inner cities need to be filled, don't they? How do you propose that they be filled?
I have the distinct impressions that the medical report is going to be very complicated.
While the delay is ongoing, demonstrations -- some with significant violence -- are going to pop up all over the United States. Are we in for "a long hot summer"?
That’s a load of crap, the riots were NOT about justice.. Lets call a Spade, a Spade, these people rioted so that they could loot, destroy, cause devastation, create chaos, devastate, etc. from the riot? This had nothing to do with Justice! This was just another excuse for rioters to riot, destroy, burn, and steal . That’s your answer! That means that they STOLE! They took Nike's and sports wear, and sporting goods, from the sporting goods store, they took booze from the liquor stores, they stole drugs from the CVS, they took Cell-phones, TV’s, and the list goes on. Every stereotype of the common BLACK THUG was fulfilled that day. Let’s not let them play the victim card! Shall we pretend that’s the justice they wanted? Most of them didn't give a crap about justice. They VIOLATED OUR RIGHTS, and the rights of hundreds of innocent people, and destroyed their homes, business. and property. If you let people run wild through the streets, and create havoc, and, destruction whenever, and wherever they please and you get riots and civil unrest that violate everyone's rights and freedoms. You don't care about other people’s freedoms do you? Like the freedom to not be burned alive in your own home? What we saw was nothing less than THIEVING THUGS!
FREDDIE GRAY’S ARREST RECORD: Here’s The Rap Sheet Of The Church Choir Gentle Giant Dude That They’re rioting and Destroying Baltimore Over
March 20, 2015: Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance March 13, 2015: Malicious destruction of property, second-degree assault January 20, 2015: Fourth-degree burglary, trespassing January 14, 2015: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute December 31, 2014: Possession of narcotics with intent to distribute December 14, 2014: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance August 31, 2014: Illegal gambling, trespassing January 25, 2014: Possession of marijuana September 28, 2013: Distribution of narcotics, unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance, second-degree assault, second-degree escape April 13, 2012: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute, unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance, violation of probation July 16, 2008: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession with intent to distribute March 28, 2008: Unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance March 14, 2008: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to manufacture and distribute. February 11, 2008: Unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of a controlled dangerous substance August 29, 2007: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute, violation of probation August 28, 2007: Possession of marijuana August 23, 2007: False statement to a peace officer, unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance July 16, 2007: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute, unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance (2 counts) That’s over 20 arrests and that should have had him in prison, and if he was in PRISON where he belonged, then maybe he wouldn’t have died that day.
Hey Ronnie Raygun, your so wrong in so many ways! What a stupid comment. But, knowing you as we do, and after seeing what you posted in the past, it was totally expected from a “Progressive”. That's why you are posting such garbage. What does any of your opinions or arguments matter You are delusional. That's why youre posting such garbage. What does any of your opinions or arguments matter. We don’t know that he police did anything wrong - it's the Democrat controlled legal system letting him off with a slap on the wrist, when he should have been in jail for that long list of crimes he previously committed that's the problem.
Sooner or later in life people have to rely on themselves and their own initiative, and take responsibility for their own actions. But you jump to conclusions and blame the police without any basis.
Dave Miller, why do A-holes like YOU always speak out of both sides of their BIG mouths? Just waiting for you to find some reason to Blame Bush for all of this!
They weren't interested in justice. Hell that idiot basically killed himself. If they had been none of them would have looted and stolen everything they could get their hands on from every store they broke into. Did the Rioters care about Justice or did they just want Free Stuff? Most of those asshats wouldn't know "Justice" if it bit them in the ass.
Hell, some of 'em probably can't even spell "justice". Which one weighed more heavily on the rioters of Baltimore. Justice for Grey or the opportunity to make an Ass of themselves like they always do, and get free stuff? Some people obviously have trouble distinguishing one from another. Justice? Just an excuse for rioters to riot, destroy and steal. To bad the store owners weren't in their stores with weapons to shoot em. I would have been.
The latest is Baltimore and the theme for this one is police violence against an unarmed black youth. This was the theme of the Ferguson, Missouri riots last year and has been a fairly common theme since the arrival of the new century fifteen years ago. Such events included riots in Cincinnati in 2001, the Oakland riots in 2009, and the two most recent Black uprisings. . For those of us outside of the black community and living in safe suburban zones surrounding our cities, the riots might as well be taking place on Mars. Why anyone would, as is often the case, destroy their own neighborhood, loot and burn down businesses (often black-owned) defies an answer. When the Daughter of Eric Garner says " What other choice do we have" then you know we have a problem here. Perhaps it's time to stop the means by which all these rioters subsist (aka welfare) and make them earn a living like the rest of have had to do all our lives? 2. With the advanced technology we have these days, wouldn't it be possible to identify each and every rioter, arrest them and incarcerate them for a long time? And I don't mean a 'school' jail, I mean hard time, like working on a chain gang! 3. We've coddled these one parent children for too long, it's time to take back the country! Quit rewarding bad behavior! Because riots offer television news dramatic images of violence and destruction, one can depend on coverage for a long as it lasts. Being photographed looting or engaging in violence against police and others seems to be one of the “perks” of rioting. Baltimore’s riot dominated the news on every channel Monday evening to the point one might conclude that nothing else of any importance was occurring anywhere in the world. One of the biggest problems with cities like Baltimore is the sheer stupidity of its *so-called* leadership. Baltimore Mayor, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is, at least in MY opinion, too stupid to manage a lemonade stand, much less a city the size, scope and overall makeup of Baltimore. This Mayor should be forced to resign! And what about all those angry looking black men around her? Is that her “Staff”? They look like a bunch of thugs on loan from the black panthers. This is what happens when leftists run things. They think that by being black themselves and in charge and giving into black demands, that they will be appeased and thankful and do what is right. However, like a spoiled rotten child, whose parents refuse to punish them for fear of harming their tiny egos, they get this city wide temper tantrum.
Blacks have been in Africa for thousands of years, and the place is still a shithole. Whites in America have created every comfort and convenience, food and work production, and a comfort level only dreamed about by most other nations, and did it all in under 200 years. So don’t tell me there isn’t a difference between blacks and whites
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was able to lead many civil rights marches with so little violence, but it was the years concurrent with and following the passage of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts in 1964 and 1965 that saw large riots such as several in 1964 in Philadelphia, Chicago, and New York. There were three just in New Jersey that year. The bottom line is if you are a good person and treat others with respect, I will do the same. If you act like a thug, well, I will look down on you like a thug. And if you dress like a thug, well, that is you telling the world what your attitude is. I wouldn’t have the education I have today, or the job I have or the money I earn, if I dressed and acted like a thug. And rap stars are not a life to emulate. Dress the part and act the part for the role you want to play in life. See, it’s still simple. If you go thru life with a mentality that whitey is out to get you, and you are a victim, well, that is all that you will see. However, if you have an attitude that school is important, laws should be followed, and respect for others is a virtue, you will be rewarded.
Having achieved the goals of the civil rights movement, historic federal laws, one might have concluded that rioting was no longer needed to call attention to the ills of the post-civil rights era.
You would have been wrong. The one that got national attention was in the Watts area of Los Angeles in 1965. The pattern continued with riots in 1966 and 1967. In April and May 1968 after Dr. King was assassinated, there were riots in 125 cities. The 1980s and 1990’s had their share of riots.
Just add Baltimore’s Freddie Gray’s name to the list of those who died either during an arrest or in police custody, sparking a riot. In the past the public generally backed the police, but now they are being depicted as undisciplined killers. The reality is that the police are the thin line of defense between us and the criminals whose job is theirs to arrest and detain. That occurs all the time. Police have more reasons to act in their own defense in a week than most of us will have in a lifetime.
So, as Baltimore cleans up the mess left behind by the latest riot, be assured that another is right around the corner somewhere. There is a core of law-breakers and angry blacks for whom virtually anything is excuse enough for a riot.
We had to pass through a Civil War to resolve the race-based ills of that era. Americans elected the first black American as President in 2008, but his race has not reduced riots during his time in office. The lesson that we can draw from this is that, if you put enough people together in close proximity in a city where there is both wealth and poverty, where there are economic disparities between whites and blacks, you need only wait a while for the next riot.
"what causes unrest and violence in these particular neighborhoods: Libtards, hilldabeast, free stuff, and parents who don't care!"
That statement is a perfect example of how out of touch and stupid those self-satisfied people are who pretend they know the causes of civil unrest in black communities.
"free stuff?" Is the idiot who said that aware of all the "free stuff" the slave holding families of the south enjoyed? How post Civil War laws were written to keep black people from owning property? From evenf escaping the terrors and brutality of the Jim Crow south, only to be forced into ghettos in the northern cities. Is he not aware of how white communities made sure any successful middle class black family would not be welcome into their communities, and how realtors and the white communities made sure it stayed that way, which created crowded ghettos from which those who worked hard and made the American dream could not escape?
Most people know chicken squat about the history of racism in this country. It's much easier to blame black people and hillary and free stuff. I don't know where those sort of people learn such grindingly stupid ideas
"free stuff?" Is the idiot who said that aware of all the "free stuff" the slave holding families of the south enjoyed?"
The only thing of value that is truly FREE is AIR and DemocRATS are trying to figure a way to tax that. Would you please explain what you mean by: "all the "free stuff" the slave holding families of the south enjoyed?" It seems to make no sense, whatsoever!
An investigation into the death of Baltimore resident Freddie Gray has found no evidence that his fatal injuries were caused during the videotaped arrest and interaction with police officers, according to multiple law enforcement sources.
Continue reading
The sources spoke to ABC7 News after being briefed on the findings of a police report tuned over to prosecutors on Thursday as well as preliminary findings made by the medical examiner's office.
Sources said the medical examiner found Gray's catastrophic injury was caused when he slammed into the back of the police transport van, apparently breaking his neck; a head injury he sustained matches a bolt in the back of the van.
Details surrounding exactly what caused Gray to slam into the back of the van was unclear. The officer driving the van has yet to give a statement to authorities. It’s also unclear whether Gray’s head injury was voluntary or was result of some other action.
Well the story being given by the supposed witness is showing some holes. Gray had been in the van for some time befre the supposed witness arrived and the supposed witness never had a view of Gray.
All he heard was a bang. No evidence how it happened.
That statement applies to a great deal in the case of the death of Freddie Gray. We should keep that in mind -- even as we openly comment and speculate here in this comments thread.
Question for you: Do you know anything about the officers who apprehended and arrested Freddie Gray? I'm serious about this question. What do we know about these officers?
There's apparently a lawsuit by Gray to insurance companies for his back situation........I'm going to look more into it; if I can find anything. It could explain his roughing himself up a bit. The banging wasn't just once, according to the witness, but this is ALL CONJECTURE.
I just hope Gray AND the police have a chance at the truth getting out before either are condemned; because we know who WILL be condemned and no city can take a blanket critique of their law enforcement.
Yes, Facebook people (as AOW says below) are demanding police be arrested...gee, not following the constitution": "Like President, like leftwing citizens," huh?
...[C]ity police told him not to confront and accost the rioters.
“I was sick to my stomach like everybody else. … This was urban warfare, no question about it. They were coming in absolutely beaten down. The [city officers] got out of their vehicles, thanked us profusely for being there, apologized to us for having to be there. They said we could have handled this, we were very capable of handling this, but we were told to stand down, repeatedly told to stand down,” he said. “I had never heard that order come from anyone — we went right out to our posts as soon as we got there, so I never heard the mayor say that. But repeatedly these guys, and there were many high-ranking officials from the Baltimore City Police Department … and these guys told me they were essentially neutered from the start. They were spayed from the start. They were told to stand down, you will not take any action, let them destroy property. I couldn’t believe it, I’m a 31-year veteran of law enforcement. … I had never heard anything like this before in my life and these guys obviously aren’t gonna speak out and the more I thought about this, … I had to say a few things. I apologize if I’ve upset people, but I believe in saying it like it is.”
Lewis said though he didn’t hear the order to stand down come from the mayor, he did hear it from police officials....
Now police are saying an additional stop was made before the driver asked officers to check on his condition. They said nothing about this stop other than its location — at what appears to be a desolate intersection with three vacant lots and a corner store.
Last week, Police Commissioner Anthony Batts had said the second prisoner told investigators the driver did not speed, make sudden stops or "drive erratically" during the trip, and that Gray was "was still moving around, that he was kicking and making noises" up until the van arrived at the police station.
I am SO AFRAID that they're going to have to screw the cops no matter WHAT HAPPENED just to keep the unrest down. And please don't anybody even suggest they wouldn't do that.
Those cops have at LEAST the rights Grey had and I'm seeing angry crowds that could really combust.......it's like if they didn't lynch a Black man seventy years ago, what White bigots there were around weren't happy. We haven't come very far, have we.
Z, Some people over on Facebook have demanded that the police officers be arrested before any investigation is complete. In essence, these people are saying, "To hell with Constitutional rights for police officers."
Get ready for the pool of applicants for the position of police officer to shrink drastically. It's coming. Watch for it.
Is there more than the usual trouble with police officers in Baltimore because "sane" people don't want to serve as police officers there but rather start there and move to a safer jurisdiction?
I think that there is a strong possibility of what I'm saying in this comment. When I look at the recent news coverage, I see a lot of "rookie" cops -- not so many seasoned officers. Maybe I'm wrong about that?
Baltimore has had an outsized number of incidents. Why? I don't know.
All I have to go on is what I saw on The Wire and what I take away is that drugs are central to it all and the criminalization of minor drug offenses is a big mistake.
Jon, Then the residents will complain that they don't have police protection.
I heard a lot of those complaints from CNN and all other news media when the police weren't on the scene shortly after the violence and looting broke out on Monday evening. From what I read today, the order was given for the police to stand down. There seems to be some confusion as to exactly who gave that stand-down order.
One thing that came to me thinking about the topic is that it's a very fertile genre and you really can't understand its breadth without being aware of world cinema.
About Lt. Brian Rice, apparently the officer who pursued Freddie Gray:
...Lt. Brian Rice, who initially pursued Gray on a Baltimore street when Gray fled after Rice made eye contact April 12, declared three years ago that he "could not continue to go on like this" and threatened to commit an act that was censored in the public version of a report obtained by the AP from the Carroll County, Maryland, Sheriff's Office....
Another article, very similar, is in the Daily Mail.
I think the "Hands up Don’t Shoot" & "No Justice No Peace" crowd are the dumbest people in America.. You don't have to be a brain surgeon to know that waiting for all the evidence is the only wise choice.
You also don't have to be a brain surgeon to realize ALL of those protesting don't give a damn about any facts or evidence. If they did they would either be a work or at home not out on the streets associating themselves with these CRIMINAL THUGS in the streets.
And another thing... why is it that NOW, after everyone, including the mayor, the governor, and the president, has used "Thugs" to describe rioters the word has been declared taboo. It wasn’t declared taboo when that word was associated with italians was it???
Thanks to the recent up roar........the following people would like to thank you..... for getting their names off of the front Pages of the newspapers.
Before any here gloat or declare doom as a result of all the charges filed against the officers, we'd all do well if we remember that the officers are not guilty until so proven in court. Innocent until proven guilty.
The lawyers will now set about their business.
Let's see if the charges hold up in court.
BTW, it is the norm for the prosecution to list several charges than can be proven in court. "Thow the book at them!" Then see what sticks.
Maybe we should follow Michel Moore's idea. After all he is a big supporter of global warming so he must be brilliant. "America’s police be disarmed and “every African-American currently incarcerated for drug ‘crimes’ or nonviolent offenses” be set free from prison."
Well Freethinke, maybe you can explain to the class why it takes a riot to affect change. Remember the problems in the L.A. police department and how it took the Rodney King riots to bring change.
Duck, Did the riot result in change? Maybe, maybe not.
I want to know how Baltimore determines the viability of candidates for the police department.
Bear this in mind: the problems in Baltimore are multi-faceted and certainly not limited to the police department and the department's reaction to what the citizenry does. There is a chain reaction going on.
Furthermore, federal monies have poured into Baltimore for job training programs, education, etc. Were those funds used for the required purposes?
Question for you: Have you ever walked around in Baltimore? Especially, but not limited to, during after-dark hours? I have. There were major problems with personal safety and the keeping of one's own vehicle parked on the street in Baltimore as far back as 1968 -- before the riots that year.
...[State's Attorney Mosby's political life is complicated. She has ties to the Gray family's attorney, William H. "Billy" Murphy Jr.; he donated $5,000 to her campaign and served on her transition committee. And her husband, Nick, serves on the City Council, representing the area where Gray died...
what I hope now happens in this part of Baltimore is that the City Council, Mayor, Police Dept Head, AG, etc., all sit down with the saner, more unbiased representatives of the community and TALK, really talk. Talk about why Mfume says Baltimore hasn't changed since the Sixties and why that's not happened. And stop blaming everybody ELSE, but actually take some responsibility themselves. That would be a huge step. Talk about how the CVS was burned when they practically had to beg CVS to go in there and how they'll have to woo other companies now to invest in that community (good luck on that)....address how they can get manufacturing in there and train kids to do the work. Talk about parental involvement with kids. School vouchers. Why do mostly Blacks get arrested there? Could it possibly be that they do more crime? (sarcasm) If it's the police, talk about that, BIG TIME. They need to pick people the community respects or it's for nothing.
Chantelle Laguerre, 20, was about to visit her boyfriend who works at the Urban Outfitters at the Inner Harbor when the store abruptly closed at 2:30. She said that today’s indictments were all her peers had been talking about.
“I’m upset kids are rioting, but I understand it’s a reaction of the system that’s hurting them,” said Laguerre, who lives in Reservoir Hill, not far from the epicenter of recent unrest. “People are saying to keep it peaceful; that’s not what Martin Luther King would want. But it will always get violent. It has to get worse before it gets better.”
Laguerre said that she believes the demonstrations are about more than race. She said it’s about how police treat young people in Baltimore. The announcement of the charges against six officers represents progress, she said, but closure won’t come until the verdicts are read.
“They put this out to calm everyone down,” she said. “They haven’t gone to court yet. We have to wait to hear the final say.”
She doesn't think anything positive will happen (in her definition) before even worse havoc happens? I think that's in the back of most Baltimorians' minds....'what next?' This isn't over by a LONG shot, sadly. Until people start taking responsibility for themselves and their children, we'll have riots every now and again.
Maybe..it's been since the Sixties that Baltimore had one like this. I hope there's a change in venue but I'm thinking it would infuriate the folks...."don't they trust US!? What's going ON here!?"
Maybe..it's been since the Sixties that Baltimore had one like this. I hope there's a change in venue but I'm thinking it would infuriate the folks...."don't they trust US!? What's going ON here!?"
I was dismayed to see Mfume bemoan the fact that Baltimore hadn't changed since the last riots. "look around..", he said. I hope he's ashamed about that; All black government, no positive change, no hope. He didn't even see the irony.
Last Prince, How far away are certain areas in the United States from rule by mob? Are some areas already there and we just don't recognize what's really going on?
AOW; I'm really worried that a lot of the quick charges are due to Valerie Jarrett and the WH. We know they've been in close contact from news reports. This is shooting from the hip stuff because the autopsy was only turned in this MORNING....to have charges is weird this soon. They needed to calm the weekend down....they need to assuage the rioters and nobody can blame them, but it's short sighted.....kind of like throwing good money after bad, you know? They could have MORE trouble down the line because they got fearful and started accomodating rioters NOW.
See this? Oh, ya...every Anti-American thug is weighing in...as if Iran's law enforcement is so just! You can't make this stuff up. When we look weak, after 6 years of ridiculous negotiations and seeing our gov't in disarray, etc., we're open season to the insults now.
Power with cruelty isn’t favored by #Islam. #Police should embody justice and mercy while being potent.
Iran under the rule of Khameini is just and merciful?
YE, GODS!
Obviously, the ayatollah doesn't see America as "the strong man." That means, in the ayatollah's mind, that Allah will destroy us and lift up Iran to rule.
See this? Oh, ya...every Anti-American thug is weighing in...as if Iran's law enforcement is so just! You can't make this stuff up. When we look weak, after 6 years of ridiculous negotiations and seeing our gov't in disarray, etc., we're open season to the insults now.
AOW; I'm really worried that a lot of the quick charges are due to Valerie Jarrett and the WH. We know they've been in close contact from news reports. This is shooting from the hip stuff because the autopsy was only turned in this MORNING....to have charges is weird this soon. They needed to calm the weekend down....they need to assuage the rioters and nobody can blame them, but it's short sighted.....kind of like throwing good money after bad, you know? They could have MORE trouble down the line because they got fearful and started accomodating rioters NOW.
The black government in Baltimore is not a rousing success, that's for sure.
How did this government in Baltimore (1) let the PD get so far out of hand and (2) hold the police back for three hours when the violence broke out on Monday?
Is Baltimore going to become the next Detroit?
Think about Detroit for a minute. Thirty years ago, could we have imagined back then that Detroit would end up the way it is now?
Dave, Those words uttered by State Attorney Mosby may be problematic down the line. They do seem to indicate that expediency is at least one reason behind the reading of so many charges.
Baltimore celebrated the rest of the day.
From what little I've heard on the news broadcasts, many of those interviewed in the streets indicated that they are positive that all will be convicted on all charges. When -- and I do think that it's a matter of when -- at least some of those convictions don't occur, many of those interviewed yesterday indicated that they will be furious. Then what? It is my view at this time that such fury will erupt nationwide.
It's no more...Pastor McGee retired (did you know his son was killed in a car crash a few years ago? about six or seven years ago, I think? Awful). And Vintage Church has taken over...completely redid the sanctuary colors, flooring, etc.,....looks really nice, I must say. Wonderful pastor from England, very young...started 3 years ago with 30 and they're now having services for 700....... Am thinking about stopping by and checking it out.
Anybody remember the name Neda Agha Soltan? She was killed by the Basij during protests in Iran. The Basij are essentially the reserve force of the Iranian National Guard, and they are mobilized in time of national need.
Yep. This happened under Grand Ayatollah Khameini's watch.
What was said last night by a Baltimore cop (in disguise) was that they almost never go into the vans to buckle perps up because the perps are often so dangerous; hopping up on drugs, violent, drunk. Who's going to go IN that small van and restrain them enough to buckle someone UP!? Can't say as I blame them.
AHA!: Googled and found this:
"Failing to belt an inmate would violate a policy on handling detainees issued by their own department just nine days prior." Here's the full piece. I'm thinking it hadn't been a MANDATE but advised? Anyway, it seems that they felt leg irons and handcuffs were enough that day because he was so out of control. Not in the article was something the cop said in the interview I watched; that they knew "Freddie' very well and he often did wild things to get attention from people....it was nothing strange to hear him acting wild, etc.
I have had occassional stints as a psychiatric nurse and can assure you that there are human beings who are extremely dangerous minus any real weapon in their possession. When the adrenaline is peaking, super human responsiveness is possible.
I'll tell you exactly what will happen. WHEN the Baltimore cops all get acquitted it will be the dead Trayvon fiasco x 1,000. It's all exactly the same: a vile, reprehensible prosecutor overcharges to the hilt, to the mindless joy of the weak-minded, then any half competent defense atty. will convince a righteous jury to throw out the abomination. Then the weak-minded, with delusions of revenge shattered, will react the only way they can - like screeching baboons.
Horrendously irresponsible.
Will the weak minded still be jubilant when Baltimore plays out in EVERY city in a few short months? Dozens of riots simultaneously.
I just hope it's far enough in the future so I can profit from it.
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I never thought the mayor meant what critics said she meant......who would say that? I appreciate this post; it does say it gives them space to PROTEST as well..........But, you have to listen a couple of times, and to kind of parse it as you have....
ReplyDeleteAlso, I've been listening to this mayor for a couple of days now and I am struck with her speech patterns being very much like Michelle Obama...particularly the "um" she throws in very, very often....they both do. VERY similar speech....I wonder if they know each other...just a thought.
Z,
DeleteHer words "to do that as well" do refer grammatically to "the space to destroy."
How is that a lawyer isn't more aware of the importance of the precise use of a demonstrative pronoun?
She should have said "to exercise their right to free speech" instead of "do that."
Yes, she does evince some of the same speech patterns as Michelle Obama -- and a lot of other people, too.
"How is that a lawyer isn't more aware of the importance of the precise use of a demonstrative pronoun?"
DeleteYes, if she didn't mean what she said, what in the World did she mean?
ReplyDelete
I get a kick out of her "best practices" phrase, as if she would lnow.
DeleteI'm not listening again
I heard her say "space to destroy" and that's what the thugs heard. As if they'd parse.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThe mayor of Baltimore did wait some three hours before asking for help from the state.
ReplyDeleteAlso see this...Baltimore Mayor, Maryland Guv Abruptly Leave Don Lemon Interview:
The mayor of Baltimore and the governor of Maryland both walked off an interview with CNN's Don Lemon after he questioned whether officials were quick enough to react to violence in Baltimore in the wake of the death of Freddie Gray.
Applicable proverb:
ReplyDeleteFor Want of a Nail
For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the message was lost.
For want of a message the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
I'm sure that the mayor 'meant' something different from what she 'said', but as a black progressive female, she has never been "challenged" on her communication skills before. Language is, after all, "culture".
ReplyDeleteThroughout his work, Lacan varies Heidegger's motif of language as the house of being: language in not man's creation and instrument, it is man who 'dwells' in language - 'Psychoanalysis should be the science of language inhabited by the subject.' Lacan's 'paranoid' twist, his additional Freudian turn of the screw, comes with his characterization of this house as a torture-house. In light of the Freudian experience, man is a subject caught in and tortured by language. Man does not dwell in a mere 'prison-house of language' (the title of Fredric Jameson's early book on structuralism), he dwells in a torture-house of language: the entire range of psychopathologies deployed by Freud, from conversion-symptoms inscribed into the body up to total psychotic breakdowns, are the scars of this permanent torture, so many signs of an original and irremediable gap between the subject and language, so many signs that man can never be at home in his own home... - Slavoj Zizek, "The Ticklish Subject"
All this is a little too strained –– and frankly abstruse –– for me to understand well enough to offer an opinion.
ReplyDeleteFT,
DeleteI'm surprised that you find this strained and abstruse.
The mayor know what she intended to say, but she actually said something else.
I did explain the grammar to the middle school students and parents today -- and they could understood what I meant by ambiguous pronoun reference.
Leftwing progressivism is dedicated to the goal of allowing all those on their team a "space to destroy."
ReplyDeleteDestroying, burning, tearing down, mocking... That's what leftwing progs do best.
If the mayor misspoke, it was a Freudian slip.
BTW, in almost every video of the rioting, do you notice those white kids with backpacks flitting around? Those are the communist agitators, the rich kids from Columbia and other elite colleges who are eager to burn it all down.
Where did the OWS rabble go?
It's going to be a long, hot summer for America's cities. Glad I don't live in one.
It's interesting that you bring up OWS.
DeleteBill Evans, Boston police commissioner, has been the topic of discussion during the events in Baltimore.
He's a pretty savvy guy who went out of his way to visit Pos Office Squre during the OWS days and make sure the police understood "low profile".
We haven't had nearly as much conflict between poor neighborhoods and the police and other big city forces could do worse than follow Evans' lead.
SF,
DeleteIf the mayor misspoke, it was a Freudian slip.
Could be.
If I recall correctly, Guiliani concluded that the mayor of Baltimore operated on the philosophy that the destroyers would expend their energies and stop. Well, they did stop, but not until they burned down the only pharmacy in that section of Baltimore -- as well as wreaking much more destruction.
There are some "Hillary 2016" people who are now blaming Martin O'Malley for the conditions leading to the riots... but O'Malley's been out of office as Mayor of Baltimore for more than eight years now.
ReplyDeleteAnd Rawling's-Blake and her predecessor Sheila Dixon both backed-off on the strict police enforcement model. The problem is... they backed off TOO far. The pendulum has swung... and if the Mayor's Office want to get a handle on it, they've got to "shorten the leash" on the rioters and give them considerable LESS space to destroy than they had, previously. The "turning point" in which "lax law enforcement" was beneficial has been "passed". The city needs a new "Rudy Giuliani"-type.
...and so, if the Mayor "meant" something different from what she "said", THAT interpretation differs significantly from what her actual policy with regards to "policing" has been for the past five years.
ReplyDeleteHere are the current accusations against O'Malley from the Hillary 2016 camp...
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWithout watching the video's, I thought that the issue regarding what she said, was her reference to "thugs". Because the perpetual racism industry tells us that the term is racist. Except that they been silent on that now....
ReplyDeleteCI: It's a sad commentary when a mayor has to apologize for calling people who burned her city down, "thugs."
DeleteHold it for a second.
DeleteShe had to apologize for using the word "thugs"?
I missed that. I've been occupied with school related matters for the past 48 hours or so.
Is the word "thugs" now disallowed?
AOW: Yes. 'Thug' enters the ever-expanding canon of 'code words.'
DeleteRight up there with 'angry,' 'arrogant' and 'Chicago.'
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-04-29/obama-offers-absurd-response-to-baltimore-riots?cmpid=yhoo
ReplyDeleteExcellent piece on Baltimore and Obama's response.
CI....'thugs' is suddenly a racist term, since Baltimore, for some reason, but the 'outrage' about the mayor's comments was on what AOW covers in her post.
Z,
DeleteOutstanding link! Thank you!
I think we should all show solidarity with the protesters and go to our drugstores and grocery stores and burn them down.
ReplyDeleteThen come home and burn our neighbors homes, after stealing their stuff.
Yeah, this is pretty funny, right Ed?
DeleteMy take on what the mayor said was that there should be an attempt to contain the riot in the hope of limiting the damage.
It's just a fact that when kids who have been stopped repeatedly and harassed by the police have a situation where they see themselves as finally having the upper hand that some will riot.
It's a fact of nature.
This was especially sad since there had been progress made in the poor areas. CVS and Target had finally been convinced to locate there and now ... well it's not likely they'll reopen.
Myself, I'd stop the insane, counter productive "zero tolerance" policing and start decriminlizing drugs in the hope that tension can ease.
Or we can make it a big ha-ha.
I read that Valerie Jarret is communicating daily with Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. Surprise?
ReplyDeleteI'd be surprised if the White House wasn't keeping up with the situation.
DeleteOf course, if the White House waited a day you'd be on his case for that.
Obama had the correct response "President Barack Obama said the Baltimore riots show that police departments need to hold officers accountable for wrongdoing"
ReplyDeleteIt is not that the looters are responsible, we need to hold the police responsible.
These weren't protests because of anger and frustration, there were riots to upgrade a TV and get a free bottle of booze.
Baltimore is a neat city but they need leadership who will take some personal responsibility for her actions, sorry I forgot she was a democrat.
By all means Skud, just quote one part of President Obama's words in a lame attempt to paint him as solely favoring the "thugs".
DeleteHere's some more of his words, which apparently you missed...
"There's no excuse for the kind of violence that we saw yesterday. It is counterproductive... When individuals get crowbars and start prying open doors to loot, they're not protesting. They're not making a statement. They're stealing. When they burn down a building, they're committing arson. And they're destroying and undermining businesses and opportunities in their own communities. That robs jobs and opportunity from people in that area."
Are you saying that there was no anger, or frustration involved for the rioters?
To quote Martin Luther King, "A riot is the language of the unheard."
Maybe government, both state and local, should have sat down with some of these folks during the peaceful week of protests and listened to their issues.
The problems of Baltimore run much deeper than this one issue.
Does it excuse the violence? Of course not, but maybe it might have prevented what we are now seeing.
David,
ReplyDeleteYou are correct, the problems of Baltimore run deeper than one issue and that is never addressed by the minority "leaders"
What has been the theme running through the cities where there are riots. Large black population, large number of unemployed youth, large single parent households and democrat city officials for years.
Seems to be a theme there. When was the last time presbo made a speech about family values, dual parents, parents taking personal responsibility for their children. I know, personal responsibility is swearing to a liberal but it just might work. Why were there so many youth's at the start of the riots, why are their neighborhoods so blighted, why do they not have better schools . Because the parents don't care. They must follow hilldabeast idea of it takes a village.not a parent.
If it is because they are repressed, why do they have to loot and burn. For the majority it is about free stuff.
You crap on minority leaders but as usual you are just blowing smoke.
DeleteAs I said, this is a terrible event because it kncks out some real progress. Chains such as Target and CVS were convinced to build in poorer areas and that was progress. Now they are gone.
Don'tjust think you can wave the "family values" wand and correct for the harassment and encaceration of black teenagers often on low level drug offenses.
And saying the parent don't care about schools is a really disgusting defamation of folks who do want improvement. Don't be an jerk.
Zero tolerance policing? A Republican concept whose time is long since past and has accomplished nothing but getting kids a police record and locking them out of even the low level jobs available.
Yeah, wave the wand and create jobs in a depressed neighborhood. It's easy, Republicans do it all the time. Bore me later.
Skud, you might remember in the 2008 campaign, Obama actually did address the very issues you mentioned. He returned to the same theme again and again over the years.
DeleteTo say that black parents do not care is a big statement. Can you point to any empirical evidence that backs up that claim, or are you speaking anecdotally or just expressing an opinion?
You said the reason their schools are not better is because parents do not care... could it also be, at least partly due to lower property tax revenue in the inner city, which largely funds school building, repair and academics?
To say the issue has not been addressed is hiding your head in the sand. This is a huge issue for church and community leaders in their communities.
Have you personally been to any of these types of meetings? If so, were the problems of absent black fathers and the breakdown of the African American family discussed?
Skud, the main reason I replied directly to you was because you took a quote from Obama out of context to make a point. Let me ask you again, why?
You defended yourself on another blog saying you really do try and answer questions posed by others...
Here's your chance.
Now, before folks go nuts, YES, people are responsible for their own actions. Period. No one makes someone riot or loot. It is a choice.
But that does not free others in an interconnected democracy from trying to understand the reasons behind actions and looking together, for real world solutions...
In my view, much of what Obama rightly condemned the THUGS who were running wild in Baltimore Monday night into early Tuesday morning.
DeleteI wish that he would not have also used that same platform to mention that the people of Baltimore may, in essence, have valid problems with some of the police officers. What the THUGS heard wasn't the condemnation of their behavior, IMO, but rather a sort of justification for what they were doing. Is the term I'm searching for cognitive bias?
Dave,
DeleteYour financial argument about schools is incorrect. School districts all work under the same budget restrictions. Do inner cities have less revenue, probably. Why are some schools in the inner city successful, bet you would see parental involvement.
As to your praise of his obamaness. He had such an opportunity to unite the country but he took a different tact. Race is all that matters and for him and it a a great excuse for totally failing as a leader.. Six years of rising minority unemployment, record number of poor. Why is that. Could it be that obamaness says give more free stuff because their is no out for the poor. Six years of stagnant income and declining middle class and all he can do is blame the rich and attack success.
You attack me before I even get a chance to answer, seems a little lame to me
Quacker,
zero tolerance policing or broken glass enforcement has proven to work. Look at NYC as an example.
Skudrunner,
Delete[Obama] had such an opportunity to unite the country but he took a different tact [sic]
I strongly agree.
As far as I can tell, race relations have deteriorated since BHO took office. The incident in which he took sides against the police "confrontation" with the college professor (black) set entirely the wrong tone. Obama said at the time that he didn't know the facts, yet he blabbed off and condemned the police (white). He tried to smooth things over with a beer summit.
Skud... as Silverfiddle might say, nice strawman... I never pledged my allegiance to Obama or any other sort of praise in my comments. I simply pointed out that you took his remarks out of context and did not also share his strong condemnation of the people responsible for the riots.
DeleteAnd you've still never addressed that in either of your comments.
As for attacking you, if responding to your comments is attacking, I apologize, but other than disagreeing, I see no attack. No swear words, nothing telling you to get lost, nothing posted on your personal web site using unprintable language.
The fact that there are some inner city schools doing well does not belie the fact that they do so in spite of long odds. What's the key? In many cases, parental involvement. But again, lack of that involvement does not evidence a level of caring. And there are plenty of inner city schools with parental involvement that are underperforming.
It's not all money, and it's not all involved parents.
BTW, I checked the time stamps on AOW's blog and see no responses from me towards you unless you've posted, or responded.
It's amusing to see the Conservatives portrayed as not caring about the people in Baltimore because Cons believe we ALL have to take responsibility for our lives and setting cars on fire and threatening cops isn't smart. NOBODY thinks we need to let those kids in that area rot....it means we wish they'd been raised to never do things that we wouldn't expect from OUR kids, like, maybe, BURNING BUILDINGS? Particularly buildings that did good in their community? That their 'leaders' had begged to take a chance on their neighborhood and set up business?
ReplyDeleteThat mother who shoved and smacked her son to get him out of the protests is touted as a great mom and I agree with how she took charge for her son.... except she's single with six children. What kind of future do those kids have living on welfare and whatever couple of jobs she can do?
Mr. Miller above suggests it's too bad that the gov't didn't sit down and speak with folks 'during the peaceful week' about 'their issues'...maybe that same gov't, mostly Black, might have thought about all of this before? it's THEIR PEOPLE, do something for YOUR PEOPLE: stop fighting school vouchers, start pushing for parents to care, start advising kids to give up drugs....Freddie Gray had a terribly long rap sheet, mostly drugs. That's all those kids know.
Maybe that same government might work harder than letting their kids sink like that?
Maybe, if Valerie at the WH is involved, she might suggest to Obama that he FINALLY speaks out on the issue of Black on Black Crime? or not doing drugs, or not having kids out of wedlock? That'd be nice, don't you all think?
BLACK LIVES MATTER is important/ we all matter. And why the heck don't we see BLACK LIVES MATTER marchers at all the horribly high number of Black deaths at the hand of other Blacks? Maybe that might give a little legitimacy to all these protests? But, then, what would Al Sharpton do?
Threatening cops? The dead kid did nothing but run because he didn't want to get rousted.
DeleteHe committed no crime and they beat him so badly his spine was severed.
Threatening the cops. Get a clue.
If you are talking about the fake story about the gangs getting together, it's been discredited.
Are you implying that blacks don't want gang violence controlled in their neighborhoods? Are you really that foolish?
Ducky... Implying? Both Ms Z and Skud openly said in their comments black parents don't care.
DeleteNot that they don't know what to do. Not that they need help. Not that they feel overwhelmed. Simply that they
Yes, as Skud said, the schools are bad and neighborhoods bad because black parents do not care.
Yes, as Ms Z said, the government should push black parents to care about their kids and families, as if they don't.
Ms Z, many conservatives do care tons about people of color, poverty, blight and lack of opportunity. Sadly, by your comments, you don't believe blacks themselves care.
Stunning...
Duck,
Deletethey beat him so badly his spine was severed
Ahem. We don't know that.
Freddie Gray is reported to have suffered from a severe case of lead poisoning, one of the effects sometimes being brittle bones.
I'm not inventing this statement! See THIS. Looks as if Freddie Gray's medical situation was quite serious.
Do a bit of research about lead poisoning and bone density.
Freddie Gray's autopsy report should tell the tale about his bone density. We do know this (from the above link):
Among the evidence were the results of blood tests conducted on the siblings as children that showed all of them had lead levels above the 10 micrograms per deciliter (mg/dL) that state law defines as the threshold for lead poisoning. (Experts say there are no safe levels of lead, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention consider anything above 5 mg/dL cause for concern.)
Freddie Gray, for example, was tested as having between 11 mg/dL and 19 mg/dL in six tests conducted between 1992 and 1996, court documents show.
BTW, I am particularly interested in the matter of brittle bones. I grew up with a first cousin with osteogenesis imperfecta. As I used to say to other kids about my cousin Jack: "Be careful with him. He breaks easy." Jack had 27 broken bones in 19 years -- confirmed by x-rays. He probably had many other fractures as well.
Ducky and Dave....
DeleteRight. I think no parents care at all. And I think those neighborhoods don't care about gang violence.
Do you hear yourselves?
nice job, though. You should work for the media.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteWell Z, you did say "gov't, mostly black... might push their people to care"
DeleteApart from at least implying that they apparently do not care, how else should someone interpret that?
If they really cared do you feel they would let their children run the streets and belong to gangs. It was young people who started the riots, where were their parents. I guess you answer would be home caring.
DeleteSkud, really? Did you always obey every thing your parents said? Always? And if not, was your disobedience evidence of them not caring?
DeleteAre you saying a disobedient kid is always a result of uncaring parents?
A man DIED in police custody. The police have already admitted they didn't follow procedure and failed to strap him in. That is the issue.
DeleteWe vest the police with extraordinary authority and power, and dammit all, they and all of us need to take that seriously!
This wasn't an oopsie. A man died. I don't care if he was giving Jeffrey Dahmer a run for who is worse. He died in government custody. Demanding accountability from the police is the right of every citizen.
SF,
DeleteYes, accountability should be demanded. Looting doesn't accomplish a demand for accountability, of course.
Have you seen this recent information about the officer who arrested Freddie Gray?
Records show worries over Baltimore officer's mental health
Lt. Rice had 2 administrative suspensions (one in 2012 and one in 2013). Love child with a fellow officer? Love child with an employee of the police department? The latter might well result in an administrative suspension -- particularly if Lt. Rice was threatening the woman's husband (as indicated in the article).
AOW,
DeleteWe're in agreement. A common root cause in much of our woes is government incompetence and lack of accountability. I don't understand why police allow dirty and incompetent cops to remain in their ranks. A few bad apples...
The man should have been strapped in. We may never know if a cop slammed him into the wall of that van or if he fell.
I also share your grain-of-salt view of the term "severed spine." That has not been substantiated. All we know so far is there was some kind of spinal injury, and you question about his documented bone density medical issue is very relevant.
Unfortunately, the left will take an inflammatory and totally unjustified phrase like "his spine was severed" and squawk it out over and over like monstrous flocks of cawing birds until it becomes ingrained in the public consciousness like a stain that no amount of subsequent truth can ever eradicate. The left is good at that. "Hands up, don't shoot"
SF,
DeleteWe may never know if a cop slammed him into the wall of that van or if he fell.
I think so, too.
I recall one Leftist saying the Gray was nearly decapitated. That is not true. He had an injury to his spine -- the cervical area, from what I've heard so far. IF Gray's spinal cord was severed, it happened because bones shifted -- not because somebody took a machete to him.
Thank you Silverfiddle... an honorable response lacking from many...
DeleteBREAKING NEWS!!!
ReplyDeleteThe WaPo is saying that the other prisoner in the van has stated that Freddie Gray was intentionally trying to injure himself!
Are you kidding me? I heard something from the TV but wasn't paying attention. How very sad....will go listen to the news.
DeletePrisoner in van said Freddie Gray was ‘banging against the walls’ during ride
DeleteAOW....the cops supposedly didn't belt Gray into the vehicle and he was handcuffed and chained at the feet. Some are suggesting that if anybody heard his body hitting anything it was because he was being thrown around on curves, etc. Which makes sense to me.
DeleteI must say I'm glad they're not going to make the huge mistake they'd announced earlier today of releasing information about the findings tomorrow....this news of the prisoner saying Gray was 'banging against the walls' might be legit so they need to make sure (tho how they could prove that is beyond me)...but, also, the details of his death are WAY too sensitive a subject in that town to have anything released that could be incomplete. Very happy to hear they had second thoughts and aren't releasing anything this week.
He severed his own spine?
DeleteAOW...pardon ME for saying that the prisoner only heard Grey...I missed that they were apparently in the same van and the prisoner SAW Grey hurting himself. If he indeed did have bone problems from the severe lead poisoning he had since childhood, he very well could have hurt himself that badly. So sad.
DeleteDuck,
DeleteI'm not being snarky with this comment.
You keep saying that his spine was severed. Can we define what that means?
I get a different image in my mind when I think of a severed spinal cord or spinal cord injury. To me, a severed spinal cord means in the context of this case that Freddie Gray's back was broken (snapped in two); but spinal cord injury per se is more complicated.
I know a bit about spines because of my own spine problems.
DeleteHere's a possibility....
Freddie Gray had fragile bones, including fragile vertebrae. During the police take down (not a rough one, let's say) or a fall at the end of his sprint, some of the fragile vertebrae chipped. No symptom at first. Later, in the van let's say all the movement caused chips to shift; the chips damage the spinal cord to the point that movement is compromised.
The crushed voice box is harder to explain. I suppose that one could fall forward onto one's own larynx -- on a sidewalk curb, for example.
HERE is medical information about laryngeal fractures.
More information about laryngeal fractures
DeleteI just heard mention of the possibility of Freddie Gray's having suffered a seizure.
DeleteHas anybody else heard that one?
A doctor in Baltimore has apparently stated that Freddie Gray had a history of seizures.
DeleteDid he have such a medical history?
If what was reported is true, at best, the other person in the van was an "Ear Witness" The article states there was a steel wall between the two prisoners and it was his "impression" of what happened.
DeleteThe PD also said today that video has now shown the van making another unannounced stop before getting Gray to the station, or the hospital.
Given that the PD admitted this AM that they only found out about this from a private video, can we now say at least some of the BPD involved in this case are bad apples?
What Gray did, or did not do to be arrested, or previously, is not germane. He died in custody, the police have, admittedly, been deceptive, and we now have a mess, all under the color of authority.
Dave, where do you get this stuff?
DeleteCan we sat "at least some of the BPD involved are bad apples?"
I hate to break it to anybody, but EVERY PD has a bad apple or two in it, as all PDs will admit.
And, as said above, there is NO REASON why he should have died in custody. Do you mind people trying to figure out who did it instead of jumping to conclusions "it has to be the police?" We are fair, we care that justice is done. NOBODY should ever die in custody.
And I did hear this morning that the van did make a stop before getting to the station "six blocks away", as said this morning.
Dave,
DeleteAre you automatically prejudiced against police officers?
Ever tried doing a police officer's job?
Ever had a loved one who has served as a police officer?
Not an easy job -- and that includes the streets of Baltimore.
The fact is this: the investigation is ongoing, and the findings are not yet in.
Z,
DeleteAt the rate things are going, the pool of applicants for police officer will shrink significantly. Who would want to be a police officer in the current climate? There will be a lot more bad apples if the pool of applicants shrink -- take my word for that one.
AOW... Prejudiced automatically against police officers? Hardly. I have lots of friends, and family who either are, or have been police officers. They hate it when others do not follow procedures, like securing the arrestee, because they know if something happens, it's gonna blow up, as this did.
DeleteAnd you are exactly correct, it is not an easy job, one reason I would like to see a requirement that police have a degree, as do many police leaders across the country. But the acknowledge the difficulty of persuading those with formal educations to serve in such a difficult job.
So what we get in many cities are returning young soldiers who are more Terminator than Andy Taylor [broadstroke application] and who have precious little job or non war people experience under their belts.
Actually Z, there is no reason he should have died at all. Just as there was no reason he should have been stopped.
DeleteSince you used quotes in addressing me, did I say somewhere that "It has to be the police"?
Regarding the van stop, we must have both heard this AM the news. Why do you think that additional stop was not in the incident report, as admitted by the Chief of Police? Why did it take a civilian video to get the BPD to say there was, in fact, another stop?
Did the officer just forget? And for days he never thought about the false report he filed?
Any thoughts on that?
Dave,
Deletethere was no reason he should have been stopped.
Really?
I'm not sure that I've heard that particular objection before now.
Why did it take a civilian video to get the BPD to say there was, in fact, another stop?
Inadequately-trained officers because the pool of applicants is problematic? Officers didn't have the time to include that information in their reports? One officer might have thought that another officer including that information in the latter's report. Who knows? I'd be interested in knowing an answer to your question, however.
Dave,
DeleteSo what we get in many cities are returning young soldiers who are more Terminator than Andy Taylor [broadstroke application] and who have precious little job or non war people experience under their belts.
Is that so?
If so, why is that true?
Seems to bear out my hypothesis that the pool of applicants is small. Vacancies on a police force in inner cities need to be filled, don't they? How do you propose that they be filled?
AOW... Regarding the validity of the stop, the state AG has now stated that there was no basis for the original stop and arrest.
DeleteDave,
DeleteI just got home from work and heard about the charges filed.
The trials are next.
Correction AOW... the posturing, from both sides, is next... the trials are a long ways off...
DeleteZ,
ReplyDeletethe cops supposedly didn't belt Gray into the vehicle and he was handcuffed and chained at the feet.
Why didn't they? Isn't the belting in part of the protocol?
I have the distinct impressions that the medical report is going to be very complicated.
ReplyDeleteWhile the delay is ongoing, demonstrations -- some with significant violence -- are going to pop up all over the United States. Are we in for "a long hot summer"?
Lets NOT get away from the fact that they Rioted for Justice, or should I say INJUSTICE!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThat’s a load of crap, the riots were NOT about justice.. Lets call a Spade, a Spade, these people rioted so that they could loot, destroy, cause devastation, create chaos, devastate, etc. from the riot?
DeleteThis had nothing to do with Justice! This was just another excuse for rioters to riot, destroy, burn, and steal . That’s your answer!
That means that they STOLE! They took Nike's and sports wear, and sporting goods, from the sporting goods store, they took booze from the liquor stores, they stole drugs from the CVS, they took Cell-phones, TV’s, and the list goes on. Every stereotype of the common BLACK THUG was fulfilled that day. Let’s not let them play the victim card!
Shall we pretend that’s the justice they wanted?
Most of them didn't give a crap about justice. They VIOLATED OUR RIGHTS, and the rights of hundreds of innocent people, and destroyed their homes, business. and property. If you let people run wild through the streets, and create havoc, and, destruction whenever, and wherever they please and you get riots and civil unrest that violate everyone's rights and freedoms. You don't care about other people’s freedoms do you? Like the freedom to not be burned alive in your own home? What we saw was nothing less than THIEVING THUGS!
FREDDIE GRAY’S ARREST RECORD: Here’s The Rap Sheet Of The Church Choir Gentle Giant Dude That They’re rioting and Destroying Baltimore Over
ReplyDeleteMarch 20, 2015: Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance
March 13, 2015: Malicious destruction of property, second-degree assault
January 20, 2015: Fourth-degree burglary, trespassing
January 14, 2015: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute
December 31, 2014: Possession of narcotics with intent to distribute
December 14, 2014: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance
August 31, 2014: Illegal gambling, trespassing
January 25, 2014: Possession of marijuana
September 28, 2013: Distribution of narcotics, unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance, second-degree assault, second-degree escape
April 13, 2012: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute, unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance, violation of probation
July 16, 2008: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession with intent to distribute
March 28, 2008: Unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance
March 14, 2008: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to manufacture and distribute.
February 11, 2008: Unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of a controlled dangerous substance
August 29, 2007: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute, violation of probation
August 28, 2007: Possession of marijuana
August 23, 2007: False statement to a peace officer, unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance
July 16, 2007: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute, unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance (2 counts)
That’s over 20 arrests and that should have had him in prison, and if he was in PRISON where he belonged, then maybe he wouldn’t have died that day.
Nobody should die in custody no matter what they've done, don't you think?
DeleteLike we told you, bobo. Low level pot busts.
DeleteWhat purpose was served?
Hey Ronnie Raygun, your so wrong in so many ways! What a stupid comment. But, knowing you as we do, and after seeing what you posted in the past, it was totally expected from a “Progressive”.
ReplyDeleteThat's why you are posting such garbage. What does any of your opinions or arguments matter You are delusional. That's why youre posting such garbage. What does any of your opinions or arguments matter.
We don’t know that he police did anything wrong - it's the Democrat controlled legal system letting him off with a slap on the wrist, when he should have been in jail for that long list of crimes he previously committed that's the problem.
Sooner or later in life people have to rely on themselves and their own initiative, and take responsibility for their own actions. But you jump to conclusions and blame the police without any basis.
yet another lib city goes to ashes...what a horror the left is ushering in! miss u AOW!
ReplyDeleteDave Miller, why do A-holes like YOU always speak out of both sides of their BIG mouths?
ReplyDeleteJust waiting for you to find some reason to Blame Bush for all of this!
They weren't interested in justice. Hell that idiot basically killed himself. If they had been none of them would have looted and stolen everything they could get their hands on from every store they broke into.
ReplyDeleteDid the Rioters care about Justice or did they just want Free Stuff?
Most of those asshats wouldn't know "Justice" if it bit them in the ass.
Hell, some of 'em probably can't even spell "justice".
Which one weighed more heavily on the rioters of Baltimore. Justice for Grey or the opportunity to make an Ass of themselves like they always do, and get free stuff?
Some people obviously have trouble distinguishing one from another.
Justice? Just an excuse for rioters to riot, destroy and steal. To bad the store owners weren't in their stores with weapons to shoot em. I would have been.
ReplyDeleteThe latest is Baltimore and the theme for this one is police violence against an unarmed black youth. This was the theme of the Ferguson, Missouri riots last year and has been a fairly common theme since the arrival of the new century fifteen years ago. Such events included riots in Cincinnati in 2001, the Oakland riots in 2009, and the two most recent Black uprisings. .
For those of us outside of the black community and living in safe suburban zones surrounding our cities, the riots might as well be taking place on Mars. Why anyone would, as is often the case, destroy their own neighborhood, loot and burn down businesses (often black-owned) defies an answer.
When the Daughter of Eric Garner says " What other choice do we have" then you know we have a problem here.
Perhaps it's time to stop the means by which all these rioters subsist (aka welfare) and make them earn a living like the rest of have had to do all our lives?
2. With the advanced technology we have these days, wouldn't it be possible to identify each and every rioter, arrest them and incarcerate them for a long time? And I don't mean a 'school' jail, I mean hard time, like working on a chain gang!
3. We've coddled these one parent children for too long, it's time to take back the country! Quit rewarding bad behavior!
Because riots offer television news dramatic images of violence and destruction, one can depend on coverage for a long as it lasts. Being photographed looting or engaging in violence against police and others seems to be one of the “perks” of rioting. Baltimore’s riot dominated the news on every channel Monday evening to the point one might conclude that nothing else of any importance was occurring anywhere in the world.
One of the biggest problems with cities like Baltimore is the sheer stupidity of its *so-called* leadership. Baltimore Mayor, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is, at least in MY opinion, too stupid to manage a lemonade stand, much less a city the size, scope and overall makeup of Baltimore. This Mayor should be forced to resign!
And what about all those angry looking black men around her? Is that her “Staff”? They look like a bunch of thugs on loan from the black panthers. This is what happens when leftists run things. They think that by being black themselves and in charge and giving into black demands, that they will be appeased and thankful and do what is right. However, like a spoiled rotten child, whose parents refuse to punish them for fear of harming their tiny egos, they get this city wide temper tantrum.
Blacks have been in Africa for thousands of years, and the place is still a shithole. Whites in America have created every comfort and convenience, food and work production, and a comfort level only dreamed about by most other nations, and did it all in under 200 years. So don’t tell me there isn’t a difference between blacks and whites
ReplyDeleteDr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was able to lead many civil rights marches with so little violence, but it was the years concurrent with and following the passage of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts in 1964 and 1965 that saw large riots such as several in 1964 in Philadelphia, Chicago, and New York. There were three just in New Jersey that year.
The bottom line is if you are a good person and treat others with respect, I will do the same. If you act like a thug, well, I will look down on you like a thug. And if you dress like a thug, well, that is you telling the world what your attitude is. I wouldn’t have the education I have today, or the job I have or the money I earn, if I dressed and acted like a thug. And rap stars are not a life to emulate. Dress the part and act the part for the role you want to play in life. See, it’s still simple. If you go thru life with a mentality that whitey is out to get you, and you are a victim, well, that is all that you will see. However, if you have an attitude that school is important, laws should be followed, and respect for others is a virtue, you will be rewarded.
Having achieved the goals of the civil rights movement, historic federal laws, one might have concluded that rioting was no longer needed to call attention to the ills of the post-civil rights era.
You would have been wrong. The one that got national attention was in the Watts area of Los Angeles in 1965. The pattern continued with riots in 1966 and 1967. In April and May 1968 after Dr. King was assassinated, there were riots in 125 cities. The 1980s and 1990’s had their share of riots.
ReplyDeleteJust add Baltimore’s Freddie Gray’s name to the list of those who died either during an arrest or in police custody, sparking a riot. In the past the public generally backed the police, but now they are being depicted as undisciplined killers. The reality is that the police are the thin line of defense between us and the criminals whose job is theirs to arrest and detain. That occurs all the time. Police have more reasons to act in their own defense in a week than most of us will have in a lifetime.
So, as Baltimore cleans up the mess left behind by the latest riot, be assured that another is right around the corner somewhere. There is a core of law-breakers and angry blacks for whom virtually anything is excuse enough for a riot.
We had to pass through a Civil War to resolve the race-based ills of that era. Americans elected the first black American as President in 2008, but his race has not reduced riots during his time in office.
The lesson that we can draw from this is that, if you put enough people together in close proximity in a city where there is both wealth and poverty, where there are economic disparities between whites and blacks, you need only wait a while for the next riot.
AOW, I love it when you talk smart.
ReplyDeleteRonnie,
DeleteI'd hate to see and hear "stupid"
Gaze into the mirror, then.
OOOOoooooooooooooooo. Proud of you, AOW! You so RARELY indulge in that kind of thing :-)
DeleteZ,
DeleteWell, Warren has taught me a thing or two about how to manage a blog.
Yes, but you always keep your cool (unlike ME!) so it surprised me .... of course, it was totally deserving!
DeleteZ,
DeleteI don't get angry or over frustrated 99.9% of the time -- over what transpires on the blogs, that is.
But I will make the occasional quip.
Saw on a Stupid Rightwing Blog
ReplyDelete"what causes unrest and violence in these particular neighborhoods: Libtards, hilldabeast, free stuff, and parents who don't care!"
That statement is a perfect example of how out of touch and stupid those self-satisfied people are who pretend they know the causes of civil unrest in black communities.
"free stuff?" Is the idiot who said that aware of all the "free stuff" the slave holding families of the south enjoyed? How post Civil War laws were written to keep black people from owning property? From evenf escaping the terrors and brutality of the Jim Crow south, only to be forced into ghettos in the northern cities. Is he not aware of how white communities made sure any successful middle class black family would not be welcome into their communities, and how realtors and the white communities made sure it stayed that way, which created crowded ghettos from which those who worked hard and made the American dream could not escape?
Most people know chicken squat about the history of racism in this country. It's much easier to blame black people and hillary and free stuff. I don't know where those sort of people learn such grindingly stupid ideas
@RR,
Delete"free stuff?" Is the idiot who said that aware of all the "free stuff" the slave holding families of the south enjoyed?"
The only thing of value that is truly FREE is AIR and DemocRATS are trying to figure a way to tax that. Would you please explain what you mean by: "all the "free stuff" the slave holding families of the south enjoyed?" It seems to make no sense, whatsoever!
Sarcasm, just plain old Sarcasm.
DeleteGet it now?
Get it now?
ReplyDeleteNO!
Regarding use of the term "thugs", I recall that George W. used the term "thugs" quite a bit. I tired of his usage of that term.
ReplyDeleteTammy
Tough noogie
DeleteI just got home from work and want to share these links (I will be posting each link, with a brief excerpt) in separate comments:
ReplyDeletePreliminary findings show Freddie Gray suffered head injury in police transport van:
An investigation into the death of Baltimore resident Freddie Gray has found no evidence that his fatal injuries were caused during the videotaped arrest and interaction with police officers, according to multiple law enforcement sources.
Continue reading
The sources spoke to ABC7 News after being briefed on the findings of a police report tuned over to prosecutors on Thursday as well as preliminary findings made by the medical examiner's office.
Sources said the medical examiner found Gray's catastrophic injury was caused when he slammed into the back of the police transport van, apparently breaking his neck; a head injury he sustained matches a bolt in the back of the van.
Details surrounding exactly what caused Gray to slam into the back of the van was unclear. The officer driving the van has yet to give a statement to authorities. It’s also unclear whether Gray’s head injury was voluntary or was result of some other action.
Well the story being given by the supposed witness is showing some holes.
DeleteGray had been in the van for some time befre the supposed witness arrived and the supposed witness never had a view of Gray.
All he heard was a bang. No evidence how it happened.
Duck,
DeleteNo evidence how it happened.
That statement applies to a great deal in the case of the death of Freddie Gray. We should keep that in mind -- even as we openly comment and speculate here in this comments thread.
Question for you: Do you know anything about the officers who apprehended and arrested Freddie Gray? I'm serious about this question. What do we know about these officers?
There's apparently a lawsuit by Gray to insurance companies for his back situation........I'm going to look more into it; if I can find anything.
DeleteIt could explain his roughing himself up a bit. The banging wasn't just once, according to the witness, but this is ALL CONJECTURE.
I just hope Gray AND the police have a chance at the truth getting out before either are condemned; because we know who WILL be condemned and no city can take a blanket critique of their law enforcement.
Yes, Facebook people (as AOW says below) are demanding police be arrested...gee, not following the constitution":
"Like President, like leftwing citizens," huh?
Sheriff: ‘I Was Sick To My Stomach’ After Being Told To Stand Down:
ReplyDelete...[C]ity police told him not to confront and accost the rioters.
“I was sick to my stomach like everybody else. … This was urban warfare, no question about it. They were coming in absolutely beaten down. The [city officers] got out of their vehicles, thanked us profusely for being there, apologized to us for having to be there. They said we could have handled this, we were very capable of handling this, but we were told to stand down, repeatedly told to stand down,” he said. “I had never heard that order come from anyone — we went right out to our posts as soon as we got there, so I never heard the mayor say that. But repeatedly these guys, and there were many high-ranking officials from the Baltimore City Police Department … and these guys told me they were essentially neutered from the start. They were spayed from the start. They were told to stand down, you will not take any action, let them destroy property. I couldn’t believe it, I’m a 31-year veteran of law enforcement. … I had never heard anything like this before in my life and these guys obviously aren’t gonna speak out and the more I thought about this, … I had to say a few things. I apologize if I’ve upset people, but I believe in saying it like it is.”
Lewis said though he didn’t hear the order to stand down come from the mayor, he did hear it from police officials....
Nearly 100 Officers Injured Since Monday: Baltimore Police:
ReplyDeleteNow police are saying an additional stop was made before the driver asked officers to check on his condition. They said nothing about this stop other than its location — at what appears to be a desolate intersection with three vacant lots and a corner store.
Last week, Police Commissioner Anthony Batts had said the second prisoner told investigators the driver did not speed, make sudden stops or "drive erratically" during the trip, and that Gray was "was still moving around, that he was kicking and making noises" up until the van arrived at the police station.
I am SO AFRAID that they're going to have to screw the cops no matter WHAT HAPPENED just to keep the unrest down. And please don't anybody even suggest they wouldn't do that.
DeleteThose cops have at LEAST the rights Grey had and I'm seeing angry crowds that could really combust.......it's like if they didn't lynch a Black man seventy years ago, what White bigots there were around weren't happy. We haven't come very far, have we.
Z,
DeleteSome people over on Facebook have demanded that the police officers be arrested before any investigation is complete. In essence, these people are saying, "To hell with Constitutional rights for police officers."
Get ready for the pool of applicants for the position of police officer to shrink drastically. It's coming. Watch for it.
The police will get their story straight eventually.
DeleteDuck,
DeleteHere's a thought....
Is there more than the usual trouble with police officers in Baltimore because "sane" people don't want to serve as police officers there but rather start there and move to a safer jurisdiction?
I think that there is a strong possibility of what I'm saying in this comment. When I look at the recent news coverage, I see a lot of "rookie" cops -- not so many seasoned officers. Maybe I'm wrong about that?
Now that's the question.
DeleteBaltimore has had an outsized number of incidents. Why?
I don't know.
All I have to go on is what I saw on The Wire and what I take away is that drugs are central to it all and the criminalization of minor drug offenses is a big mistake.
"Get ready for the pool of applicants for the position of police officer to shrink drastically. It's coming. Watch for it."
DeleteYeah, especially where they are most needed. Then the residents will complain that they don't have police protection.
Jon,
DeleteThen the residents will complain that they don't have police protection.
I heard a lot of those complaints from CNN and all other news media when the police weren't on the scene shortly after the violence and looting broke out on Monday evening. From what I read today, the order was given for the police to stand down. There seems to be some confusion as to exactly who gave that stand-down order.
AOW, still on for tomorrow?
ReplyDeleteDiscussion on war movies.
Duck,
DeleteYes, we're still on for tomorrow on The Gathering Storm Radio Show. I'll post an announcement here at this blog early tomorrow.
Thanks for reminding me! I've been busier than a one-armed paper hanger!
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DeleteI hope DESTINATION TOKYO's talked about.....my very fave war film of all time! have fun!
DeleteIt's one I enjoy, z.
DeleteOne thing that came to me thinking about the topic is that it's a very fertile genre and you really can't understand its breadth without being aware of world cinema.
About Lt. Brian Rice, apparently the officer who pursued Freddie Gray:
ReplyDelete...Lt. Brian Rice, who initially pursued Gray on a Baltimore street when Gray fled after Rice made eye contact April 12, declared three years ago that he "could not continue to go on like this" and threatened to commit an act that was censored in the public version of a report obtained by the AP from the Carroll County, Maryland, Sheriff's Office....
Another article, very similar, is in the Daily Mail.
A lot of people think that Freddie Gray shouldn't have been arrested in the first place.
ReplyDeletePlease read Was Freddie Gray’s Arrest Lawful? Almost Certainly.
A lot of people, including the AG...
Delete
ReplyDeleteI think the "Hands up Don’t Shoot" & "No Justice No Peace" crowd are the dumbest people in America.. You don't have to be a brain surgeon to know that waiting for all the evidence is the only wise choice.
You also don't have to be a brain surgeon to realize ALL of those protesting don't give a damn about any facts or evidence. If they did they would either be a work or at home not out on the streets associating themselves with these CRIMINAL THUGS in the streets.
And another thing... why is it that NOW, after everyone, including the mayor, the governor, and the president, has used "Thugs" to describe rioters the word has been declared taboo. It wasn’t declared taboo when that word was associated with italians was it???
Thanks to the recent up roar........the following people would like to thank you..... for getting their names off of the front Pages of the newspapers.
1) BILL COSBY
2) US CONGRESSIONAL CONGRESS
3) HILLARY CLINTON
4) BARACK OBAMA
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ReplyDeleteObama's Race War has started , I hope you Libs are happy now.
ReplyDeleteFT,
ReplyDeleteI hope you're wrong.
But I'm concerned that you may be correct.
We shall see.
CAVEAT:
ReplyDeleteBefore any here gloat or declare doom as a result of all the charges filed against the officers, we'd all do well if we remember that the officers are not guilty until so proven in court. Innocent until proven guilty.
The lawyers will now set about their business.
Let's see if the charges hold up in court.
BTW, it is the norm for the prosecution to list several charges than can be proven in court. "Thow the book at them!" Then see what sticks.
Wow.
ReplyDeleteBaltimore resident Kevin Moore filmed Freddie Gray’s last moments, Police retaliated by arresting him.
Maybe we should follow Michel Moore's idea. After all he is a big supporter of global warming so he must be brilliant.
ReplyDelete"America’s police be disarmed and “every African-American currently incarcerated for drug ‘crimes’ or nonviolent offenses” be set free from prison."
Well Freethinke, maybe you can explain to the class why it takes a riot to affect change.
ReplyDeleteRemember the problems in the L.A. police department and how it took the Rodney King riots to bring change.
What is happening in Baltimore is hardly new.
Duck,
ReplyDeleteDid the riot result in change? Maybe, maybe not.
I want to know how Baltimore determines the viability of candidates for the police department.
Bear this in mind: the problems in Baltimore are multi-faceted and certainly not limited to the police department and the department's reaction to what the citizenry does. There is a chain reaction going on.
Furthermore, federal monies have poured into Baltimore for job training programs, education, etc. Were those funds used for the required purposes?
Question for you: Have you ever walked around in Baltimore? Especially, but not limited to, during after-dark hours? I have. There were major problems with personal safety and the keeping of one's own vehicle parked on the street in Baltimore as far back as 1968 -- before the riots that year.
From the Baltimore Sun...
ReplyDeleteFreddie Gray prosecutor comes from family steeped in policing:
...[State's Attorney Mosby's political life is complicated. She has ties to the Gray family's attorney, William H. "Billy" Murphy Jr.; he donated $5,000 to her campaign and served on her transition committee. And her husband, Nick, serves on the City Council, representing the area where Gray died...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletewhat I hope now happens in this part of Baltimore is that the City Council, Mayor, Police Dept Head, AG, etc., all sit down with the saner, more unbiased representatives of the community and TALK, really talk. Talk about why Mfume says Baltimore hasn't changed since the Sixties and why that's not happened. And stop blaming everybody ELSE, but actually take some responsibility themselves. That would be a huge step.
ReplyDeleteTalk about how the CVS was burned when they practically had to beg CVS to go in there and how they'll have to woo other companies now to invest in that community (good luck on that)....address how they can get manufacturing in there and train kids to do the work.
Talk about parental involvement with kids. School vouchers.
Why do mostly Blacks get arrested there? Could it possibly be that they do more crime? (sarcasm) If it's the police, talk about that, BIG TIME.
They need to pick people the community respects or it's for nothing.
I just saw this on a WaPo page:
DeleteChantelle Laguerre, 20, was about to visit her boyfriend who works at the Urban Outfitters at the Inner Harbor when the store abruptly closed at 2:30. She said that today’s indictments were all her peers had been talking about.
“I’m upset kids are rioting, but I understand it’s a reaction of the system that’s hurting them,” said Laguerre, who lives in Reservoir Hill, not far from the epicenter of recent unrest. “People are saying to keep it peaceful; that’s not what Martin Luther King would want. But it will always get violent. It has to get worse before it gets better.”
Laguerre said that she believes the demonstrations are about more than race. She said it’s about how police treat young people in Baltimore. The announcement of the charges against six officers represents progress, she said, but closure won’t come until the verdicts are read.
“They put this out to calm everyone down,” she said. “They haven’t gone to court yet. We have to wait to hear the final say.”
Note this from the above:
Delete"It has to get worse before it gets better.”
What does that MEAN?
She doesn't think anything positive will happen (in her definition) before even worse havoc happens? I think that's in the back of most Baltimorians' minds....'what next?'
DeleteThis isn't over by a LONG shot, sadly.
Until people start taking responsibility for themselves and their children, we'll have riots every now and again.
Z,
Deletewe'll have riots every now and again
Maybe more often than now and again.
The trials are far in the future, IMO. And not all of those charges are going to stick. I also look for a change in venue.
Maybe..it's been since the Sixties that Baltimore had one like this.
DeleteI hope there's a change in venue but I'm thinking it would infuriate the folks...."don't they trust US!? What's going ON here!?"
Maybe..it's been since the Sixties that Baltimore had one like this.
DeleteI hope there's a change in venue but I'm thinking it would infuriate the folks...."don't they trust US!? What's going ON here!?"
I was dismayed to see Mfume bemoan the fact that Baltimore hadn't changed since the last riots. "look around..", he said. I hope he's ashamed about that; All black government, no positive change, no hope. He didn't even see the irony.
ReplyDeleteWhen we move from law and order and due process to rule by mob, we become the new Somalia.
ReplyDeleteWho wants to live in Somalia:
The Last English Prince
Last Prince,
DeleteHow far away are certain areas in the United States from rule by mob? Are some areas already there and we just don't recognize what's really going on?
Addendum:
DeleteIn my view, some of the charges filed were filed to calm down the unrest in Baltimore. Is that not a Beta version of rule by mob?
AOW; I'm really worried that a lot of the quick charges are due to Valerie Jarrett and the WH. We know they've been in close contact from news reports.
DeleteThis is shooting from the hip stuff because the autopsy was only turned in this MORNING....to have charges is weird this soon.
They needed to calm the weekend down....they need to assuage the rioters and nobody can blame them, but it's short sighted.....kind of like throwing good money after bad, you know?
They could have MORE trouble down the line because they got fearful and started accomodating rioters NOW.
http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/Iran-Ali-Khamenei-Twitter/2015/04/30/id/641754/
DeleteSee this? Oh, ya...every Anti-American thug is weighing in...as if Iran's law enforcement is so just! You can't make this stuff up. When we look weak, after 6 years of ridiculous negotiations and seeing our gov't in disarray, etc., we're open season to the insults now.
Z,
DeleteAyatollah Khameini?
One of the Tweets:
Power with cruelty isn’t favored by #Islam. #Police should embody justice and mercy while being potent.
Iran under the rule of Khameini is just and merciful?
YE, GODS!
Obviously, the ayatollah doesn't see America as "the strong man." That means, in the ayatollah's mind, that Allah will destroy us and lift up Iran to rule.
Sheesh.
Z,
DeleteI agree completely with your comment @ May 1, 2015 at 7:07:00 PM EDT.
http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/Iran-Ali-Khamenei-Twitter/2015/04/30/id/641754/
DeleteSee this? Oh, ya...every Anti-American thug is weighing in...as if Iran's law enforcement is so just! You can't make this stuff up. When we look weak, after 6 years of ridiculous negotiations and seeing our gov't in disarray, etc., we're open season to the insults now.
AOW; I'm really worried that a lot of the quick charges are due to Valerie Jarrett and the WH. We know they've been in close contact from news reports.
DeleteThis is shooting from the hip stuff because the autopsy was only turned in this MORNING....to have charges is weird this soon.
They needed to calm the weekend down....they need to assuage the rioters and nobody can blame them, but it's short sighted.....kind of like throwing good money after bad, you know?
They could have MORE trouble down the line because they got fearful and started accomodating rioters NOW.
Z,
ReplyDeleteGad! What is wrong with Mfume? Sheesh.
The black government in Baltimore is not a rousing success, that's for sure.
How did this government in Baltimore (1) let the PD get so far out of hand and (2) hold the police back for three hours when the violence broke out on Monday?
Is Baltimore going to become the next Detroit?
Think about Detroit for a minute. Thirty years ago, could we have imagined back then that Detroit would end up the way it is now?
Z... regarding the quick charges... are you saying the States Atty erred in her charges? Or she was just quick, or as some might say, expedient?
ReplyDeleteI'm saying exactly what I said.
DeleteDave,
DeleteThose words uttered by State Attorney Mosby may be problematic down the line. They do seem to indicate that expediency is at least one reason behind the reading of so many charges.
Baltimore celebrated the rest of the day.
From what little I've heard on the news broadcasts, many of those interviewed in the streets indicated that they are positive that all will be convicted on all charges. When -- and I do think that it's a matter of when -- at least some of those convictions don't occur, many of those interviewed yesterday indicated that they will be furious. Then what? It is my view at this time that such fury will erupt nationwide.
Dave, i understand you were pastor at Baptist Trinity? is that right?
DeleteI have friends who knew you then.
Z... youth pastor... not many folks left there from my days in the late 80's... I am still in touch with most of my old youth group.
DeleteIf I heard correct, I think that church is merging with another...
I learned a lot there...
It's no more...Pastor McGee retired (did you know his son was killed in a car crash a few years ago? about six or seven years ago, I think? Awful).
DeleteAnd Vintage Church has taken over...completely redid the sanctuary colors, flooring, etc.,....looks really nice, I must say.
Wonderful pastor from England, very young...started 3 years ago with 30 and they're now having services for 700.......
Am thinking about stopping by and checking it out.
Anybody remember the name Neda Agha Soltan? She was killed by the Basij during protests in Iran. The Basij are essentially the reserve force of the Iranian National Guard, and they are mobilized in time of national need.
ReplyDeleteYep. This happened under Grand Ayatollah Khameini's watch.
The Last English Prince
**sigh**
ReplyDeleteChild Protective Services Launch Investigation On Baltimore Mom Who Hit Son.
HERE is a photo of the six officers charged. Three of the six are black.
ReplyDeleteHold.
ReplyDeleteThe.
Phone.
Last night, I heard that the regulation mandating the belting in of those arrested had been in effect only one week.
Has anyone else heard or read that information?
What was said last night by a Baltimore cop (in disguise) was that they almost never go into the vans to buckle perps up because the perps are often so dangerous; hopping up on drugs, violent, drunk. Who's going to go IN that small van and restrain them enough to buckle someone UP!?
DeleteCan't say as I blame them.
AHA!: Googled and found this:
"Failing to belt an inmate would violate a policy on handling detainees issued by their own department just nine days prior."
Here's the full piece. I'm thinking it hadn't been a MANDATE but advised? Anyway, it seems that they felt leg irons and handcuffs were enough that day because he was so out of control. Not in the article was something the cop said in the interview I watched; that they knew "Freddie' very well and he often did wild things to get attention from people....it was nothing strange to hear him acting wild, etc.
http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_27977624/baltimore-police-might-have-ignored-seat-belt-policy
I have had occassional stints as a psychiatric nurse and can assure you that there are human beings who are extremely dangerous minus any real weapon in their possession. When the adrenaline is peaking, super human responsiveness is possible.
ReplyDeleteTammy
I'll tell you exactly what will happen. WHEN the Baltimore cops all get acquitted it will be the dead Trayvon fiasco x 1,000. It's all exactly the same: a vile, reprehensible prosecutor overcharges to the hilt, to the mindless joy of the weak-minded, then any half competent defense atty. will convince a righteous jury to throw out the abomination. Then the weak-minded, with delusions of revenge shattered, will react the only way they can - like screeching baboons.
ReplyDeleteHorrendously irresponsible.
Will the weak minded still be jubilant when Baltimore plays out in EVERY city in a few short months? Dozens of riots simultaneously.
I just hope it's far enough in the future so I can profit from it.