Baltimore riots

[Guest MormonGator]

The riots in Baltimore are incredibly disturbing. Nothing says "I am oppressed" like looting innocent businesses and homes. 

 

The really sad part is I think Freddy Gray dying in police custody is a horrible tragedy and I'd be right there with the protestors if it was peaceful. 

 

If anyone lives in the Baltimore area, I'm praying for your city right now. Stay safe. 

Edited April 27, 2015 by MormonGator

[bytor2112]

It is frightening how rapidly lawlessness and rioting begins within certain demographics of the population. Sad really that in 2015 America, this type of behavior is tolerated. The media should be held accountable for the inflamatory and irresponsible "reporting" of news so called.

 

As a side note...can u imagine what the leftist media in our country would be saying if Bush were yucking it up at media swarays while Baltimore was in chaos.

Edited April 27, 2015 by bytor2112

[Guest MormonGator]

 

 

As a side note...can u imagine what the leftist media in our country would be saying if Bush were yucking it up at media swarays while Baltimore was in chaos.

Amen!  

 

W did many things I strongly disagree with but I'm not stupid. The media was drastically against everything the man did. If the poor man personally developed a cure for AIDS they'd complain that he didn't do it ten years sooner. 

[Guest]

I guess I'm not allowed to have an opinion, but I would sincerely like to know the mindset behind this kind of behavior. You know, the long-term goal and what people are realistically will come of it. 

[Guest MormonGator]

I guess I'm not allowed to have an opinion

 

Why not?  I love your posts! 

Edited April 28, 2015 by MormonGator

[Guest]

Elsewhere online I was told that since I'm white, I don't get an opinion. 

 

Because that helps close the gap in race relations, you know. 

[yjacket]

The riots in Baltimore are incredibly disturbing. Nothing says "I am oppressed" like looting innocent businesses and homes. 

 

The really sad part is I think Freddy Gray dying in police custody is a horrible tragedy and I'd be right there with the protestors if it was peaceful. 

 

If anyone lives in the Baltimore area, I'm praying for your city right now. Stay safe. 

 

And this is where that "assault rifle" comes in handy.  If I own a business, I either do it myself or I hire a couple of sharpshooters put them on top of my store.  Any person up to no good comes near, fire a warning shot . . .come any closer and take 'em out.

 

Oh but wait a second . . .Baltimore has very strict gun control laws . . . The 2nd Amendment was built for this. 

[Guest MormonGator]

And this is where that "assault rifle" comes in handy.  If I own a business, I either do it myself or I hire a couple of sharpshooters put them on top of my store.  Any person up to no good comes near, fire a warning shot . . .come any closer and take 'em out.

 

Oh but wait a second . . .Baltimore has very strict gun control laws . . . The 2nd Amendment was built for this. 

I agree in part. I hate to use deadly force to protect property and not life but this is an extreme circumstance. You really don't know what these thugs are going to do and by the time you do know, it'll be too late and they might have already assaulted you. 

 

I'm also a big second amendment guy.  

Edited April 28, 2015 by MormonGator

[beefche]

I guess I'm not allowed to have an opinion, but I would sincerely like to know the mindset behind this kind of behavior. You know, the long-term goal and what people are realistically will come of it. 

 

 

I wonder the same thing, Eowyn. In one report I saw, the rioters set fire to a CVS pharmacy and when the firefighters showed up to put out the fire, they cut holes in the hoses.  Why?  Was the CVS owned by one of the officers?  What is the goal of setting fire to a business and then sabotaging the firefighters in putting it out? BTW, the building was near homes.  I just don't get it.

[yjacket]

I guess I'm not allowed to have an opinion, but I would sincerely like to know the mindset behind this kind of behavior. You know, the long-term goal and what people are realistically will come of it. 

 

Some people as we say "ain't got no prop'r fetchen up".  See the "knock-out game" absolutely despicable.

 

I think some of them are simply agitators (wouldn't surprise me if they are bused in and paid to cause problem);

some are simply feed up with the fact that in many, many cases police are above the law

 

And before anyone complains about the above, last year in GA cops no-knocked two homes which lead to 1 innocent man's death and put a newborn in the hospital for months (blew a hole in it's stomach)-no charges filed, no one is "responsible", the county won't pay for any medical bills for the baby.  Crap just happens right? and no one is to blame, it's just a big oops!

 

So yeah, a lot of people see incidents like that and get real ticked off.  Combine "no prop'r fetchen up" with anger at cops and bad things happen.  Not the right way to solve problems-it just makes it worse.  Get the National Guard in play, put in Martial Law, take away more rights . . . ugh no good at all.

[yjacket]

I agree in part. I hate to use deadly force to protect property and not life but this is an extreme circumstance. You really don't know what these thugs are going to do and by the time you do know, it'll be too late and they might have already assaulted you. 

 

I'm also a big second amendment guy.  

 

I can see that . . . for me my property is an extension of me therefore if one violates my property one violates me.  I've been burglarized before and that is a horrific feeling.  

 

Unfortunately, for thugs like the ones doing the looting and vandalizing the only thing that will stop them is when they realize "oh crap I could get killed if I loot this place", that or they just get tired of it.

[Guest MormonGator]

Unfortunately, for thugs like the ones doing the looting and vandalizing the only thing that will stop them is when they realize "oh crap I could get killed if I loot this place", that or they just get tired of it.

Exactly. The use of deadly force isn't pretty but it's sometimes the only thing that'll get people to stop terrorizing innocent people and businesses. I totally agree. I wish there was another way (we all do, of course. If you like the thought of shooting people you are a very sick person) but the world is no nursery.  

[Guest MormonGator]

Apparently the National Guard is being deployed per Governor Hogan.  

[unixknight]

Ok I'll chime in as the Baltimore guy.

 

This was absolutely predictable.  We saw this coming.  Frankly I'm amazed it didn't happen sooner.  Tensions in the community have been high for years, and the Freddie Gray incident was the spark that lit the flame.  

 

Good chance my work will be closed down tomorrow.  I'm already getting text alerts that people need to stay indoors near campus. (I work at Johns Hopkins University).  

[Guest MormonGator]

Ok I'll chime in as the Baltimore guy.

 

 

Please stay safe. I love your city, I was just there last month. I go to Camden Yards all the time. 

 

Praying...

Edited April 28, 2015 by MormonGator

[unixknight]

Next time you're in town let me know and I'll treat you to lunch :)

 

And thanks... If the rioting is still going on but my office is open, I'll probably telecommute.  North Ave, which is the focus for the riots, is exactly the way I went to get home today but I missed the bulk of the trouble.  I have no interest in going through there again until things settle down!

[Traveler]

As soon as demonstrations turn violent and destructive the entire body of demonstrators becomes as guilty of racial unrest as can be argued that the police department is responsible for even a single individual acting in any kind of a racial manner.   As long as one hold others so accountable that were not acting adversely the only possible result is to make everything worse.

 

Thus every act of lawlessness justifies every act or racial profiling and vice versa.  The only question to be asked in such failure - is who encourages escalation.  If this continues the only act that will bring a resolution is the sacrifice of someone innocent to pay for demands of justice by those that seek revenge.

[unixknight]

 

Thus every act of lawlessness justifies every act or racial profiling and vice versa.

 

I disagree.  Riots don't just happen for no reason.  I make no excuses for the looters and those committing violence, but the simple truth is that they happen in the first place when people feel disenfranchised by their own local government.  As I said before, this comes as no surprise at all and it isn't because Baltimore is full of hoodlums.

 

Not that there aren't plenty of hoodlums in Baltimore... don't get me wrong... But looters are opportunists.  They take advantage of situations already underway.  The frustration is from people who have been given good reason to not trust their local police and city government and that's what triggered this rioting.  That does NOT justify racism.

[carlimac]

What is at the root of these riots? Are police really out to kill unarmed Black men or are they just running more adrenaline than usual when they encounter these criminals because of recent events in Missouri? Do they over react and end up killing someone accidentally or are they truly racist murdering these guys just because they can? 

[David13]

"As I said before, this comes as no surprise at all and it isn't because Baltimore is full of hoodlums."

 

I got to disagree with that 100%.  What do you think they all are?  Lawyers? 

What it's all about is getting a free tv and some free Nikes. 

Do you seriously think the looters care one iota about the guy killed in police custody?  They don't care anymore about him than they do about you or me.  Or themselves, for that matter.

If they came across his house or business, they would loot it and burn it down also.

dc

 

 

[Guest]

Or does the press push stories of black men being killed by white cops whenever they happen, but leave other scenarios out? 

[unixknight]

What is at the root of these riots? Are police really out to kill unarmed Black men or are they just running more adrenaline than usual when they encounter these criminals because of recent events in Missouri? Do they over react and end up killing someone accidentally or are they truly racist murdering these guys just because they can? 

 

This stuff has been going on for a long time.  The problem is the Baltimore PD has a long standing reputation for being less than professional with the citizenry, especially minorities.  Add to that the tensions from MO and NC, and lastly, add a dash of epic mishandling of the Freddie Gray incident and you have the situation at a breaking point.  If you look over the timeline of events on how the arrest/death of Freddie Gray, it tells a story of almost comic incompetence and bad decision making.

 

 

"As I said before, this comes as no surprise at all and it isn't because Baltimore is full of hoodlums."

 

I got to disagree with that 100%.  What do you think they all are?  Lawyers? 

What it's all about is getting a free tv and some free Nikes. 

Do you seriously think the looters care one iota about the guy killed in police custody?  They don't care anymore about him than they do about you or me.  Or themselves, for that matter.

If they came across his house or business, they would loot it and burn it down also.

dc

 

 

 

 

Yeah that's prettymuch why I said this:

"Not that there aren't plenty of hoodlums in Baltimore... don't get me wrong... But looters are opportunists.  They take advantage of situations already underway. "

 

But if you want to dismiss EVERYONE as a bunch of hoodlums you make the problem worse, not better,

 

Or does the press push stories of black men being killed by white cops whenever they happen, but leave other scenarios out? 

 

Naturally it does, but around here the press doesn't have to work too hard to spin things that way.  

[Guest LiterateParakeet]

There was a great comment on Facebook that sums up my feelings, Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow, said:

 

"I believe in non-violence not just as a tactic, but as a way of life. Yet I cannot stomach the indignant condemnation of young people throwing stones and looting stores when those same indignant politicians and media pundits muster so little outrage for the daily, routine violence inflicted by law enforcement on poor communities of color, including the literal war - a drug war - that has been waged in Freddy Gray's neighborhood for decades. I say yes to peaceful protests, but no to blatant hypocrisy."

 

I couldn't agree more.  People complain about the riots, but where's the rage for the people who are killed, or wounded by police brutality?  Michelle Alexander shared a link to this article:

 

"Rioting broke out on Monday in Baltimore—an angry response to the death of Freddie Gray, a death my native city seems powerless to explain. Gray did not die mysteriously in some back alley but in the custody of the city's publicly appointed guardians of order. And yet the mayor of that city and the commissioner of that city's police still have no idea what happened. I suspect this is not because the mayor and police commissioner are bad people, but because the state of Maryland prioritizes the protection of police officers charged with abuse over the citizens who fall under its purview."   

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/04/nonviolence-as-compliance/391640/

 

 

The Balitimore Police admit there were "mistakes" in Freddie Grey's arrest.  Mistakes?  Mistakes?  "Oops, so sorry we KILLED you."  Where's the outrage among white people about THAT?

 

http://newsone.com/3110451/baltimore-police-admit-mistakes-in-freddie-gray-arrest/

[Just_A_Guy]

I agree in concept, LP; but when you ask "where's the rage on behalf of the innocent who are victimized by power-drunk cops?", I reply "it was wasted on behalf of miserable goons like Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, who were painted as innocent even though the evidence revealed them to be anything but".

The same people who told me I should be mad about those cases, tell me I should be mad about Freddie Gray. Maybe they're on to something this time--even a stopped clock is right twice a day, as the saying goes. But I can't help remembering the story of the boy who cried wolf and wondering whether there is some ulterior motive in play here.

Edited April 28, 2015 by Just_A_Guy

[Guest]

Glen Beck wrote a pretty moving piece this morning about what's happening to our country in general, and among other things he says that unions are busing people in to riot. Does anyone know anything about this?